Audi A4 allroad first drive October 2009
Audi's A4 is scaled up for off-roading duties
Audi’s allroad series is a variation on a theme – they’re for people who like the standard A4 and A6 range but need a little more off-road ability. We’re familiar with the A6 allroad (the lower-case ‘a’ is deliberate) as it’s been with us since 2000, but this A4-based allroad is new. So how does it fare on the open road?
Meet the Audi A4 allroad
The A4 allroad is halfway between an estate and off-roader
Audi would like the A4 allroad to tempt buyers who are tossing up between the A4 Avant (Audi’s word for estate) and the Q5 off-roader.
While Audi’s famed Quattro four-wheel drive system isn’t unique to the allroad, it’s been optimised for off-road ability. Other A4 quattros are more focused for on-road traction and handling.
The A4 allroad’s body has been given the off-roader treatment, which means it gets grey plastic cladding all over the bottom half of the car. Curiously, this styling affectation isn’t as visually appealing as it is on the larger A6 allroad.
What’s more surprising is the appearance of large, low-profile 18-inch wheels. These aren’t really suited to off-road duties, where a taller tyre sidewall does a better job of protecting the wheel and providing decent traction in tricky situations.
Traction for slippery grass
We don’t expect to see many A4 allroad going off road like this
Still, Audi probably knows that most of its owners want the look of an all-terrain vehicle, though they won't necessarily need to stray further than a wet, grassy field.
Inside the cabin it’s fairly standard Audi A4 fare, and that’s great news. Audi still leads the field in terms of quality cabin architecture, and it’s a great place to spend time.
We have to keep things in perspective, though, and bear in mind that the A4 allroad 2.0 TDI diesel we drove was fitted with no less than £9,195 worth of options – pushing the price from £29,265 to nearly £39,000.
Obviously this surcharge buys some rather tempting options, but some of the gadgets are things you’d expect to find as standard – leather adds at least £1,260, rear side airbags are £245 extra and Bluetooth mobile phone connection costs £365.
Effective (but expensive) sat nav
Superb interior quality, but A4 allroad options can get pricey
The £1,550 sat nav is effective in finding your destination, but Audi’s ‘MMI’ (multi-media interface) isn’t particularly simple to use.
Most car makers have problems fitting all that functionality into one set of controls, and there are times when some ‘normal’ buttons (or a touch-screen) would come in handy.
We did enjoy the £515 Bang & Olufsen stereo upgrade, though, which is seriously impressive and loud enough to satisfy most people.
It includes a good iPod interface, though strangely there's no jack socket to suit other types of MP3 player.
You might expect the Avant bodystyle to give lots of extra boot space, but in fact the A4 Avant isn’t much more commodious than its saloon brother.
Obviously the rear tailgate improves access and the folding seats allow awkwardly-shaped cargo to be carried. But the boot floor is high and the roofline is low, so there’s a limit to what the A4 allroad can swallow.
Rear seat space is OK, but we’d suggest looking to other cars for real family holdalls.
That low roofline and slim glass profile means it’s a bit dark and dingy in the rear, which won’t do people who suffer from travel sickness any favours.
VW Group TDI diesels
Audi Avant bodystyle doesn’t actually give much extra boot space
While we’ve experienced VW’s excellent 2.0 TDI (170bhp) engine in other cars, it’s curiously unsatisfying in the A4 allroad. It’s fine for day-to-day use and provides ample performance, but it’s just not got the oomph we’d expect in a vehicle of this type.
The hefty 1,730kg kerb weight could have something to do with this – perhaps the 3.0 TDI with its 240bhp might do better. But it probably wouldn't match the 2.0 TDI's claimed 45.2mpg (we recorded just under 40mpg).
We didn’t test the A4 allroad’s all-terrain capabilities, but Audi says its ‘Offroad Detection System’ (ORD) should distribute traction to the wheel(s) with the most grip.
The standard electronic stability control (ESC) has been reconfigured to give a little more wheel slip when ORD detects an off-road situation.
Which? verdict on the Audi A4 allroad
The allroad trim adds £2,725 to the price of an equivalent A4 Avant
There’s no doubt the A4 allroad is a comfortable car, and the extra ride height gives a little more travel to the suspension – which improves the ride a little.
This isn’t a car to be slinging around B-roads, though – there are plenty of other A4s which can do that – but it’s a very accomplished cruiser, with very little noise entering into the cabin.
The allroad version adds £2,725 to the price of an A4 Avant 2.0 TDI (170) SE, so you’d have to really want that plastic cladding and Quattro drivetrain to pay the premium.
If it’s not going to stray off-road, we’d probably stick to the standard A4, which looks prettier and is better to drive.
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