First drive, A4 allroad quattro

Sometimes it’s the quiet achievers that end up being the ones you admire the most. Although the original Audi allroad models launched in Australia were based on the A6 platform, such was the success of the g-anywhere formula that the model developed across both the A6 and A4 platforms, finding favour around the world and in Australia with both.

Audi’s A4 allroad quattro was first launched in Australia in 2012, and while it’s always been considered a niche model, the following it has found with customers has been loyal in the extreme. This is a car that clearly lands a bullseye in terms of its intended function and design, and once converted, owners do not want to abandon the off-road versatility and wagon practicality on offer.  

Good news, then, with the impending arrival of the all-new A4 allroad, that brings all the virtues of the existing A4 allroad, overlaid with the advances and technology that are inherent in the all-new A4 sedan and Avant now on sale.

The first key point about the new allroad quattro is the availability of petrol power for the first time. The engine is the excellent high-output 2.0-litre TFSI also fitted to the top-level Avant quattro. It produces 185kW between 5000 and 6000rpm and 370Nm of torque from 1600 to 4500rpm, but surely the other most noteworthy feature is the introduction of a new all-wheel-drive system called quattro with ultra. Since its inception in the 1980s, the traction and handling advantages of Audi’s quattro system have been irrefutable, but the one downside is that an all-wheel drivetrain creates more drag and increases fuel consumption. The answer is quattro with ultra; an all-wheel-drive system that behaves as a front-driver whenever you’re not driving hard or on slippery surfaces which, for most drivers, is actually most of the time.

The new system – fitted only to the A4 allroad 2.0 TFSI model at launch, but set to become mainstream – does away with a centre differential. Instead it uses uses a clutch pack at the back of the transmission and another forward of the rear diff, allowing the prop shaft to be decoupled, and thus allowing the rear wheels to spin free of driveline drag. The system’s controller is fed information from sensors monitoring steering input, throttle position, torque output, yaw and g-force, and uses this to determine when drive to the rear is advantageous to the car’s dynamics. 

The new quattro predictive ultra all-wheel drive saves around 0.3L/100km on the NEDC cycle. This may not sound like a major fuel saving, but remember we’re at a stage where the chase for consumption improvements have become like the gram-by-gram weight loss strategies that really took hold in recent years. Indeed, quattro ultra also weighs four kilograms less than the traditional Torsen system as a further saving. 

The big question, of course, is how well does it work?  The short answer is: with seamless effectiveness. We drove the car on German roads, hard at times, and at no stage was the coupling of drive to the rear delayed or even detectable. The system has an uncanny sense of your driving style and inputs, and milliseconds before a conventional front-wheel drive car would be scrubbing into understeer and ESC activation, the quattro ultra-equipped A4 allroad was deploying traction to all four corners and firing you out of the bend. We also tried it on an unsealed road with ESC disabled, and found that one generous bootful of throttle is sufficient to send the rear-end into entertaining and line-tightening oversteer, which keen drivers will relish. 

So the car’s sense for torque distribution seems brilliantly judged, but if in doubt, selecting the Dynamic mode instantly primes the driveline for more torque to be directed to the rear. There’s also an Offroad mode in which both clutches are locked up, ensuring a near-50/50 spit front to rear.  

Some other important distinctions between the new A4 allroad TFSI and the A4 Avant quattro deserve detailing. Obviously there’s also the distinctive bodywork,with its sill and guard protection, and plastic under-cladding fore and aft. Then there’s price; the petrol A4 allroad is expected to sell in Australia for around $75,000 with a very similar (though not yet confirmed) level of standard specification to the Avant. That circa-$2000  increase over the equivalent Avant quattro model buys you increased off-road ability thanks to the 34mm increase in ride height, delivered by suspension that sits it 23mm higher, combined with the additional 11mm that comes from the taller tyre aspect ratio on 18-inch or 19-inch alloy wheels.

That chubbier rubber contributes to a more plush-feeling ride than the Avant, especially when teamed with the adaptive dampers, making their debut as an option on allroad. This is serenely compliant and comfortable-riding chassis set-up. Combined with the zingy, elastic turbo four, which pulls from modest revs and cheerfully buzzes the redline, it makes for a car that feels supremely capable, engaging and well-sorted. 

The allroad’s interior, as you’d expect, is strongly related to the all-new A4 Avant, and offers the same features and options, including the all-digital virtual cockpit instrument cluster, its 8.3-inch multimedia screen, fast SIM-based internet connection and head-up display. You won’t find a more stylish, beautifully crafted, superbly functional cabin in the premium mid-size segment.  

There was no A4 Allroad 2.0 TDI available to drive at the launch, but Audi expects it to account for half of initial A4 allroad sales. That figure sounds about right, given there is no TDI engine option for the A4 Avant. The Australian-spec A4 allroad TDI will make 140kW/400Nm, delivers combined consumption of 4.9L/100km (NEC), weighs 60kg more than the TFSI model for a total dry weight of 1640kg. The run from 0-100km/h takes 7.8 seconds. 

What we did drive was the A4 allroad 3.0 V6 TDI which is under consideration for Australia. This engine does duty in the Q7 SUV, so its 200kW/600Nm outputs have no trouble hustling the A4 allroad from 0-100km/h in 5.5 seconds while using just 5.3L/100 combined on the Euro cycle. Engine noise is non-existent in the cabin, and the eight-speed S tronic transmission makes fine use of the torque curve to be always primed to deliver serious overtaking shove. This car is a supremely versatile, unstressed motorway cruiser, that, like any allroad model, also has enough off-road ability for that unmade trail leading to that prime surf spot, mountain bike retreat or weekender cabin. 

With the range of lifestyle and recreation opportunities made possible with the allroad, is it any wonder owners are reluctant to consider anything else?