Audi A4 Allroad Quattro 2001 Review

Luxury Versatility

Thirsty A bit dainty

There is a saying in Formula One: "If it looks fast, it is fast''. Something similar applies in road cars, and it's evident in all sorts of cars, from the Mazda MX-5 to the Holden Barina.

The Audi TT easily clears the taste test, and now we can add the latest Audi Allroad to the list. It looks good and it is good. But it's not just a looker, nor a high-priced toy. It is a car that can do plenty of work, haul a family, and still provide luxury, comfort and surprising performance.

If it sounds too good to be true, it is. The Allroad is a wagon, which means it cannot be the one thing for everyone, and it costs a pile. A big pile that climbs perilously close to $100,000 - before you add on-road costs.

A six-figure pricetag means you get a lot for your money, as well as precious little opposition. Hundred-grand soft-roaders are pretty rare, apart from the Allroad and BMW's grunty V8 X5. Mercedes' big-bucks MLs arrive from a different direction, Volvo's Cross Country is cheaper and the Lexus LX470 is really a tricked-up LandCruiser truck.

Where does that leave the Allroad? Well, as a super-luxury family-escape machine that puts the emphasis on plush. It's built around an A6 Avant quattro - that's an all-wheel-drive wagon - with almost every extra in the book at no extra cost. It has a leather cabin, sunroof, auto air-con, a punchy CD sound system, satellite navigation, electric seats, and every airbag in the book.

The mechanical package is built around a twin-turbo V6 engine and the all-wheel drive, but the Allroad is more than just a road rocket. It has four-position ride-height adjustment, 17-inch alloys with dual-purpose tyres, and electronic differential lock. The engine is similar to the force-fed powerhouse in the S4 and RS4, only slightly detuned yet still producing 184kW of power and 350Nm of torque. It is basically an auto - the six-speed manual is to special order only - though there is a tiptronic touch change with buttons on the wheel.

The usual high-priced electronic assistance comes in the form of traction control and anti-skid brakes, but the Allroad also has a Torsen differential that can distribute up to two-thirds of the car's torque to one end of the Audi.

Audi has come late to the soft-road party, but by taking the tricked-up wagon track it's avoided a head-on confrontation with the class powerhouses - led by the X5 - and provided a Subaru-style alternative that will be appreciated by those who don't want truck-style motoring. Subaru has proven that many people want all-wheel-drive security and an escape machine, but still want the advantages of a car.

DRIVING

The first time I saw the Allroad, as an Audi concept car at the Detroit Auto Show, I knew I would eventually be driving a production car. It looked too right, and too good an idea, not to get the go-ahead. It took a bit longer than expected for Audi to get it going, but the result is as impressive as anything in the German carmaker's range today. Well, short of the stonking, limited-edition RS4 wagon, anyway.

What makes the Allroad so good is that it is a development of an existing car, and a car that Audi knows and does well. It hasn't gone off in a new direction, which would have taken more time and effort, and it already knew how to make quattro drive and a turbo engine do the job in a wagon. Volkswagen has decided to go into the truck-style side of the business, as Porsche will do with its X5-trumping Cayenne, but Audi is there first and already doing the job.

When you drive the Allroad you quickly realise Audi put all its eggs in one basket. It's a family wagon, a swift turbo car, and a soft-road four-wheel drive. Best of all, it is one of the more enjoyable cars I've driven recently.

It doesn't have the history or V8 of a Mustang, or the nasty streak of a Lancer Evo, but it's a nice way to get around and do most jobs. The A6 body means it has plenty of space and a useful wagon tail, the pricetag translates into every luxury toy you could want, and the Allroad pack makes it a versatile drive.

The four-position suspension (from 142-208mm of ground clearance) makes it well-suited to gravel roads and bumpy bush tracks, and the Torsen set-up and diff lock mean it will cope with slush and reasonable-sized rocks and climbs. It will never go where an LX or ML can take you, but it would probably match an X5 in a shootout and better the Cross Country.

The turbo V6 is a real mover, capable of real go from the lights and great for overtaking, which gives the Allroad plenty of authority. It can also be light on fuel, but if you tip into the throttle - or the tiptronic change - it gets thirsty.

The Allroad is far above average in so many areas it deserves to lure lots of people away from luxury wagons. If only it wasn't quite so costly.

RATING: 4/5
THE BOTTOM LINE: A pleasant way to spend luxurious weekends away.

AUDI ALLROAD

Price: $99,250 as tested
Engine: 2.7-litre V6 with twin turbochargers, overhead camshafts and fuel injection
Power: 184kW at 5800 revs
Torque: 350Nm at 1800 revs
Transmission: Five-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Body: Five-door wagon
Dimensions: Length 4810mm, width 1852mm, height 1551mm, wheelbase 2757mm, tracks 1574mm/1585mm front/rear
Weight: 1825kg
Fuel tank: 70 litres
Fuel consumption: On test 13.4litres/100km
Steering: Power-assisted rack-and-pinion
Suspension: Fully-independent with multi-link front and double wishbone rear
Brakes: Anti-skid four-wheel discs
Wheels: 7.5x17
Tyres: 225/55 R17
Warranty: Three years/unlimited kilometres

RIVALS

BMW X5 V8 from $107,850
Mercedes ML430 from $94,480
Volvo Cross Country from $67,950
Lexus LX470 from $131,690