It took me a long time to warm up to our long-term 2009 Audi A4 Avant, and now that it's about to leave the test fleet, I'm borderline downright sad to see it go. Never fails, does it? You always want stuff you can't have.
More seriously, though, this wagon really does handle well. Never mind the electric-assist power steering that still feels a little off, this A4 wagon corners hard -- and it does so in a way that you are entertained even if you're just making a decisive left turn at some intersection. Last night, our Audi reminded me a little of an old favorite, the 2005-'09 Subaru Legacy GT.
That Subaru just happens to be on my used car shopping list. Perhaps I should add the A4 as well.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 34,221 miles
ahightower says:
10:48 AM, 01/ 5/11
See post above... THIS should be the shape of things to come, IMHO... I know people are sold on the feel, vantage point, entry/exit, perceived safety of SUVs/CUVs. But hopefully there will at least be more wagons to choose from as a result of the drilling we're all about to take.
joefrompa says:
11:35 AM, 01/ 5/11
Erin,
If you feel like getting a cult-car, find a 2005 Legacy GT wagon 5-speed manual (only year they were made, though all the parts are shared across many years).
If you feel like shelling out some more dough for a sedan, pick up a ~2007 (original body style), 2008 (updated body styling and interior), or 2009 (multiple color choices) Legacy GT Spec.B for the aluminum suspension components, bilstein suspension, much better 6-speed transmission with torsen rear diff and a front LSD as well, alcantara inserts on seats, memory seats, and a few other little goodies.
I've got a 2008 legacy GT and I'm literally thinking about trading in for a 2009 Spec.B model due to the transmission and suspension :)
eriches says:
12:47 PM, 01/ 5/11
@ joe: And to make things even harder, I want a 2005 GT wagon with a manual transmission AND the Limited package. The leather seats offered an additional seat-bottom tilt adjustment that greatly improves comfort IMO; I never could get situated in the cloth seats. ;)
joefrompa says:
01:08 PM, 01/ 5/11
Wowser. Do you want to EAT your cake too? Jeez. :)
I checked back on legacygt.com to no avail - either non-limited or auto trans. There's an interesting white 5-speed model, non-limited, who just swapped in a set of 08+ STI seats though (with heaters). The car has an interesting history though...
blueguydotcom says:
01:39 PM, 01/ 5/11
Suby. No doubt.
audisport says:
02:37 PM, 01/ 5/11
I've been looking for B7 (05.5-08) A4 avants with 2.0T and 6 speed manuals, as well as same gen S4's with manual trans. Hard to find manual wagons.
ed124c says:
02:48 PM, 01/ 5/11
Erin, you might want to broaden your search to an Outback GT. You can get it in newer model years (with the 5 speed manual) than the '05. Yeah, you will lose something with the jacked up suspension, but my ordinary, everyday base model '05 Outback handles pretty good. And, as Joe says, there aren't a lot of them out there.
The secret to enjoying your car-- no matter what it is-- is to NOT drive any other car. Then you don't have anything to compare it to. And that is one reason why I love my OB as much as I do.
carraway says:
11:43 PM, 01/ 5/11
I've also had the last gen. Legacy GT on my used car shopping list. They're not that common, even in a snowbelt region, and I haven't found a well-maintained one. I guess it'd be much easier to find a well-maintained Audi. Hmm...
legacygt says:
07:59 AM, 01/ 6/11
When I listed my 2005 Legacy GT Limited MT Wagon for sale on legacygt.com I got inquiries from all over the country. I live in NY and had someone willing to come from Chicago. I ended up selling it to a guy who made two trips from MA, one to look at it and another, by train, to purchase it. I miss that car just about every day. We needed something a bit larger but I'm always thinking about how it really wasn't that bad squeezing the kids and big dog into the Legacy. I wished they made the Lagacy a bit larger. My wish came true with the new Legacy but I'm afraid the new GT doesn't capture the feel of the last generation. Unfortunately there's nothing really left to replace it. The Audi and BMW are at least 50% more when comparably equipped with AWD. The Volvo V50 is smaller and less powerful. The Acura TSX is less powerful in wagon form and not available with AWD. The Mazdaspeed6 is gone. The Suzuki Kizashi is the best successor to the Legacy GT but it's less powerful and not available as a wagon. We can complain all we want but the market for AWD performance-oriented wagons is tiny. I'd suggest scouring the market for a used Legacy GT or Outback XT (which really sacrifices only a little in handling in exchange for greater ground clearance and suspension travel).
smilez says:
03:17 PM, 01/ 6/11
I loved just about everything in regards to my wifes '05 Outback XT Limited. The only thing I didn't like were the seats. I didn't find them comfortable for more than an hour, and we traveled a lot.
What I would really love to see (but they won't!) is bring the new A4 AllRoad to the states. For the same reason we bought an Outback over a Legacy wagon: Here in the mountains, we need ground clearance. And the new AllRoad looks sharp, and I'm just not a huge fan o the new Outback. I need to drive it first I guess.