Audi_in_Van

Hey guys, I am a previous owner of a B5 S4, now looking for a bigger car, and thinking of B6/B7 S4 Avant, or maybe B8 A4 Avant?

I like a sporty, yet comfortable larger car to add to my Porsche 997. I like something to store ski/boards, to go camping, to put mountain bikes in, and to use for moving stuff around, so cargo room is quite important, and not sure if the Avants have enough room (vs. SUVs).

Got the following questions:

- How much worse is V8 gas consumption vs. B5 2.7T?
- B6/B7 differences, specially in Avant body?
- B5 S4/Allroad had many issues with Auto-transmission, Torque converter, and therefore none recommended the Auto... are those resolved in B6/B7?
- Any major issues to look for? Any MY better than the rest?
- Must have options?
- Avant cargo room: Which has MOST ROOM? B6, B7, or B8? I've heard conflicting things on this.
- Do rear-seats go completely flat?

Thanks!

Audi_in_Van

Is this forum/site dead? Jeez... very quiet. I miss the good ole days, with threads expanding to pages!

I guess AudiZine is getting all the traffic, eh?

KleineRotWagen

Not totally dead...

I have had a B6 Avant for 7 years and would have a hard time letting it go. Regarding your questions, I can only give you my perspective:

Mileage - don't know what the twin turbos get , but I get 19 - 20 MPG in combined city / hwy., will get about 22 - 23 on a road trip. Interestingly, on day ski trips in the Sierras, i'll get about 18 going up, 28 coming down for a combined 25 - 26.

I've had zero issues with the Tiptronic; well one. When the transmission was serviced at about 120K, I had to buy a new pan because the factory DIDN'T INSTALL A FILL LEVEL NECK.

B6 B7 differences - no body changes that I know of...

I have the 04 model - there apparently were some engine failure issues in early production first year models, but I missed out on that as well. ;-) I've had to replace three power window regulators; two driver side and one passenger side fronts. An issue? after seven plus years and about 170k total miles, I tend to think not.

Must have option? The rear cargo cover is the only one, maybe wheel well flaps depending on your driving conditions - the car comes fairly well equipped

Most cargo room? Audi's newer models always seem to grow a bit, but my guess is there's not three pair of shoes difference. part of the reason for me buying the car is to not have to use a ski rack. i had SUVs prior to the S - haven't had my skis on a rack in 25 years. Mountain bikes? not likely unless their really small. I doubt you would find anything in a regular wagon that would hold such without some disassembly.

No, the rear seats do not fold flat. It's close, but not quite. Probably has something to do with the Recaro bolsters.

Hope this helps.

WYKDWGN

I have a 2002 S6 and it will hold tons of stuff, longer and wider. I have a huge mountain bike and with the seats down it will swallow it. It has the ski bag pass thru and the seats lay flat enough to sleep on and I'm 6'2". I have pictures I can send you. PS it is for sale cheap.

wagonpilot

I also have an '04 S4 Avant and absolutely love it. One of the prerequisites was that I needed to fit a large dog kennel in the back. This does not work unless the seats are totally flat. Turns out, the rear bench can be removed (very simply, no tools), and the seats will then lay perfectly flat. Good times

Look for oil leaks, or the smell of excessive burning oil. Valve cover gaskets are pretty common, but still can be $600-$800 job for both sides. Consider a compression test to preemptively identify valve issues (a leak down test may also give some insight). If it's burning a ton of oil, be wary. A valve job can easily be in $2k+ range (or so I was told by my mechanic). Keep in mind, the V8s in particular do indeed burn oil, but I think there's some magic "normal" amount--I'm not sure what it is off the top of my head. And absolutely, make sure all the timing components (and water pump) have been taken care of if the car has higher mileage.