Forward thinking

It was 25 years ago this month that the Audi Avant made its presence felt in the mid-size market worldwide. Although the concept of a wagon configuration had already been developed by Audi some 15 years before (in the Audi 100 range), October 1992 marked the debut of an Avant variant in the (B4) Audi 80 range – essentially the mid-size body.

The name ‘Avant’ was originally inspired by the Italian word avanti which means ‘forward’, and has subsequently been adopted by Audi as the designation for all of the brand’s wagon or estate models.

Audi Avant models across the board continue to be hugely successful on the world stage, and the Audi 80 Avant when it first appeared in 1992, likewise struck a chord with the motoring public, with its combination of practicality and sporty performance.

At the time, the Audi 80 avant was released with a choice of nine engine variants and the model quickly became a best-seller around the globe. 

The Audi 80 Avant remained until just after the release of its now famous replacement, the Audi A4 in 1995, but during that time it proved a tremendous success and became the basis for another benchmark model.

Born in March 1994, the RS 2 was based on the Audi 80 Avant platform and was the original ‘RS’ Model. It completely changed the way the automotive world looked at a vehicle with the accommodation to carry not just passengers, but significant luggage, and yet still deliver incredible performance. A legend was born that exists to this day, with the recent unveiling of the new RS 4 Avant at Frankfurt International Motor Show.