The station wagon has caught a bad rap with gearheads the US ever since the wood-sided land barges of the late sixties rolled out of Detroit factories and onto the small screen, shuttling around the Brady bunch in an awful suburban nightmare. And then, as if out of nowhere, came the 2009 Audi A4 Avant, a wagon so beautiful even this childless, 27-year-old lout would love to own one. I like the new A4 sedan body style, but the droopy tail hasn't grown on me, whereas the stylish rear end of the Avant improves the A4's look dramatically.  

Brilliant Red paint and a sport package do wonders to this wagon's curb appeal as well. The 18-inch wheels fill out the arches nicely, while the blinding brightness of the Avant's crimson hue stands out in a sea of black and silver BMW's and Benzes in my hometown of Greenwich, Connecticut. Standing in line at Starbucks for my daily quad espresso, three very large, somewhat thugged out construction workers asked if I were "rockin' that sick ass wagon outside" and asserted that, "damn, that shit be hot!" Not the reaction I'd expected, given the wagon's implicit purpose of hauling kids and their stuff around suburbia.

The 2.0 TFSI four cylinder powering my test car is a wonderful engine, quiet, torquey, and economical. The six-speed tiptronic transmission, however, didn't do it justice. The autobox's mandatory "start from idle" acceleration chart makes the turbocharged plant feel laggy off the line. Still, as automatics go, the latest Tiptronic's manual shift mode is just about the fastest and most precise I've used (save for the DSG and wet-clutch type systems). Despite the lack of flappy paddles, I spent most of the time in manual mode, shifting with the lever. Going manual is the best way to keep the engine in "the fun zone," above 2,500 RPM.  

On the second day of my four-day test, I got lucky. Mother nature took a four-inch white dump on New York and Connecticut, giving the Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system a chance to shine. Route 17, north of Harriman, New York had about an inch and a half of the white stuff in pre-plowed trim, and the Audi had no problem maintaining 70 mph without a hint of instability. Back roads rife with obstacles such as snow, ice, retarded drivers, and snow plows did little to upset the Avant's sure-footedness. No storm was too much for the Avant to handle with ease. I'd want my mother driving this car just as much as I'd want to be driving it myself.  

The A4 Avant is most at home on a long highway trip, where its adjustable suspension can be left in automatic mode, leaving brain cycles leftover to play with the lightly-revamped multimedia interface (MMI) system, which features navigation, satellite radio, and all the usual goodies. Controls for the HVAC are kept out of the MMI interface (thank god), and switching between functions is done via large buttons around the central control knob as opposed to with an onscreen main menu. After a day or two using the system, I was able to switch back and forth between navigation, trip information, and Sirius radio without looking down at the center console at all. I also liked that I could have the navigation directions on the gauge cluster screen with radio functions on the main screen, maximizing usefulness.

The new A4 Avant has its drawbacks. My test car was essentially fully loaded, sporting Audi Lane Assist, sport package, full leather, MMI, Xenon/LED lights, and dual-zone climate control. The problem? A ,000 sticker price. Ouch. I know. Forty-seven grand is a lot for a car with a four-cylinder engine, turbocharged or not. The good news is that if you're willing to skip over some of the extras you can drive one home for just over ,000. That's a big difference for a car that will essentially look, feel, and drive exactly the same. Also, the steering is a bit light at highway speeds. In parking lots the boosted power steering is nice, but at speed, there were times I wished for a BMW tiller's firm feedback. I'd like some more power, too. Like, a lot more power. Like, an S4 Avant. Unfortunately, Audi says the S4 Avant won't reach the US this time around. I'm not surprised; the company sold only 400 B7 S4 Avants in the US in 2008. But with a body this sexy and the new 3.0L TFSI Supercharged mill powering this generation's S4, I have a feeling the company might reconsider. They would have at least one customer, that's for sure.