norsecarnut

You are correct, A4/S4 cargo space are smaller than e61. It isn't "quite a bit" smaller, but it is smaller. Where most people would notice the difference is in the 2nd row passenger space, the e61 has noticeably more knee room and overall, the e61 is wider than the Audi A4. However, we took a family trip summer 2009 in the S4. I let her brother drive because he's also a car nut and wanted to drive the 6 spd v8. He's 6'-1", I'm 5'-11" and we had his sister (my partner) and their mom. The four of us actually fit fine but I just like to have more room when traveling a ways and with 4 people. We had a 5 hour drive each way, half of which was through mountains and 2 lane roads. Luckily her mom grew up with loving the v8 sound!

I wouldn't have mentioned the A4/S4 except the OP had that as the comparison.... which brings to mind, why not then bring in the e91 if better handling and fuel economy and price are more important than shear cargo space?









What's "better" about a 535xit than a 328xit aside from interior volume? There are only a couple things and they all relate to cargo (the 535 has load leveling rear suspension, and it's awesome until you read about all the people who have had it give trouble.

The 535xit has more room for 2nd row passengers and slightly more comfortable seats, but only with the "comfort seat" option. I found the sport multi-way seats in our 07 328xit to be wonderful over many longs trips.

The 328 touring handles awesome, like you think a bmw should. While I have to reiterate, I "enjoy" my e61 and it's very "comfortable" on 3000 mile trips, it's certainly not as "fun" to drive as the e91 was.

vanos

jwestpro, you have two very nice wagons. The S4 does have more boot space and rear legroom than the E91. The E91 is worth considering if you don't need the extra space of the E61 and it is a sportier drive.

I really like the picture of your E61, where was that taken?

norsecarnut

Badlands National Park, SD

Lotus99

J: Nice shots of your cars, as always!

We looked at a new A4 Avant when I was shopping for this car, and I measured the length, width and height (especially of the tailgate, before it slopes forward), and found the 5 wagon to have quite a bit more room. I don't have my dimensions with me, but IIRC, the A4's tailgate (current models I should specify, as the previous generation ones I think sloped less) slopes forward quite quickly (you get like 8 inches), so usable trunk space is limited IMO. So to me, the A4/S4 is a more natural comparison to the 3 series, whereas the A6 would be more comparable to the 5 series, as the other poster said.

You ask "What's "better" about a 535xit than a 328xit aside from interior volume?" You forgot the big one, the ENGINE! I couldn't drive a 230 HP/200 lbs torque car anymore! It would feel so slow! A few hundred pounds less weight in the 3 can't offset all the lack of HP vs. the 5. And as you know, if you want, Dinan is your friend when you have a turbo car, whereas the 328 will go no further.

norsecarnut

true but imagine the linear feel of the ESS supercharger on the 328 engine. I think that e91 engine is called S52 ? I think a rwd e91 is more than just a few hundred lbs less than the awd e61.

For driving fun, in defense of the naturally aspirated inline 6 in the e91, no amount of 535 engine boost is going to make up for the cornering differences. The e91 is easily more fun when the route gets twisty.

I only say this from having driven many trip miles in both. There was a certain tightness in the e91 that just can't carry over to the bigger, longer, heavier, and possibly softer suspensioned e61. The benefit of the e61 self leveling rer suspension may also be what makes it feel less than it's full potential.

hanyoung

Thank you for all of your helpful comments!
Wagon lovers are a rare breed and it's great to have so much helpful info as well as personal pics. Jwest... you are living the dream! I think I will likely look for a low mileage a4 avant, as it may suit me better. in terms of the e91, great car, but a naturally aspirated engine would be no fun for me.

thanks again for the wise words!

norsecarnut

The Audi is a very fun car. If you want to get the most from it's handling potential, replacement with springs and dampers will transform it. See Achtuning online or similar for ideas. I don't know your desired budget range or how new you want the car to be, but keep in mind that 06-08 are essentially identical so there is almost no reason to go with an 08 and pay more unless the mileage is drastically lower and it is under a factory or cpo warranty for a while longer.

FYI, when a person buys a cpo Audi, that warranty may not be transferable to new owner under private sale however the cars where a person paid for an extended warranty from Audi, is transferable. Verify with your dealer but this what I recall from an Audizine forum discussion. VWVortex is also a good forum for reference but mostly about vw's than Audi.

The best A4 deal to me for long term plans would be an 07-08 with very low miles and an attached 7yr/100,000 mile warranty. There were some nice color combos so research those and give some time to look. Right now is actually a good time to see 07-08 hitting dealerships on trade and Audi does the 6/100 cpo like BMW does so that's a nice way to go. Some people get to take advantage of Audi Financial offering low financing rate incentives too. Right now I think they are doing something like starting at .9 but even a 60 month may only be 2.9 so still pretty good.

To me, the 535 wagon is a fine "cruiser" whereas the 328 wagon and A4 Avant are more fun and sporting due to size and handling.

One last thing, you may like to try out the S4 Avant if the fuel mileage is not a problem for you. With the S4, you really don't need to do anything to the suspension or brakes to have a car that will perform without issues on a track if that's your fancy.