How small is the A4 Wagon

[HD333]

The wife's commute may be changing drastically in the near futre, close to 100 miles round trip, and a Tahoe is not the best suited vehicle for this so we are exploring alternatives in the event the commute dictates. The Tahoe is also out family trickster for roadtrips so we need to keep that in mind.

So I ask you will a family of 4 and a dog fit in an A4 Wagon or am I dreaming? We road trip to VT every weekend in the winter, gear stays up there and we try to limit what we take back and forth, we go to to NH for weekends frequently in the summer, this would be our roadtrip vehicle. We generally pack the Tahoe to the gills but I think that is because we can so we try to replicate home wherever we go. I have no objections to throwing a box on if I have too. Is this feasible?

The A4 seems to have the best MPG, which with her potential commute is a big deal, of the stuff I have looked at, XC-70, Highlander, etc...

She is adamant about no Lesbaru.

Any other alternatives come to mind? Thinking pre-owned, 2011 models and up.

 

[wa-loaf]

I think it's a little smaller than my TDi Sportwagon. An option if you can live without AWD and want 40 mpg ...

With a dog along you'd probably want a roof box. Once the kids are teens they may not appreciate the back seat so much on a long ride.

 

[hammer]

I was going to mention the Volvo V50 but that may be a bit too small...not sure how the interior stacks up. Latest year they offer a T5 AWD is 2011 I think. You would be buying into the end of the run for the car but I wouldn't worry about service and parts.

If the seating is like my S40 then the back seat would definitely be a bit tight for older kids. Not sure how you can change that without going to a bigger car.

 

[Bene288]

My ski buddy has the TDI Jetta wagon. I think they're close to the same size as the A4, maybe even bigger? Anyway, we got five people in it and gear for 6 in the boot. Not the most comfortable ride home from Killington, but it certainly has the space.


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[JDMRoma]

Just replaced my 06 Toyota Matrix XR with an 11 Matrix S, Bought Certified Used Toyota from a dealer...better warranty than buying new !
My 06 has 180 k on it and I gave it to my 16 YO daughter, still going strong......My 11 had 22 k on it when I picked it up in July... Now at 30 k
Plenty of room, all my gear goes up on the Thule box and gas mileage is close to 30 mpg highway....Not bad for an AWD.
Im also dong the 100 mile daily commute too ! Hudson NH to Westwood Ma....Sucks

 

[HD333]

I crunched some numbers and the MPG difference between the Tahoe and A4 Wagon based on current gas prices is like a grand a year in real $ based on expected miles she may drive. Going to cost a lot more than that to get her into a new vehicle so I think we will stick with the Tahoe.

Now I just gotta find some snow tires.

 

[hammer]

I crunched some numbers and the MPG difference between the Tahoe and A4 Wagon based on current gas prices is like a grand a year in real $ based on expected miles she may drive. Going to cost a lot more than that to get her into a new vehicle so I think we will stick with the Tahoe.

Now I just gotta find some snow tires.

Wonder if in most cases getting a new vehicle to save on gas costs doesn't save any money overall. Believe that's the case when it comes to repair costs...

 

[wa-loaf]

Wonder if in most cases getting a new vehicle to save on gas costs doesn't save any money overall. Believe that's the case when it comes to repair costs...

When repairs start costing more than a car payment is when I usually swap. Though being a single dad I need a car that's not in the shop all the time either.

 

[bigbog]

Cooper Discoverer M+S for the Xterra...fwiw. No experience with it but tread/specs look ok...not on yet...tire choice depends on where one drives anyways.. Might be a little on the heavy end....
Even if new vehicle...the tires on new toys are "sometimes" better off sold...

 

[Glenn]

Wonder if in most cases getting a new vehicle to save on gas costs doesn't save any money overall.

I'm in the same camp (and I don't gottagopee)

 

[hammer]

When repairs start costing more than a car payment is when I usually swap. Though being a single dad I need a car that's not in the shop all the time either.

When repairs get that expensive I let the kids use the car and I stop paying for anything that isn't absolutely necessary...

Agree on the hassle factor of going to the shop, it's enough of a pain even when I can get a loaner.

 

[skiNEwhere]

When repairs start costing more than a car payment is when I usually swap. Though being a single dad I need a car that's not in the shop all the time either.

I had a 2010 S4......and 12,000 miles in I had to get a new transmission. They tried to charge me $5,000 for the tranny until I argued with them enough for them to agree it would be covered under warranty. 10,000 miles later, the clutch started getting spongy. They had to replace some part in the tranny for that (not the whole thing though) and tried to make me pay for that as well, until they finally agreed to have it covered under warranty, again. Under 10,000 miles, I was driving through a winter storm in CT where I saw a few cars actually spin out in front of me (I think it was around January 20, 2012) and all of a sudden the Nav system says "AWD disabled, TPMS disabled, EPS disbaled (traction control), etc. Every system went out, all at once, at the worst possible time.

