AUDIS generally have a wide reputation as excellent all round premium cars, and the mid-range executive A4 is top quality just like all the others.

From the brilliant interior to the wide range of engines and excellent handling, this is a car that's a joy to drive.

But there is a wide and bewildering range of models to choose from - especially if you also want any of the extra packs in your secondhand buy, so do your homework before you head out to look.

The latest model, with a mid-range facelift, has been on the road since 2015 and it is right up there with most rivals.

Performance is very good to brilliant and the excellent comfort and handling really are something to experience.

The cars are as beautifully finished as they ever were and as well as the four door saloon, there's an estate of course, and an Allroad quattro four wheel drive (4WD), which is decently capable off-road.

And as if those choices were not enough, many of the saloon and estate models were also available with the quattro system.

But remember, 4WD adds weight, and that means those models are heavier on fuel than the front wheel drive range.

In this most recent guise, the A4 has been available in a total of 16 power outputs, covering both petrol and diesel engines.

So I don't have space here to cover them all, and will concentrate on the models that I've found to be most common on the secondhand market.

The majority of those seem to be diesels, and that's not really surprising since almost all of them probably started life as company or business cars where low emissions and high economy mean drivers pay less in personal tax.

There have been two sizes of diesel since 2015 - a 2.0-litre four cylinder and a 3.0-litre V6.

The 2.0-litre TDI was available in five different power outputs ranging from 136 to 204bhp.

Most common is the 150bhp variant, which reaches 60 from rest in 8.3 seconds and is still capable of an excellent 70 miles per gallon.

The next most popular is a 190bhp version, which gets to 60 in 7.5 seconds, and is capable of 67mpg.

The 3.0-litre TDI comes with a standard automatic gearbox and quattro AWD, and has either 218 or 272bhp.

The most powerful of the two brings up the 60 sprint in a scorching 5.1 seconds and will still cover a best of no less than 55mpg in the economy stakes.

On the petrol power list are two engines - the well-known 1.4 Turbo from the VW stable with 150bhp and a 2.0-litre turbo with power ranging from 150 to a stonking 252bhp.

The 1.4 gets to 60 in 8.4 seconds and will do 52 mpg, while the 252bhp quattro, with standard automatic box, takes 5.6 secs for the sprint and can do 45mpg.

There are basically five trim levels, but each of them has a long list of personalization options.

Regardless of which model suits your pocket, all come pretty well equipped and every one has a standard setup of LED headlights, cruise control, reversing camera and sensors, big alloy wheels and 10-inch Navigation Plus infotainment.

The standard alloy wheels are 17-inch but larger ones will have been fitted to many cars. These and sports suspension do affect the comfort to a greater or lesser degree, so make sure you can live with the ride.

Pay about £13,850 for a '16 16-reg 150bhp 2.0TDI S-Line manual, or £25,250 for a '19 19-reg 190bhp 2.0TDI Black Edition auto.