Back in 1999, when the first all-road vehicle Audi A6 allroad was created in Ingolstadt, the brand with four rings on the hood founded a new class that was loved by many fans of practicality and versatility. With car-like manners and excellent handling, the A6 Allroad had air suspension, reliable underbody protection, practical plastic body cladding, and even a reduction gear.
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| The Audi A4 Allroad is supplied to Russia with a 2.0-liter 211-horsepower gasoline turbo engine. It is expected that at the beginning of next year, diesel versions with a displacement of 2.0 and 3.0 liters and a power of 170 and 240 hp, respectively, will appear. |
Later, a real crossover boom began. Audi introduced the popular Q7 and the compact Q5. The new generation of the A6 allroad took the so-called image niche. The all-road vehicle received glamorous painted body cladding, the air suspension ranges decreased, and the share of versatility was lost. At the same time, the cost of the A6 Allroad starts at an exorbitant mark of 2,370,000 rubles. As a result, for every 10 Audi Q7 SUVs, there is only one allroad.
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| The Audi interior is a benchmark of ergonomics and quality. Optional front seats with knee support have an excellent profile and developed side bolsters. |
Nevertheless, we could not ignore the second representative of the Audi all-road family — the A4 allroad. Let us clarify right away: in essence, the A4 allroad is the same A4 Avant station wagon. The differences are minimal: longer springs, different shock absorbers, a slightly widened track, and plastic body cladding all around. As a result, the ground clearance of the A4 allroad increased from 143 to 180 mm.
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| Technically, the A4 Allroad completely repeats its sibling A4 Avant. The difference is in longer springs and different shock absorbers. The result is an increased ground clearance of up to 180 mm. |
The engine lineup consists of three units: a 211-horsepower gasoline TFSI with a displacement of 2.0 liters, as well as two diesels with a displacement of 2.0 and 3.0 liters and a power of 170 and 240 hp, respectively. But since diesel engines in passenger cars are not held in high regard here, and such "Allroads" have not yet reached Russia, we got the gasoline version of the "off-roader" from Ingolstadt for the test.
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| A thin trim of polished aluminum is more a tribute to style than bumper protection. |
I get into the cabin. Rich! Optional sport seats with excellent lateral support and adjustable knee bolster greet you with home comfort, but at the same time hold you tenaciously in corners and do not let you get tired on long trips. In front of my eyes is the traditional "Audi" instrument panel with clear markings, an informative display in the middle, and pleasant backlighting.
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| Passengers of tall stature will be cramped in the back of the Audi A4 Allroad. |
On the tunnel between the seats is the already familiar scattering of MMI system keys, with which, after just an hour behind the wheel, you can blindly control all the benefits of civilization, including the stunning Bang&Olufsen audio system, convenient navigation, and other car settings.
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| Signature LED eyelashes and a trapezoidal radiator grille are the calling card of the entire Audi model range. |
If both front and rear passengers are of average height, you can sit quite tolerably in the back even three abreast, but if your fellow travelers are larger, expect indignation about the low ceiling and tightness in the shoulders. The trunk is quite spacious — 490 liters of useful volume. If you fold down the rear row of seats, the cargo compartment can accept 1430 liters of cargo.
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| Using the scattering of MMI system keys, you can blindly control all car functions, including the optional Bang&Olufsen audio system and navigation. |
The gasoline A4 Allroad is supplied to Russia with a six-speed manual transmission and a 7-speed robotic gearbox S-tronic with dual clutch. I remember the same engine+transmission tandem was on the Audi Q5 crossover, which we tested at the end of February.
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| Stylish plastic body cladding distinguishes the Audi Allroad from the general flow. |
The tandem is the same, but the ailments are all the same, so, like the Q5 crossover, the "Allroad" thinks too long at the start. This time I learned to press the throttle a second before it is necessary to open the gas and shoot from the start, thereby leveling the notorious delay. Rejoicing at our mutual understanding, the A4 Allroad rewarded me with excellent traction throughout the entire peak torque range (from 1500 to 4000 rpm). And the transmission here does not falter: both up and down shifts are clear and fast. Traction drops only after 140 km/h, which can be avoided if you switch to manual transmission control mode and force the S-tronic to rev each gear to the limit.
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| The spacious trunk with a volume of 490 liters has all the features of the cargo compartment of a regular Audi A4 Avant station wagon. |
And how it handles! Excellent feedback from the dynamic steering, which increases or decreases the effort on the steering wheel depending on the speed of movement. Cornering is accompanied by a slight roll, but the trajectory is written flawlessly, permanent all-wheel drive with a Torsen self-locking differential is ready at any second to transfer the necessary dose of torque to the required axle, and the ESP stabilization system vigilantly monitors driver errors.
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| The instrument panel has excellent readability and pleasant backlighting. For an additional fee, the Audi A4 Allroad can be equipped with a panoramic roof, the front half of which is a sliding electric sunroof. Using the Audi Drive Select keys, the driver can choose the preferred transmission settings mode. |
The Audi A4 allroad holds a straight line perfectly at any speed. No rocking or yawing in the rut. The brakes are excellent: you can dose the force on the pedal at an intuitive level, the car itself will tell you how much it needs.
Combined with the increased ground clearance, which allows the all-road vehicle to fearlessly storm city curbs and yard snowdrifts, and also conquer albeit light, but still off-road, the A4 Allroad is an excellent choice for a practical universal premium car. The base cost of the Audi A4 Allroad is 1,557,000 rubles. But by paying an additional 172 thousand, you can look towards the even more versatile and off-road Audi Q5, which also has a larger trunk volume.
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| The base cost of the Audi A4 Allroad is 1,557,000 rubles. The test "Allroad", equipped "to the brim", will cost 2,481,000 rubles. |
What is in store for the new all-road vehicle on the Russian market? Most likely, its fate will be the same as that of its larger sibling A6 allroad, which took its niche between the Audi A6 and Q7, which are in demand in our country. However, such an interclass position is only a plus for "Allroad" owners. Especially since a well-equipped example that was tested almost reached 2.5 million rubles. How many are ready for such expenses? Of course, not many. This is a matter of taste, because we are talking about an exclusive!
Ruslan Galimov