When the A4 was launched Audi was keen to point out that in comparisons with Mercedes-Benz C-Class and BMW 3-Series, it’s executive estate was expected to be marginally cheaper to run on a pence per mile basis. Servicing isn’t cheap however, particularly at Audi dealers, but buyers will prefer a service book that has main dealer stamps.

The A4 is a fairly green model and with an average of 197g/km CO2 across the model line-up, its emissions are fairly standard for a medium-sized estate. However, it’s worth noting that the line up has a high number of diesel models, bringing the average down and giving buyers more choices of low-emission versions. Diesels typically produce less CO2 than petrol engines with similar power outputs.

The range is not particularly economical, averaging 37mpg.

The new engines have been in use in other Audi and VW applications without problem, and the previous model was generally very reliable so we see no reason to expect things to have slipped.