A4 3.0 TDI Quattro or Octavia 2.0 TDI VRS or ???

[hovishead]

Yes, another what car...

Posted a while ago asking a similar question, essentially a 4/5 door "practical" "family-friendly" diesel which handles well and is a bit of fun (based on my fastest/best car to date being a Mazda 6 2.0TDI 143bhp, doesn't need to be uber great). I've decided to include saloons now as realised those with rear folding seats can probably be counted practical if there's also a large enough boot. £15k max, prefer less than 50k miles, and 3 years.

Also, I don't want a RWD due to probably stupid reason that it sometimes snows and I'd prefer to still be able to go out on B roads in the countryside (so rules out BMW 330d)

So out of the cars mentioned previously:

Impreza D RC or D RX - Boot too small
Megane DCI 175 - not practical
Octavia VRS TDi CR - like
Fabia VRS - prefer larger Octavia
A3 quattro 170 (my idea - sort of lambasted as a fun car to drive)

And now, I've added the A4 3.0TDI into the mix. Obviously this is more expensive than the others, but with some waiting for the right car can probably get a 3/4 year old with 40-50k miles for about £15k.

Is it worth the extra money (or older age, higher mileage) over the Octavia? Is it actually any fun to drive, or am I just being pulled in by the impressive 0-60 time and the "gimmick" of quattro? Or will the extra power and quattro make for a better drive?

Am I being an idiot to dismiss the 330d, or would it be horrendous on snow/ice/muddy B roads?

Is there something else I've completely missed?

Answers on the back of a postcard or preferably, online.

[hovishead]

300bhp/ton said:

0077 said:

Buy a 330d. Why put up with an understeery, dull drive of the A4 for 'a chance of snow for a few days in winter' Madness. Buy the BMW...Now!

According to their profile they are Reading, that's snow central during the dark winter months

Yeah yeah yeah, fair enough, but being the idiot I am I've realised I listed the 330d when of course it doesn't have folding rear seats. Which of course I'll be mocked for wanting because I probably only fold the seats a few times a year and could just hire a van those days.

So I haven't ruled out the 330d, but it is probably one of the more un-practical of all the cars I listed, at this rate I'll be talked into a two seater...

But more seriously, the A4 is it all that bad? Are all A4s understeery dull drives, or will quattro make it more palatable? Remember I'm not coming at this having driven supercars all my life, so to list them:

KA (we all have to start somewhere)
Megane (forget the flavour)
Megane 1.9 Dci 130 (chipped to 150 or so they say)
Mazda 6 2.0 TDI 143

I'm assuming all the ones listed will handle better than the mazda 6 (although before buying I did read it had a good chasis being the same as the focus)?