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Audi Allroad 3.0 TDI long-term test review
By
the CAR road test team
03 June 2008 09:30
Long-term test update - 3 June 2008
Please excuse this terrible, hastily grabbed cameraphone snap of the Allroad’s bulging boot. I blame bucketing rainfall and a screaming child. But engage some auto-focus and crop out my finger, and you’ll see the Allroad in its natural habitat as superlative family transport.
Peer inside that blurry boot and you’ll spot a wheelbarrow, one travel cot, a child’s buggy, various gardening boxes and bags and our overnight bags for a family of three’s weekend away. That’s not bad for any car – but the Audi A6 confirmed itself as one of the best estates around. That loadbay is vast and it’s a cinch to lower the seats to swallow the odd wheelbarrow and the like.
This was the first time I’ve driven our long-term A6 and I rate its combination of 3.0 TDI and genuine auto gearbox. It’s punchy and refined, with none of the tearaway revving that can afflict its CVT sibling. Thing is though, I don’t buy into the Allroad philosophy. I’d do away with the faux-SUV body addenda, save £2000 and stick with the excellent A6 Avant.
I could even buy a decent camera with the spare change.
By Tim Pollard
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Logbook
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Total Mileage
Since Last Report
Overall MPG
Since Last report
Fuel Costs
Other Costs
Highs
Lows
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2844 miles
n/a
24.6mpg
n/a
£571.35
None
Carrying capacity for associate editor's family
Regular A6 Avant is £2k cheaper
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I’ve met the girlfriend’s parents, but now it was time to meet Nan. But what to take for the long slog to Blackburn and back? And to ferry family friends around? The answer was our big, black Audi Allroad, and it covered the 400-mile trip with absolute ease.
It schlepped up the motorway with little wind or tyre noise. It cruised into Blackburn town centre on Saturday night without attracting any attention despite that fancy front grille. And then it traversed the narrow lanes of Lancashire with ease on Sunday morning, and felt right at home with the proper 4x4s that we met.
The steering might lack any feel whatsoever, but in this sort of car it just doesn’t matter. There’s a big boot, room for five and a gorgeous and well-built interior. Our oil-burning Allroad is the consummate family car. And I got the thumbs from Nan too. Nothing to do with the car, mind.
By Ben Pulman
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A sunny Bank Holiday Monday? Could there be a better day to visit Ikea? Cue large estate car with air suspension to keep everything level once the Audi Allroad is loaded up with lots of flat-pack nonsense.
Except we couldn’t find anything we actually wanted. Between the better half and myself all we bought was a plastic storage box and a tray. Which, out of spite, I put on the back seat rather than in the boot. Never has so much ability been so wasted. And never have I been so annoyed at the Swedes. Still, at least we didn’t meet any traffic over the whole weekend...
By Ben Pulman
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Porsche 911: brilliant sports car; not so good when it comes to taking stuff to the tip or bringing back a load of flatpack from Ikea. I’ve got a scruffy but reliable Mk1 Focus that acts as back up but I couldn’t resist the offer of adding something to the fleet that would perfectly complement my Porsche by taking over sensible duties.
Which explains why there’s a mean-looking metallic black Audi Allroad parked on my drive. We’ve become accustomed to the concept of estate cars being desirable for reasons other than their carrying capacity and this Allroad is a perfect exponent. Okay, so it’s essentially a jacked up A6 Avant Quattro, but the Auto Union racer grille and chrome flashes at the bottom of the doors really make sure it won’t be mistaken for an M1 rep chariot.
There’s a price to pay of course, the bottom rung £34,295 Allroad 2.7 TDi commanding a £2215 premium over the equivalent A6 Avant Quattro. There are other benefits to minimise the pain though including the ability to crank up the air suspension to give 185mm of ground clearance. I haven’t had the chance to venture off road yet but it’s unlikely to worry a Landie Defender.
On the other hand the Allroad is probably capable of doing everything most SUV drivers need but in a package that is better to drive, takes up less space and won’t make you feel guilty for killing the planet. Unless you look carefully at the green figures, that is. Audi is falling behind BMW in its engine technology to the extent that a petrol-powered 530i Touring is actually a couple of mpg more economical than my 3.0-litre TDi Allroad. In its defence, the Audi is at least matching its official 32.5mpg combined figure and managing near 40mpg on leisurely motorway strolls.
The 2.7 costs £1515 less to buy than the 3.0 but is significantly slower and its eco numbers are almost identical. On the plus side it comes as standard with an auto ’box, a £1400 option with the bigger motor, but essential nonetheless. The downside is it’s a CVT: great for economy; hell for the ears with all those slipping clutch sound effects. The 3.0’s auto is a proper auto, the engines’s 332lb ft of torque being too much for the CVT to handle. The other drivetrain options are 3.2 and 4.2 petrols, neither of which makes any sense. The 4.2 is hugely fast but costs nearly £50k. The 3.2 gobbles fuel at the same rate and is no faster than the 3.0 diesel yet costs £1000 more.
The slush ’box wasn’t our only indulgence. I swapped the standard 17-inch rims for some much sexier looking 18s and added leather and map-based navigation. Jaguar’s XF has raised the bar by making leather and nav standard so hopefully Audi will be a little less mean with the standard spec in future. My other addition was an iPod adapter for the also-optional Bose stereo. Unlike some iPod connections this one actually allows you to control the whole thing through the car’s Multi Media Interface (Audi’s answer to BMW’s iDrive). It works brilliantly.
In fact I’m pretty smitten with the whole car even if I'm not totally convinced about this crossover stuff. What I do know is that there’s a big difference between a car that’s fun to thrash around for 15 minutes and one that you’re still happy with months later. I doubt I’ll be taking the scenic route to work too frequently but I’m convinced that I’ll be sorry to see the Allroad go when the time comes.
By Chris Chilton
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