RS4 Saloon or Avant with 2 Young Kids?

[FaisalJ]

Hi Guys

New on here, so go easy!!

Well, it's time to fulfill a long standing desire for a B7 RS4.

I'll be selling my B8 2.0T quattro S-line soon, pics on this link: http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/so ... st-1692810. It's a quick and practical car (revo map to ~285bhp), but after owning a B6 S4, I miss having a V8!

So then I have to decide between a saloon or avant RS4. I have a 2 year old son, with baby no. 2 due in September. Interested to hear how RS4 owners with kids get on with the boot space in the saloon?

I'm leaning towards the extra practicality of the avant, but a) they seem a bit more expensive, b) the wife thinks all estates are ugly! She'll be driving it too, but i reckon she'd come around. But would be easier and cheaper to just get the saloon if I can get away with it I guess!

[NJMAudiRS4]

Welcome and FON

I have a 3yr old and a 9 month old and a spaniel, I would recommend the avant, with all the parafinellia you have with a new born, baby seat pushchairs boogie boards changing bags, takes up a lot of room and if you go shopping you'll need the extra space to put all the groceries (crates of beer) and the avant is so much better than the saloon. (Cue major abuse)
Good luck with the search

[chris_m]

I have 6 year old twin girls and a 9 year old lad. Not once in 2 years has the saloon been too small. You'll still get your dog and the shotgun in the boot. To top it off they look so much better and are faster

[NJMAudiRS4]

Bet the dog loves you putting him the boot
But early for the shotgun though at least wait until your daughters start dating then you can go all Bad Boys 2
But seriously Avants are so much faster

[edge]

I have a saloon as they are known to be faster than the van.

I have two boys, 3.5 and .5 and they love it.

Car seats fit great and the boot takes the double buggy and the shopping and mass amounts of gear that need to with the boys!

Plenty of room in her for everthing.

[MikeFish]

I have 2 kids, 3 and 12 years old and had the saloon since the eldest was about 7 so right through the youngests birth and all the crap you need to carry around. I could go away for the weekend and carry enough stuff for the 4 of us and including travel cot, pram, sterilising equipment etc etc etc. The only downside was that I had to take my subwoofer box out and replace it with an 18" sub bolted to the back of the seats but with no box (free air).

[marc1]

As mentioned, saloons are faster...

To be honest I do think it's doable in a saloon but very much dependant on what baby/child car seats you pick. Regarding the boot space, it's bigger than you think and the Avant is smaller than you think. We went away for a week (with one six month old) and completely over packed and were fine. Again though it all depends on what sort of kit you buy for the baby / child.

The B7 is the same basic chassis as the B6, so the RS4 will be very similar bar a little less rear leg room if you go for buckets. Both are smaller than the B8, so you should be able to gauge by what you have now and have previously owned.

I have another on the way and my other half really wants the rear facing seats that go up to four years old due to new legislation and additional support in the unfortunate case of a crash. Therefore I am thinking about (reluctantly) leaving the B7 (not really ready to do though), as the current and therefore replacement baby seats do not fit behind my seat unless I want my knees near my ears. So far I have considered

A) Moving to the B8 RS4 as it's slightly bigger and the seats should just fit, but I don't think I am ready to lay out that amount of money and take what is left of the hefty depreciation.
B) A C6 RS6, because if you are leaving a V8 behind you 'should' really only go up in cylinders if you consult man maths, but VERY heavy feeling and nowhere near the handling of a B7 RS.
C) A C5 RS6, because it's going to be really hard not having a V8 in my life... And that allows to buy something else small and fun (having considered keeping the B7 and getting a C5 to go along side I just don't think they will both get adequate use).
D) Keeping the B7 RS4 saloon and the missus can take the kids in her car.

Decisions, decisions...

[PetrolDave]

If you go for the Avant then if you really need more space for all the baby paraphernalia it's easy enough to fit a Thule roofbox on aerobars.

[Ian_C]

Personal preference. I love Audi estates. The thought of driving an Audi saloon just feels strange tbh! The estates are no longer / no bigger footprint on the road, but are sooooooo much more practical. Mine spends half its life with the rear seats flipped down.

Don't forget Avants are easier to get kids in and out of (especially when in car seats) because the rear doors are square at the top rather than tapered on a saloon. I also find the estates easier to park as you actually have better visibility.

[MikeFish]

... but the saloon looks better otherwise it would be a no brainer.

[Briggy]

I've had 3 different BMW 3 Series cars and they were coupes so no rear doors at all. No problem at all with kids (unlike the Audi S5). For the 3 occasions a year when I needed more space, I put the roof box on. I'm assuming that you can fit a roofbox to an RS4 Saloon, so if that's the case and you prefer the saloon over the avant, it's a no brainer.

Personally, I prefer the avant as it's more in keeping with the RS ethos, but that's just me.

Cheers,
Bryan

[CellDamage]

Yep go for a saloon, they have a massive boot and are just as practical as an avant.

[neilparf]

Yep go for a saloon, they have a massive boot and are just as practical as an avant.

This.

I had a Vw Toeragg with a 1 and 4 year old and we filled it. The RS4 Loon nowadays carries zero crap - two boys 5 and 8 and they fit fine. The younger the kids are, its the crap they goes with them that's the issue...

[TechNick]

As mentioned, saloons are faster...

To be honest I do think it's doable in a saloon but very much dependant on what baby/child car seats you pick. Regarding the boot space, it's bigger than you think and the Avant is smaller than you think. We went away for a week (with one six month old) and completely over packed and were fine. Again though it all depends on what sort of kit you buy for the baby / child.

The B7 is the same basic chassis as the B6, so the RS4 will be very similar bar a little less rear leg room if you go for buckets. Both are smaller than the B8, so you should be able to gauge by what you have now and have previously owned.

I have another on the way and my other half really wants the rear facing seats that go up to four years old due to new legislation and additional support in the unfortunate case of a crash. Therefore I am thinking about (reluctantly) leaving the B7 (not really ready to do though), as the current and therefore replacement baby seats do not fit behind my seat unless I want my knees near my ears. So far I have considered

A) Moving to the B8 RS4 as it's slightly bigger and the seats should just fit, but I don't think I am ready to lay out that amount of money and take what is left of the hefty depreciation.
B) A C6 RS6, because if you are leaving a V8 behind you 'should' really only go up in cylinders if you consult man maths, but VERY heavy feeling and nowhere near the handling of a B7 RS.
C) A C5 RS6, because it's going to be really hard not having a V8 in my life... And that allows to buy something else small and fun (having considered keeping the B7 and getting a C5 to go along side I just don't think they will both get adequate use).
D) Keeping the B7 RS4 saloon and the missus can take the kids in her car.

Decisions, decisions...

^This

I'd say a lot actually depends on how tall you are as, as above, the B7 has less legroom in the back than the B8, so with many rear-facing car seats you end up eating into the space you need for your own legs in the front.
It was for that reason (plus the cavernous boot, even in saloon form, that could swallow up a bulky double-buggy and paraphernalia/luggage) that meant I ended up on option C, back in the day.
Once they're out of rear-facers/buggies (and have less paraphernalia), then it's much less of a problem... again, depending on how tall you and/or your partner are, from my experience!

[Ginors4]

I've had both. I have two girls aged 5 and 2.
Get the Avant. The look better. More practical and although are more expensive they will sell for more when you move on.