Impeccable credentials
REVIEW
Gavin Foster
Audi Allroad A6 2,7 T Quattro
R392 250
Audi tells us not to use capital letters in the name of their all-wheel drive wagon, but “allroad” looks too silly for words, and anyway, they lost the war, so we’ll do it the English way. From here on, Allroad it is.
The Audi Allroad A6 2,7 T Quattro is 15mm longer, 40mm wider and 71mm taller than the A6 Avant upon which it is based.
But although it’s somewhat of a tank, designed for reasonably serious off-road use, its on-road credentials are impeccable.
A 30-valve 2,7 litre V6 intercooled bi-turbo engine generating 184kW of power and 350Nm torque makes sure of that.
The test car was equipped with a five-speed auto Tiptronic gearbox, which can be shifted manually by slipping the lever to the right and then pushing it forward for upward changes, backwards to drop a cog. It was also fitted with Audi’s optional multi-function steering wheel, which allows remote operation of the sound system, and gear-changing via thumb-operated paddles.
The thumb shifter was great fun for a while but we found it all rather unnecessary once the novelty wore off. The choice of auto, Tiptronic or paddle shift just left too many options available.
What makes the Allroad stand out from the crowd is its height-adjustable air suspension. Height sensors vary the ride height at each wheel to ensure adequate ground clearance when driving off road, but once the vehicle’s driven at 120kph for a preordained period the suspension drops to its lowest setting, improving aerodynamics and stability. Cut back to 70kph for any length of time and the ride height returns to “normal”.
The settings can also be adjusted manually, via a couple of dash-mounted buttons. There are four levels available low, normal, high level 1 and high level 2 offering a range of between 142mm and 208mm ground clearance.
Once higher speeds have been attained 35kph in “High Level 2” or 80kph in “High Level 1” the system automatically lowers the suspension.
Although the manual version of the Allroad comes with a low-range gearset for extreme off-road use, this is not the case with the auto. Audi’s Quattro permanent four-wheel-drive system, traction control, ESP and ABS largely make up for this, similarly to the way Land Rover-developed Hill Descent Control and ABS do in the new BMW X5, and in all but the most extreme situations this should suffice.
ESP (where do they find these acronyms?) mediates between the ABS and the electronic diff-lock to prevent wheelspin or slippage, and can be disengaged when necessary.
But enough of the hi-tech stuff. What’s it like to drive? In a nutshell, superb. We did a 300km trip carrying five passengers and towing a trailer with three motorcycles aboard and the Audi never flinched.
The climate control worked a treat, the cruise control took the schlepp out of keeping the speed down to an affordable level and the comfortable accommodation and low sound levels made sure we arrived at our destination as fresh as we’d left home.
Despite our load we managed to average 15,2 litres every 100km for the trip and the 50 or so urban kilometres we travelled at each end of it. Around town, too, the Audi was a car we could easily live with. Acceleration is extremely brisk and fuel consumption reasonable if driven carefully about 13 litres/100 km. Handling was good for such a large, high vehicle, although the wagon needs to be treated with authority if driven near the limit nearly two tons is a lot of metal to hustle around corners at speed, and there’s an occasional reluctance to change direction when the car’s driven hard.
Our off-road experience in the Audi Allroad was admittedly not extensive, but we were nevertheless impressed. Although not a serious bundu basher the wagon’s capable of getting most places that any reasonable person would expect it to, and then some. For real Crocodile Dundee/Indiana Jones stuff, anybody with R392 250 to spend on a car should be able to afford something less expensive and more suited to rampaging through the mud and over the rocks in the African wilderness anyway.
The Audi Allroad is a superb vehicle competing in a very competitive and growing market. Subaru’s Legacy Outback 3.0 is R60 000 cheaper, and Volvo’s V70 Cross Country costs nearly R90 000 less, while BMW’s X5 is R73 000 more. None is cheap, and all are excellent vehicles.
It all depends upon what you want and whether you can afford it. For those who can pay the price the Allroad won’t disappoint. For those who can’t don’t worry, you belong to a very large club.