2004 Audi Allroad Quattro Reviews

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.

Take the Audi Allroad quattro 4.2. It's a "more and more and more" development from the mid-sized Audi A6, moving up through a quattro wagon to the suburbs-and-scrub of the all-road model to the latest punchy V8-engined hero car.Think of it as a very upscale Holden Adventra, or the Subaru Outback for people who want some serious squirt in the dirt for their family wagon.That's underselling the Allroad 4.2, but paints the right picture of a hugely capable work-and-play wagon, thanks to an engine that's one of the sweetest V8s in the business. It doesn't have the outright muscle of an FPV Ford or an HSV Holden, but it has more than enough to get the job done.It's much the same for the rest of the deal: an Audi wagon that comes with high-rider adjustable suspension, enough body protection for soft off-road work, a full line-up of luxury, and a badge that says the owner isn't just a member of the "me too" club who go for Benzes and BMWs.It also looks seriously tough – and needs to be to compete in a luxury four-wheel-drive scene headed by the BMW X5 and which includes everything from Hondas and Lexuses to Volkswagens, Porsches, Volvos and Jeeps.The Allroad has the advantage of a passenger-wagon-style body, not just a jacked-up square box, as well as the best cabin quality in the business in 2004. Still, it costs a hefty $108,900 – and that means it competes only with the serious luxury players in its class.The big bucks buy the bang of 220kW and 380Nm, fed through a five-speed automatic gearbox to constant all-wheel-drive, as well as everything from 18-inch alloy wheels and automatic air-conditioning to CD sound, cruise control, an in-car computer, Xenon headlamps, leather seats and wood panels, and front-side-head airbags.The Allroad idea isn't new and Audi has done relatively well with a diesel and a 2.7-litre petrol turbo. But the newcomer is part of its S-car family, which means – as have BMW's M cars and the AMG models from Benz – it has been given the sports sedan treatment.Still, it is a refined performer that Audi Australia believes will sell strongly to a small but select group of customers.ON THE ROADTHE drive time in the Allroad 4.2 was great, particularly after our recent experiences with the Holden Adventra. This is what the red lion car should be like, particularly on smoothness and operation of the automatic gearbox, but you'd expect a step change with a price double that of the homegrown machine.It also shows how the idea for the Subaru Outback can be stretched in all directions, from body size to engine capacity, while still adhering to the basic idea of a suburban family runabout that's also strong in the bush.When driving, the Audi feels like a high-rider A6 wagon with everything – including some fairly serious off-road ability, thanks to its height-adjustable suspension and the Quattro all-wheel drive. It also gets along really well, with a syrupy V8 soundtrack.Even so, we don't rate it ahead of the BMW X5. It beats a whole range or rivals – some pretty easily, including the Volvo XC70 – but it is big, heavy, expensive at the petrol pump and pretty costly.To be honest, the Audi brand still has trouble once you approach $100,000 – because of the strength of BMW and Benz, and weakness in its own secondhand support – and we're not sure whether many people want to splash out on something like the Allroad 4.2.With that out of the way, and remembering our time with the turbo-diesel model, we have to say the Allroad is a very enjoyable way to travel.It's very roomy and commendably comfortable, with all the luxury gear you could want. It would be an ideal choice for a Melbourne-Sydney run with the family aboard, particularly if you made it an adventure with side-trips into the scrub.Off the blacktop, the big Audi will cope easily with the sort of toughish stuff that is a real adventure for most owners. It will hop over rocks, run comfortably along dirt roads and tracks, and has enough ground clearance – if you want more, hit the button – to cover most obstacles.Even so, it does its best work in the city, and that's where the Allroad will make its biggest impact. It's an Outback that's been working out, as you discover whenever you floor the throttle at the lights.THE BOTTOM LINEEUROPE'S answer to the Subaru Outback, complete with V8 power and a $100,000 price.

With a triple figure price tag, it is not the kind of car that you want something to happen to, let alone get the paint scratched.Audi Australia boasts the stylish, five-seat all-wheel drive wagon has "fully-fledged off-road capabilities".But you wold be forgiven for wondering just how far that particular description will actually take this car on the dirt?One thing the Allroad has got going in its favour is the variable air suspension system that can provide increased ground clearance at the touch of a button.The Audi Allroad comes in three different flavours, 2.5 TDi diesel, twin turbo 2.7 V6 and our test vehicle the top of the range 4.2-litre V8.The sensational V8 – a totally revised version of the engine from Audi's flagship A8 limousine – develops a hard hitting 220kW of power and 380Nm of torque, the latter available between 2700 and 4600rpm.There's enough get up and go to catapult the wagon from rest ot 100km/h in just 7.2 seconds, with a top speed of 240km/h – but it feels faster than that.On the road the V8 engine delivers swift and decisive performance, with a five-speed tipshift style transmission that offers a sport setting and manual shift if desired.But with this sort of power on tap it is just as easy to leave the selector in D – the sport setting is particularly aggressive.Power is fed to all four wheels through Audi's well known Quattro all-wheel drive system (no low range), with the help of traction and stability control.At speeds over 130km/h the air suspension automatically lowers the car by 25mm, providing less wind drag and a lower centre of gravity for better handling.Off road the ride height can be raised to provide a maximum 208mm of ground clearance, up to a speed of 35km/h.In all the ride height can be varied between 142mm and 208mm, a difference of 66mm.Raising the suspension increases the overhang angle at the front to 19.5 degrees and 23 degrees at the back, with a ramp over angle of 19 degrees.These angles play an important role when it comes to crossing ditches and driving over hillocks.The greater the angle the less likelihood there is of the car bottoming out.In comparison a V8 powered BMW X5 – benchmark for the luxury softroad segment – has ground clearance of 202mm, with front and rear angles of 26 and 23 degrees and a ramp over angle of 18 degrees.If the Allroad sounds pretty good so far it is but we worry about the low profile 45 series tyres.They do not provide much of a buffer to separate the expensive rims from damage as we discovered.Fuel consumption for the V8 Allroad is a claimed 13.7L/100km overall from the 70-litre tank.But in several days of testing we achieved a figure of about 16.0L/100km.Standard equipment includes the usual luxury appoints with a kick-butt Symphony sound system.There are also airbags for the driver and front passenger, side airbags at the front and Audi's SIDEGUARD head airbag system.The Audi Allroad V8 is priced from $108,900 before on-road costs.