rear multi-link setup is adapted from the A6 and A8 rear suspension design.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGNoaXYUDU8">link to video on YouTube</a> (listen around 0:50 seconds into video)

Assuming Edmunds has their facts correct, is this a good or bad thing? Has Audi done this for Avants in other A4 series?

I wonder if this is another reason the Avant has dual exhaust (and 2.0T sedan does not).

I think the A4 Avant will have a smoother ride than the sedan if rear suspension is borrowed from the A6/A8. I believe this to be true, because the rear needs more stability.

<i>As with the A4 sedan, most of the Avant's suspension bits have been rendered in aluminum to save unsprung weight and quicken each wheel's response time after bumps. The five-link front end, of course, is identical to that of the sedan, <b>but the multiple rear links are mounted to a specially designed rear subframe isolated by four rubber mounts developed specifically for the wagon.</b> It works. Even with the optional 18-inch wheels, the Avant's ride is fantastically compliant in spite of the low ride height, and body control is heroically flat and grip at the ground is tenacious.
</i><ul><li><a href="http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/high_performance/vw_audi_central/2009_audi_a4_avant_first_drive_review+t-superb_ride-and-handling_balance+page-3.html">Link to full article at C&amp;D</a></li></ul>