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Audi's popular A4 has never fallen short in the looks department, and the 2009 A4 sedan, unveiled in Frankfurt last year, was no exeception, sporting R8-style LED headlamps and a sensational, A6-inspired cockpit. But the company's new A4 Avant, revealed ahead of an official debut at next month's Geneva Motor Show, may just be the most beautiful A4 yet.
Although the new wagon is bigger than the car it replaces, longer by almost five inches, it's about ten-percent lighter and significantly stouter. Audi is planning to offer five engines when the Avant goes on sale in Europe this spring: two gasoline and three diesels. For its North American debut this fall (alongside the '09 sedan), look for a turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a 3.2-liter direct-injection V-6 producing 265 horsepower, matched to manual or Tiptronic manu-matic gearboxes and front- or Quattro all-wheel drive.
Amid the usual complement of safety and convenience items, such as new lane-departure and blind-spot warning systems, the new A4 Avant expands on the collaboration between Audi and Danish style-and-sound icon Bang & Olufsen with a 505-watt, 14-speaker audio system.
More photos after the break, courtesy of Audi.