Having an Audi, regardless of the year, is like owning a baby gorilla. People will look at it and either that it's really cool, or wonder why the hell you'd buy something like that, it takes a lot of care, it will empty your pockets, and you can't always do what you want to because you have to take care of it.

If you get one, get it under warranty. I sold my S4 a few months ago and bought an Subaru Outback. I'd recommend that.

FYI, I had 3 cars that had a manual transmission before that, and didn't have any problems.

 

[wa-loaf]

I had a 2010 S4......and 12,000 miles in I had to get a new transmission. They tried to charge me $5,000 for the tranny until I argued with them enough for them to agree it would be covered under warranty. 10,000 miles later, the clutch started getting spongy. They had to replace some part in the tranny for that (not the whole thing though) and tried to make me pay for that as well, until they finally agreed to have it covered under warranty, again. Under 10,000 miles, I was driving through a winter storm in CT where I saw a few cars actually spin out in front of me (I think it was around January 20, 2012) and all of a sudden the Nav system says "AWD disabled, TPMS disabled, EPS disbaled (traction control), etc. Every system went out, all at once, at the worst possible time.

Having an Audi, regardless of the year, is like owning a baby gorilla. People will look at it and either that it's really cool, or wonder why the hell you'd buy something like that, it takes a lot of care, it will empty your pockets, and you can't always do what you want to because you have to take care of it.

If you get one, get it under warranty. I sold my S4 a few months ago and bought an Subaru Outback. I'd recommend that.

FYI, I had 3 cars that had a manual transmission before that, and didn't have any problems.

A buddy has a 2011 (or 12) S4. It's a damn sweet car. He let me drive it up to Alta a couple times. He hasn't had any problems with it.

 

[skiNEwhere]

A buddy has a 2011 (or 12) S4. It's a damn sweet car. He let me drive it up to Alta a couple times. He hasn't had any problems with it.

Don't get me wrong. It was a blast to drive. But seeing as the warranty was expiring, I ditched it

 

[HD333]

Don't get me wrong. It was a blast to drive. But seeing as the warranty was expiring, I ditched it

Man, your former S4 must have been built on a Friday based on those issues.


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[Powderhound]

I believe you had a lemon.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2013/11/18/cars-that-return-top-resale-values/

And...

http://autos.yahoo.com/news/consume...ting--europeans-gaining-ground-165357824.html

I have 2 Audis. (I got a new one, but kept the old one since it was still running so fine). Some of the best, most reliable cars I have ever owned. However, unless it is under warranty, I do not go to the stealer for service.

 

[Geoff]

Why would you buy a car as expensive an an A4 quattro wagon as a 100 mile per day commuter car? It's going to depreciate like crazy. It burns more-expensive premium fuel. It doesn't get great fuel economy. It's notoriously expensive to maintain once you rack up some big miles on it.

A Jetta TDI Sportwagen with snow tires will cost you half as much per mile to operate and has the same interior space. You can buy leftover 2013's right now for $25K to $27K.

 

[HD333]

Why would you buy a car as expensive an an A4 quattro wagon as a 100 mile per day commuter car? It's going to depreciate like crazy. It burns more-expensive premium fuel. It doesn't get great fuel economy. It's notoriously expensive to maintain once you rack up some big miles on it.

A Jetta TDI Sportwagen with snow tires will cost you half as much per mile to operate and has the same interior space. You can buy leftover 2013's right now for $25K to $27K.

The simple answer:
Happy Wife = Happy Life

Sticking with the Tahoe in any event.

 

[Glenn]

I had a 2010 S4......and 12,000 miles in I had to get a new transmission......

We had a 2002 A6...great car. Until it needed repairs. Went through a lot of control arms, drank some oil and replaced an engine. If I had more time to spin wrenches, I'd maybe get another.

Went the darkside and bought a preowned AWD Lexus. It's been drama free for a year. (knock on wood). I know I'm getting older because "sh_t won't break" is now high on my list when vehicle shopping.

 

[drjeff]

We had a 2002 A6...great car. Until it needed repairs. Went through a lot of control arms, drank some oil and replaced an engine. If I had more time to spin wrenches, I'd maybe get another.

Went the darkside and bought a preowned AWD Lexus. It's been drama free for a year. (knock on wood). I know I'm getting older because "sh_t won't break" is now high on my list when vehicle shopping.

Well if you didn't have to spend so much time building new closets for M to store all of her ski coats in, you'd have more time to spin a wrench! :lol: