01 Mar 06
While the new Q7 full-sized SUV has stolen most of Audi's headlines recently, there is still strong demand for the more car-like (and more subtle) allroad quattro, the jacked-up soft-roading version of the A6 Avant station wagon.
This new model, based on the latest A6, is to the same formula as the first version launched in 2000, but comes with a series of new engines and interior upgrades.
The petrol engines are now the latest VW-Audi FSI direct-injection units: the 3.2 FSI V6 (255bhp) and 4.2 FSI V8 (350bhp), with the piezo-injection 2.7-litre (180bhp) and 3.0-litre V6 (233bhp) diesels, as in the mainstream A6 range. These come with six-speed manual or tiptronic transmission, plus the quattro all-wheel drive system and adaptive air suspension with stability control. Longer and wider than its predecessor, the allroad's suspension now rises further on its highest setting for greater ground clearance and operates in five modes: dynamic, automatic, comfort, allroad and lift (pretty self-explanatory names, we think). These can be self-selected, but the car can sense which is the most appropriate for certain driving conditions.
The allroad's not an all-out off-roader, being biased more towards on-road performance, but it'll be able to get to most places its owners will want to go with a minimum of effort required of the driver. The quattro system runs a 50:50 torque-split to each axle under normal driving conditions, with up to 75% of torque going to either axle according to surface conditions and a self-locking central differential to maintain traction. All-terrain tyres are optional, however.
Equipment now includes the latest version of the MMI operating system, side and head airbags (rear side airbags are optional), automatic air conditioning, an automatic parking brake, aluminium roof rails, headlamp washers, a double-load floor with washable tray, and 17" alloy wheels (18" for the V8). Options include keyless entry, adaptive xenon headlights with LED taillight, and daytime running lights, and parking sensors with rear-view cameras.
Three new paint colours are offered - Polar Blue, Condor Grey and Lava Grey - and four interior colours, including new shades of brown and beige, with new wood trim and a choice of two-tone leather sports seats. There's up to 1,660 litres of cargo space and the boot floor has two rails to fit bicycle racks or other devices. An automatically opening/closing tailgate is optional.
The allroad isn't going to be Audi's biggest-seller, nor is it going to match the volumes likely to be achieved by the Q7, but it should play a role in increasing Audi's sales. In speeches at the show, executives repeated their earlier target of selling 1m cars a year within the next two or three years, up from last year's 829,100, which set a new record for the firm. The company also intends to raise revenues by around 6% this year, continuing the 8.5% rise last year and profit gains of 14.6%.
It also expects its loss-making Spanish subsidiary, Seat - now part of the Audi Group of companies within the Volkswagen family - to become profitable within the next few years.
