Audi ALLROAD
There May Be A New A6 On Offer But The Allroad Is Still A Class Act. Jonathan Crouch Reports
Audi's Allroad is supposed to provide a sensible answer to an eminently sensible question. What on earth is the point of buying a mud-plugging 4x4 off roader?
Assuming you're not a farmer or a park ranger, owning one of these things makes no practical sense. They're heavy, thirsty and usually no fun to drive. In fact, their only redeeming feature is that on one day in a hundred, they can get you where you need to be. But what if an ordinary estate car could do that? What if you could have the rough, tough ground clearance of a
Land Rover Discovery and the traction of a Land Cruiser with the luxury of a Range
Rover? And what if it would make sixty in 7s on the way to 149mph? Others have promised - and failed - to deliver this combination of virtues.
Subaru's Forester and
Volvo's XC70 are fine on wet grass, rutted tracks and muddy carparks but not much good for really rough fields, slopes too steep to walk up, particularly bad ruts or sharp gullies. They are, in other words, fine when it's a bit slippery but no real good for really exploring.
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"The first 'car' good enough on and off the road to provide the best of both worlds....
"
Which of course is why people buy fully fledged off roaders. You may never go chasing buffalo in the Serengeti but there's nothing to beat the feeling that you could if you wanted to. Mind you, whether the
Audi Allroad will provide this feeling is a matter of some debate. It doesn't look like the kind of car that could complete a jungle expedition: based as it is so closely on the previous generation A6 Avant, your neighbours will simply assume you've bought an executive estate. Nor are you seated in the usual high and imposing place at the helm: you sit low down, just as in any other car. Don't let either of those feelings put you off however - just check out a few facts. Real offroad experts will tell you that ground clearance is everything, so let's start there. This car has more (208mm) than apparently 'proper' off roaders like Jeep's Cherokee or Mercedes' M-class. Not even a Discovery or a Range
Rover sits much higher. Then there's the low range gearbox that 'real' off roaders use to get out of sticky spots. Not something you'd expect to find on a 4WD car - but its been developed for this one (as an option on the manual model). As for traction, well again, it's no problem. Thanks to a Torsen (torque-sensitive) differential and an electronic diff lock (EDL), drive is maintained even if only one wheel has grip. It will tow almost anything - and carry a 630kg payload. Plus you can hurl this Audi at the nearest mountain with relative peace of mind, thanks to side cladding and bumper-mounted front and rear undertray protection plates.
Don't get us wrong. No one is pretending this to be the world's ultimate off roader. What we're saying is that on that one day in a hundred when you need to go where you've never gone before, it will do 80% of everything a huge, heavy mudplugger will manage. In fact, if it wasn't for the long front and rear overhangs and your natural tendency towards caution at the wheel of such an expensive-looking motorcar, it would probably do more. More importantly however, you're not stuck with all the usual drawbacks that go along with true off road prowess in more usual use. The main reason why is found in the Allroad's clever adjustable air suspension system, which can automatically (or manually) raise or lower the car to four different ride heights, using air springs on each wheel. The lowest is just 142mm from the tarmac and is automatically activated over 75mph to improve high speed handling. The standard 167mm ride height is activated at 50mph, while at speeds below that, the car rides at 192mm. The final top setting - up to 208mm - is one you select yourself, via a couple of small dashboard buttons before attempting particularly difficult terrain.
This aside however, though you can manually move the car up and down, plotting your progress via a series of four warning lights, it takes rather a long time and there's not much point. Better to leave the system in auto and let it do its own thing. If the prospect of doing so leaves you visualising the car jumping up and down like a jack-in-the-box as speeds vary, then don't worry. A delay circuit waits several minutes to establish a continuous speed before activating the suspension. It's really very clever. Four Allroad estate models are being offered - the 162bhp turbo diesel 2.5 TDI at £28,625, a 180bhp version of the same engine for £31,045, the 250bhp twin-turbo petrol 2.7-litre V6 at £34,860 and the 300bhp 4.
2 V8 at £41,660. In the final analysis, the Allroad is a real trend-setter - the first 'car' that really is good enough on and off the road to provide much of the best of both worlds. Buying a mud-plugger on a £30,000 budget? You'll need a good argument to justify doing that now.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Audi Allroad
PRICES: £28,625-£41,660 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 16-19
CO2 EMISSIONS: 240-307g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.7T] 0-60mph 7.7s / Max Speed 145mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.7T] (urban) 14.7mpg / (extra urban) 29.1mph / (combined) 21.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags / ABS/ ESP
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height mm 4810/1852/1526mm
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