Pics of your Fast Estate...

[otolith]

samoht said:

Diesel engine only in Europe from 2019 on, yes https://evo.co.uk/audi/s4
Probably addresses Otolith's call for a non-gas-guzzling fast estate, though.

That and the *35d estates. The larger engined Mercedes diesel estates aren't quite in the same ball park.

[Percy.]

toastyhamster said:

Silverstone camping in an XE with non-folding rear seats plus this thread might well be the last straw for the Jag. Can anybody fill me in on why there are no post 18 plate secondhand S4 Avants for sale on AT? I've looked on and off for a couple of weeks, as far as I can tell Audi still make them?

Also, I love this thread, some great cars. Inc that Volvo.

They switched to diesel in 2018, if you are looking for petrols then this could be one of the reasons.

ETA - my page hadn't refreshed and now I see this has already been answered

[CB 987]

Jules Sunley said:

McGee_22 said:

blade7 said:

Time to change the title of this thread to, Pics of your Fast gas guzzler Merc/Audi Estate?

Posted before but here's an old BMW Alpina to buck that trend...

And a slightly less old one

Another one here…. I collected this last week.

[AC43]

otolith said:

Speed addicted said:

blade7 said:

Time to change the title of this thread to, Pics of your Fast gas guzzler Merc/Audi Estate?

Suppose it’s the product of the shift from estates to SUVs, the ones that are available and fast are mainly German. Gas guzzling usually comes with fast too.

Would be interesting to see some fast estates that aren't gas guzzlers!

Well it does kind of come with the territory.

I'm sure there's a "show me your most fuel-efficient four pot diesel tow car estate" thread somewhere but this isn't it :-)

[AC43]

CB 987 said:

Jules Sunley said:

McGee_22 said:

blade7 said:

Time to change the title of this thread to, Pics of your Fast gas guzzler Merc/Audi Estate?

Posted before but here's an old BMW Alpina to buck that trend...

And a slightly less old one

Another one here…. I collected this last week.

All stunning.

[otolith]

AC43 said:

Well it does kind of come with the territory.

I'm sure there's a "show me your most fuel-efficient four pot diesel tow car estate" thread somewhere but this isn't it :-)

That’s what I was thinking, but to be fair hadn’t even thought of the hot hatchback derived estates.

[Percy.]

Speaking of S4's, I am finally out of a string of 2L diesel company cars and into this which I took delivery of today:



Navarra Blue, Pan Roof, Adaptive Dampers, Sports Diff, Adaptive Cruise and a long list of other options

[AC43]

Percy. said:

Speaking of S4's, I am finally out of a string of 2L diesel company cars and into this which I took delivery of today:



Navarra Blue, Pan Roof, Adaptive Dampers, Sports Diff, Adaptive Cruise and a long list of other options

Correct decision. Ditch the dag dags. Get into something compelling. Love that.

[Harry Flashman]

So my CLS63 AMG has just had the big B service, and now I need to move it on for something 4x4, relatively big, with winter ski trip capability. Time for some thoughts from all of you!

If it had all wheel drive, I simply wouldn't sell it. It has been the most reliable car I have ever owned (except my 2020 Nissan Leaf!), and it is immensely fun. I need something ULEZ compliant, and with a ski hatch, under £35k.

The ski hatch thing seems weird, but with two young kids we now drive to the Alps, rather than fly, and this allows you to sling skis in the car with two child seats in it as well. And regardless of winter tyres, my CLS is not terribly reassuring in icy conditions, despite being very entertaining. And has no ski hatch.

So threadists, thoughts are:

- C6 V10 RS6. Love it, but it scares me a bit, bork-wise. Any insights?
- C7 V8 RS6. seems a thread favourite, a bit of a default choice?
- C7 V8 S6. Not that much cheaper to buy or run than the C7 RS6, so seems a bit pointless?

or some sort of A6 Allroad, Land Rover Disco 4, or even TDV8 L405 Range Rover. Which means I'll need to be kicked off this thread, and if I buy an LR product, possibly get used to a machine that simply is not as hassle free as my CLS

Or just keep the CLS and hope PHers who want to drive it keep lending me their 4x4s in winter! But frankly, I think it's time for a change, and such swaps only really work for an extended period. With elder child now in school this September, trips will now be a week long, maximum.

It is a hard thing to get rid of a car that has treated you well for an unknown second-hand machine...do PM me if you have a good example of any of the above that has been as reliable as my CLS, that you may wish to move on (mods, hope this is OK?).

Edited by Harry Flashman on Tuesday 5th July 22:21

[tenmantaylor]

Filthy from MTBing at the weekend, got a.nice shot in Bibury on the way to work today.

Just got the car back after some parts delays held up the major service.

New pads, discs, plugs, engine oil and filter, gearbox oil and filter, all new injectors, new timing chain cover and the rest. Do not ask how much but its driving absolutely incredibly compared to before, everything more responsive, feels like an extra 50hp.

Will be putting the roofbox on and taking the family Britanny for summer hols on the ferry next week.

Perfect all-rounder.

Oh, and if you drive a tuned 350Z around Tetbury don't bother trying to race me again my bike might fall off whilst you get trounced. Again.

[Jules Sunley]

CB 987 said:

Jules Sunley said:

McGee_22 said:

blade7 said:

Time to change the title of this thread to, Pics of your Fast gas guzzler Merc/Audi Estate?

Posted before but here's an old BMW Alpina to buck that trend...

And a slightly less old one

Another one here…. I collected this last week.

Nice work CB

[Percy.]

AC43 said:

Correct decision. Ditch the dag dags. Get into something compelling. Love that.

