– By David Brown –
The station wagon, particularly as a fleet vehicle, has had an image of being more practical than good looking.
Think of the Toyota Camry or the large, slab sided Ford Falcon and you can see the impact of a trend that resulted in both cars no longer on being the Australian market.
Part of their demise could be that some vans have become easier and more comfortable to drive. In other cases companies may have opted for SUVs. I saw a Nissan X-Trail that was decked out in Coca-Cola colours, not looking like a delivery van but rather a car for everyday driving that had some extra carrying capacity.
The dowdy image of the station wagon might also have reduced their potential as cars that are bought as a reward for an employee. The Audi A4 sedan has been on the fleet of at least one major grocery store chain as a reward car for senior manages. But could a wagon be a more fitting incentive?
Hertz rent-a-car have a fleet of prestige Audi vehicles that give you the choice of an A3 or A4 sedan, or a Q5 or Q7 SUV but no wagon. Indeed none of their cars are wagons.
Wagons have changed their image with manufactures such as Alfa and Holden calling their vehicles “sports wagons”. They are not aimed at the boringly practical but at the lifestyle market where you want to carry your skiing gear or your scuba equipment much more than you are concerned about shopping.
Looking just at the executive reward market, the just launched Audi A4 Avant could be an excellent choice.
Sales of Avants in Australia are not nearly as strong as the sedan so the Audi have only two engine options, both two-litre four cylinders, one with 140 kW of power one with 184 kW. The more powerful engine comes with an all-wheel drive system
Both work through a seven speed dual clutch transmission. The handling and the feeling of safe security is very good even in the front well drive version.
Audi says that the new Avant is a “tad” lower and 26mm longer. It has more space inside for most measures that includes an extra 80 more litres of carry space in the back but it is 70kg lighter overall.
The interior is rated as one of the best in the business and you can get an option for the dashboard that Audi calls the ‘virtual cockpit’. In front of the driver is a fully digitised, 12.3 inch computer screen. It can display the traditional speedo and tacho in a couple of sizes or even show you images from Google maps in high resolution. It is a major step for navigation or other information you might like to get in front of you.
There are many safety features. Along with the usual items there are two more progressive things that are standard in the Avant. “Pre-sense rear” which detects if a following cars is approaching too fast and flashes the stops lights at them and tightens the seat belts for the A4 occupants.
If you go to open your driver’s door and there is a car or bike close to the vehicle the “Exit Warning system” will warn you. With the problems of “dooring” bike riders this is a great start to preventative safety. One assumes that the next development will be to stop you opening the door altogether.
The A4 Avant starts at a list price of $63,900. For the more powerful all-wheel drive it is listed at $72,900. These price exclude on road costs and represent a $3000 premium over the sedan. And don’t forget options can add significantly to the cost.
It is a car that employees would be happy to have as a choice on the fleet.
