I belatedly saw the article on the RS4. Is Audi out of its mind?? Who is going to buy a performance car that comes only in station wagon format? Absolutely crazy!!!

Derek Daily
Adrian Jones (1552design)
Neil McGarry
Corey Smith
Cameron

Anybody else?

Steve S.
97 2.8QM
00 S4 (jan?)

You are obviously unfamiliar with Audi history. The original RS4 sold in Europe in avant form only and I think those cars are highly sought after today.

If it helps, think of it as a performance SUV. I would buy one. It may be attitudes such as yours that are keeping the RS4 out of the US. If Audi believes it won't sell here, then they won't bother to bring it.

Today's avants are not "station wagons". You're troubled by the idea of the cars that you probably grew up with. The avant is not the big bulky car that our families drove in the 60's and 70's. It's a car the same size as an A4 sports sedan, but with a different shape in the back. It holds a little more gear. Get past the stereotypes and you might appreciate the car for what it does and for it's niche in the marketplace.

nt

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nt

Europeans eat 'em up. We Yanks waste our gas and dollars on SUVs -- WHICH ARE THE TRUE HEIRS OF THE TOWN-N-COUNTRY STATION-WAGON LEAD-SLEDS WE ALL GREW UP WITH!!!!! OKAY?!?!?!?!? Sorry for shouting. The Avant, particularly the RS4 has NOTHING to do with the wood-panelled behemoths of yesteryear. So get it outta your head and enjoy life!

Buy one in a second, bud. Just the tool for humiliating all those Porsche-holes.

(I had a Volvo 145 Turbo wagon when they first came out, and I was single, in my 20's)

John
Trained Seals Racing
(I also had a Volvo 122 wagon with a punched out B-20 and sidedraft Webers...)

I was in Europe twice last year and noticed that in France and Holand more than 50-60% of the cars are "wagons" or hatchbacks. In England it's a bit less.

The question is why not have a wagon? They actually perform better since the wagon roof contributes to a stiffer body shell. Also, try fitting a dishwasher into a sedan.

As for SUVs, don't even get me started.

-'00 1.8 Avant on its way.

nt

I'd settle for an S4 Avant though.

……like the Scirocco or the Golf. I love it, I would have bought one except I am not crazy about the full-time roof rack.

…… add more weight to the car than you should. Then the rear suspension squats and the springs sag …… bummer ...

My friends think I'm weird because I want a A6 wagon (the last generation). I just wish they came with the 5-cylinder, even if it wasn't a turbo, like in the S6. I would LOVE a S6 wagon. But since we're getting greedy here, I'd love a RS2. I really don't like that 12v V-6, especially when its only connected to a 4-speed auto.
Anyway, I love the RS4 because its the ultimate anti-SUV car. Plenty of cargo space, and can go head to head with a Porsche 911. Oh yeah, drooling over my keyboard now...

-andrewt<ul><li><a href="http://freeweb.pdq.net/a41.8tq">My Waste of Web Space</a></li></ul>

I'm not sure that it's stiffer than the sedan. Do you have any numbers to support this claim?

Other than that, I'm not bashing Avants! In fact I think the older generations (5000) looked much better in Avant form. If this were the only way to get an RS4, I would not hesitate for a second. My preference is for a sedan though (for both estethics and my lack of need of a wagon).

adc
sedan owner, would take the RS4 in a second

nt

Not to say that people can't, but it might be that some people are forgetting the hefty pricetag on the RS4. A lot of people would own that car, but not everyone could afford it.

Just my $.02 - no offense intended

marcus frost
99.5 1.8tqm

I still feel that many people want a performance car that LOOKS like a performance car.

of american station wagons. i just believe that a performance car should LOOK like aperformance car, not a barge.

Just talking out of my ass. Road and Tracks review of the Avant stated that it was stiff. Also, it just makes sense. A trunk lid doesn't add much horiz. or lateral structural support vs. having a solid roof extending the length of the car. I think this is the same reason BMW made the wierd looking ZM3 coupe. Which BTW I really like as well. Reminds me of the old Aston Martin "Shooting Brakes" and MGB-GT.

...is a very special Avant. I would not think twice about buying one if it were here and I could afford it.

Charles

Love the Avant.

nt

You are correct; probably the majority of sprtos car buyers want it to look sporty. But some people like understated looks to go with their performance. some even debadge their cars to look like the plain models that they are based on. I even know one owner of an M3 that re-badged it as a 1.6tds. He loves playing with other cars that think he has a 1.6L diesel engine. He wastes them everytime.

Still, I don't think anything based on the A4 would look like a barge. The A4 is not a big car, even in avant form.