Hello,

I have to replace my wife's car and as we have our first kid on the way, I am looking at the Audi A4, A6 because they are beautiful, perform well for our needs, are safe and have awd. The question at hand is do I go with an A4 3.2 or A6 4.2 (These are really the two cars I am considering because I will have to drive the car from time to time and I want something that, well, has enough performance to make me happy?). This is our first kid and I am wondering if the A4 would be a tiny bit too small. Anybody can comment?

PS: Both A4 and A6 under consideration are used 06, both fully loaded (except s line), 18K miles and the A4 is $31K and A6 is $45K


Thx.

 

I'd take an A6 over the A4 in a heartbeat. But both are great cars of course. Good luck!

 

I'm nowhere NEAR starting a family, but if I were, I wouldn't want to deal w/ car seats etc. in the backseat of an A4. I know there are folks on here who use their A4s as family haulers, but if you have the option, get the car you can grow into. My 2 cents.

 

1) Baby won't need the extra room for quite a few years in his/her life. By that time, maybe upgrade to a different car.

2) We have an A4 3.2 Avant and enjoy it (and we're expecting a baby, too). A little smaller makes handling fun...at least 'til the baby is riding in the backseat.

3) 4.2 is a great engine for power, but V8 less gas friendly and A6 4.2 is definitely more expensive to insure than an A4 3.2.

But if $$$$ isn't even a factor, then go for the A6. I prefer the A4 only because ours is an S-Line and the V6 has decent power already.

 

I have had my son's car seat in the middle of the rear seat. He fits well when sitting, but getting in and out is a bit cramped. He can also kick my shoulder when we're all seated.

Solution: Passenger seat forward, and I've set memory button #4 on the driver's seat to move the seat all the way forward to make ingress and egress of my son into his seat easier. He is 33 months old.

I get out of the car, hit button #4, my seat moves forward, I put my son into his seat (he gets a Recaro, even though I can't.....) and when I open the driver door, the seat automatically returns to my preset position.

It would be a bit more unwieldy if I had him positioned directly behind the driver's seat, as I am 6 feet tall, and I don't want to put him on the passenger side. (More likelihood of T-bone accidents over there.)

When kid #2 comes along, or when kid #1 gets to be older, it will become interesting. That's why about every other post of mine mentions my strong desire for a C6 Allroad (with MT) or a B8 Avant with 2-3 more inches of rear seat room.

If you want a manual tranny, obviously, the A4. If you want a car for the long term, say, to last you until your second kid is 10 years old, go for the A6. And of course, I'm partial to Avants. The A6 Avant is one of the prettiest cars on the road, IMO. I would have one now, but for the lack of MT.

Long answer to a short question.

 

I had a 2007 A6 3.2 loaners for 3 days and granted its a FWD, 3.2L (instead of 4.2), and stock susp; I immediately miss my A4 with mods. Aside that, I felt the exterior is a bit blend, and interior and ergonomics are confusing at best.

 

I say go for the A4. The car seats fit fine and you can still have some fun when the kids aren't in the car.

 

4yr old and a 1.5yr old...get the AVANT, you wont believe the stuff you will be schleping around, easier to get the strollers in and out...my bro has the A4 sedan and wishes he got the avant....we can throw a double stroller in and zip around town, throw in bags of stuff...not a problem in the avant

 

I had found the right cars (1 year old, right options, right colors, right price) and believe me, they were not easy to find (esp the A4 as both my wife and I prefer the manual tranny) and now I feel that I need the get the A4 avant... and from looking accross a 500 miles radius, I can't find one that seems to work ouch...

I guess there is some thinking to do.

Thanks for the help.

 

best of luck!