Audi A4

Hold the front page! Coming from a newspaper background, I see most things in black and white. Never was this more true than in summing up the Audi A4 and A6. As regular readers will know, I've run and reported on a diesel A6 saloon over the past year. But now I've swapped the keys of the big executive for the more compact dimensions of a new A4 Avant.

And it's a bit like exchanging a copy of the broadsheet Daily Telegraph for the tabloid Daily Mail. While the smaller A4 still has a quality feel, delivering lots of good news on the driving and ownership front, it simply doesn't have the strength in depth and air of authority of its bigger, more upmarket stablemate.

However, before I get accused of making unfair comparisons, let me make it clear that the A4 is a real headline-grabber. Starting on the outside, I reckon the Avant is the best looker in the A4 range. The trademark front end blends beautifully into a sharp, classy tail, which is accentuated by those smart roof rails. It all comes together in a very sleek and purposeful way, and is set off with stylish optional 17-inch, nine-spoke alloys.

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All good news so far then. And inside the story is also generally positive. The Audi's usual understated, but beautifully crafted, cabin is a joy to sit in. You will need deep pockets to kit out your A4 quite as lavishly as ours, though, as the options list is extensive, but expensive.

Black Volterra leather trim adds £1,250 to the price, while the Lifestyle pack, which includes rear parking sensors, side blinds, a boot storage pack and sat-nav is a further £1,975. The TV function is £705 and the Bose sound system with six-disc CD changer another £800.

Together with the Tiptronic auto fitted to our car, all the luxuries add around £12,000 to the A4 Avant's basic on-the-road price of £24,085. Now that's eye-wateringly serious money! Thankfully, the Audi is a pleasure to drive. Under the bonnet is the punchy 2.0-litre turbocharged FSI petrol unit from parent company VW's Golf GTI. Even having to cope with the power-sapping presence of an auto box and quattro four-wheel- drive system, the A4 is truly rapid, with only slight hesitation caused by the transmission.

The trademark boomy note of the FSI powerplant does take a little getting used to, but of far more concern are the first signs of excessive oil consumption. Having only clocked up 5,000 miles, the low-level oil light has already lit up, with the dipstick showing well below minimum. After a top-up, it's something I will be keeping a careful watch on.

So far, I haven't had cause to use the Avant's boot for any major loading jobs, but my colleague, managing editor Graham Hope, has borrowed the car to collect family, friends and their luggage from the airport. The Audi took it all in its stride.