What is it?
2002 Audi A4 Avant
What's special about it?
Like its sedan counterpart, the Audi A4 Avant (station wagon) is completely redesigned for 2002, boasting improved structural rigidity, a longer wheelbase, a wider track, additional rear seat legroom and the crisp styling theme that debuted on the 1998 A6.
Two engines are available. Last year's 170-horsepower 1.8-liter turbocharged engine carries over pretty much unchanged, except now it meets ULEV (Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) standards. The upgrade is a 220-horsepower 3.0-liter V6. A manual transmission is available with either motor (five-speed with the 1.8T quattro and six-speed with the V6), as is Audi's famed quattro all-wheel-drive system. Optional on quattro models is a five-speed Tiptronic automanual transmission.
New for 2002 on front-wheel-drive models equipped with the V6 is a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The new Avant also gets an aluminum independent rear suspension, while the famed torque-steer-quelling four-link front suspension remains. To keep the A4 Avant on road and out of the ditch, Electronic Stability Program (ESP) is standard. Other safety equipment includes front, side and head airbags.
Improvements to the cargo area include a wide loading bay, flat loading floor and a 30/70 split-folding rear seat. A storage compartment is located under the load floor to conceal smaller items from prying eyes.
Like other A4 models, the interior is a feast of high-quality materials. Leather, or leather and Alcantara, is available, and buyers can select aluminum or wood trim for the dash and details. Lots of luxury goodies come standard, including 16-inch alloy wheels. Seventeens are optional, riding on 235/45 tires.
The A4 Avant is expected to arrive Stateside in summer.
Why should you care?
Wagons are hot these days, ownership conveying a hoity-toity anti-SUV statement loud and clear. With improved room inside, the new 2002 A4 Avant could even be thought of as a logical family car. Still, a Volkswagen Passat GLX 4Motion wagon isn't likely to cost much more than a modestly equipped A4 Avant 1.8T, and we know which one we'd buy. How badly to you need Bauhaus styling and a quad-ringed badge on the grille of your wagon? — Christian Wardlaw
2002 Audi A4 Avant
What's special about it?
Like its sedan counterpart, the Audi A4 Avant (station wagon) is completely redesigned for 2002, boasting improved structural rigidity, a longer wheelbase, a wider track, additional rear seat legroom and the crisp styling theme that debuted on the 1998 A6.
Two engines are available. Last year's 170-horsepower 1.8-liter turbocharged engine carries over pretty much unchanged, except now it meets ULEV (Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) standards. The upgrade is a 220-horsepower 3.0-liter V6. A manual transmission is available with either motor (five-speed with the 1.8T quattro and six-speed with the V6), as is Audi's famed quattro all-wheel-drive system. Optional on quattro models is a five-speed Tiptronic automanual transmission.
New for 2002 on front-wheel-drive models equipped with the V6 is a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The new Avant also gets an aluminum independent rear suspension, while the famed torque-steer-quelling four-link front suspension remains. To keep the A4 Avant on road and out of the ditch, Electronic Stability Program (ESP) is standard. Other safety equipment includes front, side and head airbags.
Improvements to the cargo area include a wide loading bay, flat loading floor and a 30/70 split-folding rear seat. A storage compartment is located under the load floor to conceal smaller items from prying eyes.
Like other A4 models, the interior is a feast of high-quality materials. Leather, or leather and Alcantara, is available, and buyers can select aluminum or wood trim for the dash and details. Lots of luxury goodies come standard, including 16-inch alloy wheels. Seventeens are optional, riding on 235/45 tires.
The A4 Avant is expected to arrive Stateside in summer.
Why should you care?
Wagons are hot these days, ownership conveying a hoity-toity anti-SUV statement loud and clear. With improved room inside, the new 2002 A4 Avant could even be thought of as a logical family car. Still, a Volkswagen Passat GLX 4Motion wagon isn't likely to cost much more than a modestly equipped A4 Avant 1.8T, and we know which one we'd buy. How badly to you need Bauhaus styling and a quad-ringed badge on the grille of your wagon? — Christian Wardlaw
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