Audi Allroad Quattro 2004 Review

The Audi allroad quattro is a strange vehicle.

It is part of this crossover bug that is infesting the industry and producing all manner of new and unusual luxury off-roaders including the BMW X5 and X3, Volvo CX70 and CX90 and the Porsche Cayenne.

But the allroad just doesn't stack up on paper.

It is only a mid-sized wagon weighing 1860kg but is driven by a 4.2-litre V8 with 220kW of power and a whopping 380Nm of torque from a lowly blip of 2700 revs.

Sounds like overkill, doesn't it? That is, of course, unless you load her up to the gunwales and tow a boat. Then, maybe it's just what you want – if thundering down dirt roads in a $108,900 car with luxury appointments and leather upholstery is your bag.

The other strange part of the equation is the drive system and the wheels and tyres putting the motion to the ground.

It has a permanent four-wheel drive system with a Torsen centre differential and traction control that provides plenty of balance and poise in slippery conditions.

However, it gets that drive to the ground via sporty and impractical (for off-road conditions) 45 per cent low-profile 245mm-wide tyres.

A previous test out west in April scored two flat tyres and our test driver had to limp back to Brisbane from Birdsville on the supplied space-saver spare. A space saver? How impractical is that for an off-roader?

Yet, the allroad V8 is an impressive vehicle to drive around town, the highways and even when the local council has run out of blacktop.

Just don't stray too far down those unsealed roads, or you may become stranded.

On your favourite stretch of blacktop, it will point and shoot like a much smaller sedan.

And those impractical tyres will serve well, hanging on against G forces without a howl of protest, thanks to sophisticated air suspension.

The powerplant is an absolute delight: heaps of grunt, passing pace and top-end power without being overly thirsty for a V8 – 12 litres for 100km on the highway and about 15 litres around town. Most importantly, it has an idle rumble that mimics a Monaro and a kickdown growl like a GT Falcon.

If you don't need all that power, there is a 2.7-litre engine for $89,900. You would also not be disappointed with the 2.5-litre common rail, direct-injected turbo diesel at a comparative bargain price of $82,900.

Earlier this year, at a Bosch diesel test at Sandown racetrack in Melbourne, the 370Nm allroad TDI was beaten off the line only by the big V10 VW Touareg boasting a knockout 750Nm of torque.

The Audi blitzed other diesels from BMW, Peugeot and Mercedes.

After a week of posing in this impractical off-roader that looks like a miniature version of the Holden Adventra with its flared guards, I had only two complaints – the warning system and the cruise control.

The warning system comes in two stages – yellow and red.

I only experienced the yellow warnings – for low washer fluid and low petrol – but the piercing screech of the audio alert is almost frightening and it repeats every five-odd minutes. I would hate to hear the red alert. It must come with sirens and howling dogs.

The cruise control on the lights/indicator stalk is fiddly: setting the control can accidentally switch on the indicators; flicking reset requires you to take your hand off the steering wheel unless you have a double-jointed thumb; and flicking the off switch can accidentally flick the lights to high beam.

And on one occasion, I flicked the switch right off the stalk on to the floor.

There are too many audio controls on the steering wheel. Take some of them off and put the cruise controls there.

By the way, the audio system is a ripper with its Bose macho speakers belting out tight and crisp bass.