AN ESTATE variant of the new Audi A4 will go on sale in the UK in September. The Avant comes to the UK six months after the new A4 saloon and shares the four-door's longer wheelbase to offer rear seat passengers more legroom along with a larger luggage area than in its predecessor.

Load volume is up from 390 litres to 442 litres with the rear seats in place, with a maximum of 1,288 litres with the seats folded. There is also an extra compartment beneath the floor with 65 litres of space. Engine choices reflect the current saloon range - including the recently introduced 100bhp 1.9 TDI and 155bhp variant of the 2.5 V6 TDI - with choices of front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive and five and six-speed manual gearbox options.

Company car drivers will be able to choose a CVT Multitronic version of the 155bhp 2.5 V6 TDI, as well as for most front-wheel drive petrol models. The Multitronic offers the benefit of an automatic with no penalty in either fuel consumption or carbon dioxide emissions. Pricing and exact specification will be finalised closer to its launch, but expect a premium over saloon versions of about £1,000.