Audi A4, S4 or RS4: which Avant suits your daily life?

An A4 Avant with S line can look like precisely the estate you want. An S4 adds the prospect of a special engine. An RS4 invites the thought that you might as well go all the way. Yet an ordinary A4 could be the car you enjoy owning more.

Our direction depends on what draws you to this family. For long working days and relaxed motorway journeys, start with a well-configured A4 B9. If a six-cylinder petrol engine matters, put particular S4 versions on the shortlist. If you deliberately want a performance estate and can carry its costs, the RS4 earns its place. S line, S4 and RS4 answer different wishes.

With the S4 in particular, searching for the newest car with the lowest mileage can miss the point. The badge spans a supercharged petrol engine, a turbocharged petrol engine and a diesel. Choose the type you want before using age as a filter.

Picture an ordinary Tuesday: an early departure, a long motorway stretch and the drive home when you are tired. You will notice the seat, noise, ride, controls and ease of familiar manoeuvres. Extra performance may be pleasant, but it does not replace any of those qualities.

For this profile, we would begin with an A4 B9 Avant 40 TDI with documented standard suspension as a comparison car. For mainly short journeys or a clear petrol preference, a 40 TFSI would be the first alternative. Audi lists both with two-litre engines for the 2019 facelift; identify later output specifications on the actual car. The financial decision needs your journeys and actual offers. A universal annual-mileage threshold would pretend that calculation had already been done. Audi's 2019 press kit, engine overview on page 8.

Take care with the S line label. Audi's 2019 B9 facelift material describes several suspension choices, including standard, sports and controlled-damper versions. S line does not establish an identical combination of suspension, seats and wheels on every listed car. Audi A4 B9 drivetrain and suspension.

Compare the documented standard suspension with another recorded suspension specification using a similar engine. Note the wheels and tyres; either candidate may have S line. Controlled damping still needs to persuade you. Adjust your seat first and stay in it for a meaningful drive. Check thigh support, pressure from bolsters and whether you keep shifting position. On the same poor road, have your regular passenger also try the rear seat. If either car is uncomfortable there, seek another configuration before moving up to an S4.

These are the important branches:

Sources: Audi's B8 powertrain description, Japanese manufacturer release, Audi's B9 world premiere in 2015, Audi's 2019 facelift press kit. The first source supports the engine architecture, not German standard equipment. Power figures refer to the stated versions; identify later specifications separately.

If a six-cylinder petrol engine is why you want an S4, we would not favour a younger TDI simply because it is newer. It may be a convincing answer to a different wish. Yours has not disappeared. Compare a documented B8 TFSI with an early B9 TFSI instead, then decide what a younger car, its controls and its individual equipment are worth to you.

Equally, someone covering substantial distances who actively likes a powerful diesel need not buy an older petrol car to satisfy someone else's definition of a proper S4. The TDI is a deliberate search direction. Its comparison car remains an A4 with a suitable drivetrain and better equipment or more money left over.

For imported S4s, identify the original market. Audi's 2019 material continued to describe a TFSI outside Europe. “B9 facelift” is therefore insufficient identification. Match fuel, output, vehicle documents and origin before comparing vehicle-specific servicing or costs.

If you want a six-cylinder petrol comparison from another manufacturer, the 205-family C43 is a possible direction. Our C-Class guide also explains how its engine concept changes across generations.

The B9 RS4 Avant is a distinct performance estate with a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6. Audi gives 450 PS and 600 Nm for the corresponding archived version. Those are not specifications for an A4 with S line, nor for every earlier RS4 generation. Audi RS4 Avant archive.

We would pursue an RS4 when you specifically want its drivetrain and presence, and the estate still fulfils your everyday tasks. For someone mainly seeking comfortable commuting and occasional brisk overtaking, it first needs to demonstrate its extra value. More power for the purchase price is insufficient if insurance, tyres and upcoming work make ownership too tight.

A lower entry price on an older S or RS model does not turn its hardware into that of an ordinary A4. Obtain insurance and workshop quotations for the actual cars. Identify the fitted brakes, the correct tyre set and the next work indicated by the records. Compare these on a matching basis before calling the purchase price a bargain.

A B8 can remain a sound direction when its particular drivetrain and a traceable vehicle history fit your wishes. We would not buy one simply because it offers more paper performance for the price of a younger A4. The room left after purchase matters alongside the dealer's price.

Paying more for a B9 should buy an identifiable benefit: a better fit, the equipment you want, better condition or controls you prefer. Compare the installed MMI systems with your own phone. While parked, enter a destination, change audio source, start a call and return to navigation. Try the camera and parking sensors in your normal parking situation. An equipment name in a listing does not answer these usability questions.

Bring your actual luggage to an Avant viewing. Set the driver's seat, fit the child seat if relevant, then load the pushchair, dog crate or travel cases. If doing so forces the front passenger into an uncomfortable position, neither S nor RS solves the space problem. Another body or vehicle size becomes the better direction.

An A4 chosen for comfort must leave you sitting comfortably after a meaningful drive. With an S4, establish whether you like this particular engine and transmission in ordinary use. With an RS4, quiet driving, parking and passenger comfort must work too; a short burst of acceleration is too little evidence.

With the seller's agreement, drive from cold and again when warm. Try slow manoeuvres, steady rolling and normal shifts. Jerking, warnings, unusual noises or unexplained modifications call for an independent technical inspection. Check servicing against the candidate's actual engine, gearbox and drivetrain. A service entry without details of the work does not settle every maintenance question.

Audi's archive lists the A4 through 2024 and names the A5 as its successor. We therefore do not assume a new, freely configurable A4 factory order. Check individual stock, demonstrator and pre-registered offers for availability, specification, previous use and warranty. Audi A4 family archive.

If a current factory order matters more than the A4 name, include its successor in the comparison. If you want a particular A4, deliberately search existing stock. Either can be right; they are different search briefs.

A helpful brief might read: “An Avant for regular long journeys. Comfortable seats and ride matter more than large wheels. Petrol-engine character is worth a premium, but not my financial reserve.” That gives you a basis for choosing between an A4 and the different S4s.

Vehilo's Search Support turns those priorities into reasoned model directions, exclusions and a written search plan. You receive selection criteria and filters for a more focused search. If a specific A4, S4 or RS4 is already under consideration, a review of that listing addresses the individual car and the unresolved questions before purchase. Both linked service pages are in German.