2005 Audi S4 Preview

Audi S4 Avant

The uber-family wagon -- just in case you want to haul the brood at warp speed.

Ahh, family cars.

Rarely, if ever, do they get your blood pumping. After all, who needs a "family" car that can scoot to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds while still in second gear? Right. Nobody.

And who needs one that is as agile as a cat? Do you need a car that's darty and quick to shuttle the kids to Brownies?

Well, actually, there might be something to that latter point. See, studies of vehicle safety are increasingly pointing to a very new way (but a perfectly logical one) of thinking about which kind of family car to buy. They suggest that the safest vehicles are the ones that are more nimble rather than merely bigger. The vehicle that has more weight riding lower is also an aid, because rollovers are the deadliest sorts of accidents, and flipping is much more likely when you take a tall vehicle and try to swerve in a hurry.

Then again, how nimble do you need your family car to be? "Need," or "want"? It all depends on the conversation with your spouse. In case you missed it, we're trying to give you a rationale when shopping for your next "family" car.

You need to be able to argue, persuasively, that you must buy a car chock-full of airbags, naturally. But also one built with all the latest safety amenities, such as seatbelt pretensioners (these snug the belt to the passenger instantly at impact, lowering the risk of whiplash). And, by the way, pretensioners are a rare feature of any SUV or minivan; they are especially rare at every seat, which is how you get them (standard, mind you) in the Audi S4 Avant.

Oh, and of course you need the power to outrun a hurricane, and the maneuverability to avoid the timbering, towering metal boxes (SUVs) flipping over left and right.

So, really, a $45,850 S4 Avant is the perfect family car.

Or maybe we've just been hypnotized by the siren song of this Audi's 4.2-liter, 340-hp V-8, somehow wedged under a hood that normally houses a 1.8-liter four-cylinder, which is good for merely 170 hp. Well, actually, it's that V-8, and, for the first time, an Audi manual gearbox that's really excellent -- as flawless and flexible as the one you'll find in a Porsche 911 or BMW M3. There's a third factor as well -- this is a wagon. Not a huge, haul-the-whole-Girl-Scout-troop wagon. But one that can certainly swallow a stroller and a pile of toys, plus two child seats with their occupants well buckled up.

Meaning this vehicle is more convenient that a typical sports sedan, yet handles with the élan of only the very best sports sedans ever made. Smitten are we? Yes, indeed we are.