I looked at a few options, W205 C63, B8 RS4, but an increase in customer visits and work mileage meant that I needed to rein it in a little

[RZ1]

Harry Flashman said:

So my CLS63 AMG has just had the big B service, and now I need to move it on for something 4x4, relatively big, with winter ski trip capability. Time for some thoughts from all of you!

If it had all wheel drive, I simply wouldn't sell it. It has been the most reliable car I have ever owned (except my 2020 Nissan Leaf!), and it is immensely fun. I need something ULEZ compliant, and with a ski hatch, under £35k.

The ski hatch thing seems weird, but with two young kids we now drive to the Alps, rather than fly, and this allows you to sling skis in the car with two child seats in it as well. And regardless of winter tyres, my CLS is not terribly reassuring in icy conditions, despite being very entertaining. And has no ski hatch.

So threadists, thoughts are:

- C6 V10 RS6. Love it, but it scares me a bit, bork-wise. Any insights?
- C7 V8 RS6. seems a thread favourite, a bit of a default choice?
- C7 V8 S6. Not that much cheaper to buy or run than the C7 RS6, so seems a bit pointless?

or some sort of A6 Allroad, Land Rover Disco 4, or even TDV8 L405 Range Rover. Which means I'll need to be kicked off this thread, and if I buy an LR product, possibly get used to a machine that simply is not as hassle free as my CLS

Or just keep the CLS and hope PHers who want to drive it keep lending me their 4x4s in winter! But frankly, I think it's time for a change, and such swaps only really work for an extended period. With elder child now in school this September, trips will now be a week long, maximum.

It is a hard thing to get rid of a car that has treated you well for an unknown second-hand machine...do PM me if you have a good example of any of the above that has been as reliable as my CLS, that you may wish to move on (mods, hope this is OK?).

Edited by Harry Flashman on Tuesday 5th July 22:21

That budget should get you into an E43, granted will be a big downgrade from an engine/power/noise perspective from the CLS, however interior is lovely, especially if you get one with the premium plus and the twin widescreen dash.

I’m loving mine.

[Percy.]

RZ1 said:

That budget should get you into an E43, granted will be a big downgrade from an engine/power/noise perspective from the CLS, however interior is lovely, especially if you get one with the premium plus and the twin widescreen dash.

I’m loving mine.

I second the E43, really considered one myself but wanted to downsize from the A6 company car that I had.

[Harry Flashman]

I think I have to make a decision as to whether budget is £35k (sell my car and add some money), ofr £25k (sell my car and have a bit left to take whatever I buy up to perfect condition).

Latter strategy has always been my thing. Buy the best I can afford and make it excellent. Not sure I want a ropey RS6 or FFRR that I then worry about.

E43 is a great idea and one I have been musing, but then I see the C7 S6 with that V8, for way less cash...

[RZ1]

Harry Flashman said:

I think I have to make a decision as to whether budget is £35k (sell my car and add some money), ofr £25k (sell my car and have a bit left to take whatever I buy up to perfect condition).

Latter strategy has always been my thing. Buy the best I can afford and make it excellent. Not sure I want a ropey RS6 or FFRR that I then worry about.

E43 is a great idea and one I have been musing, but then I see the C7 S6 with that V8, for way less cash...

Yup I was in the same boat, the S6 is an awesome car and I loved the quilted seats but I felt that the rest of the interior was just no where near as nice as the E class.
I ended up pulling out of a deal I had done on a 2017 black edition S6 that an Audi dealer had down south. It was the lovely blue too but for me I wanted something that would be nice to sit in, so ended up going for the e class.
Granted the engine is no where near as special as the S6 but it’s a lovely place to sit in and at the moment the 400bhp is adequate. Plus the wife’s happy to drive it as it drives likes a sensible estate.
The other car I was considering was the 540 estate but felt it was too expensive for a car that ultimately looks the same as a 520

Edited by RZ1 on Wednesday 6th July 10:45

[blade7]

tenmantaylor said:

Oh, and if you drive a tuned 350Z around Tetbury don't bother trying to race me again my bike might fall off whilst you get trounced. Again.

Sledge hammer/walnut.

[Davie]

BenS94 said:

Davie said:

I've gone back to where it all began...



Not fast compared to most things on the thread but still quite capable despite being almost 30yrs old.

Definitely a keeper.

Ex Cumbria Constabulary Panda car?

Oddly, no... UK supplied and not ex-police either (apparently) and given it's got a sunroof I'm inclined to agree / hope that it's not been used to chase stolen Ford Escorts and Vauxhall Astras for the first few years of its life. Reasonably well spec'd relatively speaking, I mean there's no Apple Car Play or Matrix headlights but it's a manual and has a dark interior so it was very much a case of "Take my money!"

[AC43]

Percy. said:

RZ1 said:

That budget should get you into an E43, granted will be a big downgrade from an engine/power/noise perspective from the CLS, however interior is lovely, especially if you get one with the premium plus and the twin widescreen dash.

I’m loving mine.

I second the E43, really considered one myself but wanted to downsize from the A6 company car that I had.

That's the natural successor to my current (S212) E500. I'm waiting for them to drop into the high teens which I guess is year or two off. So I decided to treat mine to some paint, a sub and an Android system and hang on to it.

[AC43]

I try to use my E500 sparingly in town. In theory, I should do all my short trips in my wife's Fiat 500 but the Merc is such a nice relaxing place to sit that it's always tempting, more so now I've got apps in the dash.

It has done great service in long family trips to the SW, Wales, Scotland and various French holidays - very often wit 4 bikes up top.

This year I FINALLY remembered to order one of those transponders for the Tele Peage lanes. Every year previously I've kicked myself for leaving it too late. Not this year; I'll be swanning through the toll booths, windows up, a/c cranked up and and cooled seats on.

Here it is near Bordeaux in 2019. Going back this year.