Audi Allroad Quattro
A crossover vehicle delivering the best of both worlds
By Michael Binstock
Acorn Automotive Editor

I’ve been following the continuing evolution of the SUV with both interest and amazement. The vehicle type started many years ago with Land Rovers, Jeeps and Land Cruisers. Then the marketing guys found that they were the latest trend to boost lagging car sales. Suddenly, every one had to have an SUV, whether you wanted one or not. A SUV was almost mandatory, even if off-road was the garage.

Now look what has happened. The SUV has grown. The original fun sporty off-road vehicle has become a behemoth, used to transport kids to soccer and lumber from the yard. But then it all shifted again. Gas prices have doubled and we have started thinking smaller. We still want the fun, sporty, off-road type vehicle but we want the features of our family car. We don’t want to give up the superb handling and exhilarating performance of a fine sports touring car for the rugged off-road capability of a utility vehicle.

Then along came a small group of manufacturers, led by Subaru. They realized that most SUV prospects didn’t want something to go rock crawling. They wanted a family sized vehicle that was safe in all types of weather and could handle the track to the cabin and mild off-highway trips. But it had to have extra luggage space, plus seat four or five. The station wagon was reborn!

The Audi Allroad Quattro has what it takes to chart new territory off-road while remaining true to its roots with the superior on-the-road performance of a robust, advanced-technology German touring sedan. And all the while, it offers the kind of versatility, flexibility and capacity that its active owners will value.

This makes it a hybrid or crossover vehicle that really delivers on its promise. Many vehicles have been called hybrids, but few truly offer the best of both worlds. The Allroad Quattro exceeds conventional boundaries and combines the best of three elements.

Start with the highly successful A6 2.7 T and its enormously flexible and powerful 250 horsepower engine. Include that car’s acclaimed Quattro all-wheel drive system, and the roadholding of its chassis and suspension. Then add the packaging flexibility of Audi’s Avant concept: an expansive and expandable cargo area, comfortable seating for five adults, and the option of two more passengers in the rear-facing bench seat for children. With that combination alone, customers can expect better road manners in a more flexible and capable combination than many SUVs. But why stop there? The Allroad Quattro’s true off-road capability draws on Audi’s skill in creating innovative solutions to perennial problems.

In the case of the Allroad Quattro, this led to the development of a unique four-level, height-adjustable pneumatic suspension that provides the necessary ground clearance for serious departures from the pavement. Given all this, and the traction-seeking capability of the Quattro all-wheel drive system, the result is a hybrid that is securely at home on the highway, capably at ease off the beaten track, and comfortably able to handle the challenges of both.

Merely building a "wagon with altitude" would not achieve Audi’s goal. The mission was to expand the realm of possibilities for the Allroad Quattro rather than limiting its suitability to a narrow range of tasks. The challenge in combining the off-road traction and versatility of an SUV with uncompromised on-road performance lies in mastering the conflicting requirements of the two environments.

Audi’s development engineers therefore designed an ingenious, electronically controlled air suspension for both the front and rear wheels of the Allroad Quattro. ground clearance. Ride height can be controlled either automatically or manually with a control panel at the top of the center console.

The heart of the Allroad Quattro is the same 2.7-liter twin-turbocharged engine that powers the Audi A6 2.7 T. In addition to five valves per cylinder, it has a pair of water-cooled turbochargers, charge-air intercooling, sequential fuel injection, and adaptive knock and boost pressure control. The first and foremost requirement in the design specification was for abundant torque to be available at low engine speeds. The result is impressive, to say the least.

When equipped with the automatic transmission, the driver enjoys complete manual control over gear selection, or fully automatic shifting, as the mood, driving conditions and the occasion dictate.

While the Allroad Quattro enjoys the benefits of a powerful engine, it is no beast. This refined power train goes about its business quietly, but with substantial authority. In a class where truck-like manners have been the norm, its refinement is something of a revelation. With the manual gearbox and the V6 biturbo engine it is possible to drive in a relaxed, economical manner but always to have the potential for more dynamic progress at one’s fingertips. The five-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic control is an even greater source of comfort and convenience, without sacrificing any of Audi’s abundant driving pleasure. Ever since the original Quattro appeared in 1980, Audi’s permanent all-wheel drive system has demonstrated its superiority and its potential time and time again. On every kind of terrain, in rallying, production car and prototype racing classes, and in the hands of factory drivers and privateers, the Quattro system has been considered such an "unfair advantage" that it has been banned from most types of racing.

All four wheels are permanently driven on vehicles that feature the Quattro concept. Each tire, therefore, only has to transmit half as much tractive force as on a vehicle with only one driven axle.

The Audi Allroad Quattro’s design communicates its purposeful character by interpreting the elegant, sporting appearance of contemporary Audi models in a new way. The wide track and a moderate increase in body height result in a highly individual, muscular silhouette. Numerous design details point to the Audi Allroad Quattro’s qualities as an off-road specialist.

On the inside, the driver and passengers enjoy an interior that translates the high standards offered by Audi’s premium models to this new concept. The genuine wood trim is a new, lighter shade of walnut.

The front and rear seats are of a special pattern, developed exclusively for the Allroad Quattro. They provide the excellent lateral support of a sports seat so that the driver and passengers are held securely, even when crossing very rough terrain. The Audi Allroad Quattro has a highly variable passenger and cargo area. True to the concept of an off-road, leisure and long-distance travel vehicle, it can offer comfortable seating for up to five people and 36.4 cubic feet of luggage capacity. Folding the rear seat opens up a vast load area

. The Audi Allroad Quattro is well worth a look if you require the luxury of an European sports sedan and the occasional off-road capability of a SUV.

Take a look at the vehicle at Rusnak Westlake Audi in the Thousand Oaks Auto Mall. If you ask them nicely they might even let you take it off-road.