The
allroad (yes, with a lower-case "a"-Audi is daring to be different)
is to the luxury utility segment what the Subaru Outback is to the mid-size wagon
and SUV markets: a blend of wagon goodness and true-to-life off-road worthiness.
However, the extra dough you'll shell out for an allroad over an Outback will
buy you a lot, both in terms of luxury and capability. The
allroad is based on the beautifully designed and even more beautifully assembled
Audi A6 Avant (Avant means "wagon" in Aud-ese). But the allroad adds
several components to butch up the exterior a bit, including front and rear skid
plates, articulated headlamp lenses, matte black bumper caps (full body painting
is an option on the 4.2) and a sprinkling of brushed metal accents. Sexy dual
exhaust tips poke out the back, in a shameless promise of abundant power. And
abundant power the allroad has. A 250-hp, twin-turbocharged V-6 is standard, mated
to either a six-speed manual or five-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission. If
that's not enough, the new allroad 4.2 model comes with Audi's robust, 300-hp
V-8 under the hood (which comes only the Tiptronic), as well as a significant
boost in price. All-wheel drive is standard, as is an adjustable pneumatic suspension
that raises and lowers at the touch of a button. No
matter how good the rest of the car is, the most interface you'll ever have with
it involves the atmospheres (that's "interiors" in Aud-ese), and certainly,
no one does atmospheres like Audi. Quite simply, Audi's interiors are stunning
to look at, and a pleasure to operate. The dashboard has a hint of buttonitis,
but as with any car, once you get accustomed to it, it's yours. And
oh, how we wish an allroad could be ours
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