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2017 Audi A4 Allroad Wagon Test Drive and Review

Nicolas Stecher
by Nicolas Stecher
December 27, 2016
4 min. Reading Time
2017 Audi allroad front ・  Photo by Audi Media Services

2017 Audi allroad front ・ Photo by Audi Media Services

Plowing through Cotton Wood Road, which cuts through the badlands of Wyoming’s Teton National Forest, an empty tundra of undulating earth welcomes you. It looks like a scene from a spaghetti western, a lone dirt road, dusted with snow cutting through rolling tides of scrub brush. On it, your 2017 Audi A4 Allroad zips without hindrance, rumbling with ease and very little discomfort over dirt holes and gullies that would cripple a Civic.

As for traction, the A4 Allroad does slide a few times when we hit muddier patches and deeper snow, losing grip and then quickly re-grasping the road. But those moments are brief, rare, and a lot of fun. This is Audi Allroad territory, the perfect place to understand the true utility of this off-road-capable wagon. And with those familiar four rings on the grille, the 2017 Audi A4 Allroad is loaded with luxury appointments, next-level tech, considerate accommodations, and all the requisite safety suites.

Wagon vs. SUV

As noted in our review of the Mercedes-Benz E400 wagon, Americans love their SUVs. They’re selling in larger numbers all the time, and their advantages are clear: generous ground clearance, elevated driving position, increased storage, and (often) all-wheel drive. What''s more, they can handle tougher terrain than a traditional car.

But the Audi A4 Allroad? It provides much of the above, with a much more carlike drive, a lower center of gravity, and better handling manners than you'll find in most teetering SUVs. On asphalt, tthe 2017 Audi A4 Allroad feels solid and firm, much more planted than your garden variety sport ute. And should you hit mud or snow, its standard AWD capability will fill you with confidence.

 Photo by Audi Media Services

Photo by Audi Media Services

A4 Sedan Vs. A4 Wagon

As compared to the A4 sedan, the A4 Allroad gets an extra 10 mm between the axles. While this doesn’t sound like a lot, the stretched wheelbase goes entirely into rear legroom and cargo, so those riding behind the driver will appreciate thhe extra space.

They’ll also surely notice the panoramic sunroof that comes standard. It’s not even an option in the A4 sedan. Total cargo capacity is up 16 percent compared to the last-generation A4 Allroad, for a total of 58.5 cubic feet when the rear seat is folded (and 24.2 when it's in use).

 Photo by Audi Media Services

Photo by Audi Media Services

Exterior Design

Subjectively, one big advantage the Allroad has over its SUV competition is its exterior design. While SUVs can look like one homogeneous blob of stretched design cues, the Allroad is quite the looker. Most salient is Audi’s famous Singleframe grille, which gets vertical slats instead of horizontal ones. The Allroad is in fact the only car in the Audi lineup with these vertical slats—the idea being to reinforce the wagon’s height. Same goes for the aluminum roof rails: The Allroad is the only non-SUV to have them.

As with past All4oads, this A4 wagon does not lack off-road flourishes such as its raised suspension, roof rails, underbody protection, 18-inch rims, and powerful wheel arches with cladding. For the first time, this cladding can be painted with exterior-matching high gloss if you want a monochrome look, or default to the more traditional rugged bicolor expression.

 Photo by Audi Media Services

Photo by Audi Media Services

Cabin Appointments

The A4 Allroad’s Prestige trim is among the best in the luxury compact segment. Premium features like burled walnut (running horizontally across the dash, and lining the right side of the center console), compare well with more premium segments. There’s an optional 19-speaker, 755-watt Bang & Olufsen 3D surround-sound system, and the panoramic roof sheds tons of natural light into the cabin while providing backseat riders with a greater sense of space and airiness. The 3-zone climate control with rear display even allows those in the back to control their own temperature, while enjoying increased shoulder and rear legroom (compared to the last Allroad). For the first time on any A4, a dual-pane acoustic windshield is available.

 Photo by Audi Media Services

Photo by Audi Media Services

Powertrain

There is only one engine for the 2017 Audi A4 Allroad: the ubiquitous 2.0-liter TFSI 4-cylinder. As the base engine for much of Audi’s lineup, the turbocharged four is a superbly engineered powerplant that barely feels it's working hard. With 252 horsepower and 273 lb.-ft. of torque at only 1600 rpm, the Allroad has plenty of twist to pull you out of any terrain-imposed jam. For the first time in its history, the AllRoad gets Audi’s dual-clutch 7-speed S-Tronic automatic transmission.

The mating of the perky turbocharged TFSI 4-cylinder with the dual-clutch S-Tronic transmission supplies smooth, quick shifts and an overall sporty feel. Besides its utility in mud and snow, the Allroad can zip to 60 mph in under six seconds. That’s plenty quick for a wagon that emphasizes off-road capability and good EPA fuel efficiency: 23 mpg city/28 mpg highway/25 mpg combined.

 Photo by Audi Media Services

Photo by Audi Media Services

Quattro with Ultra Technology

The 2017 A4 Allroad features something Audi is humbly calling “Quattro with Ultra Technology”. This is a new generation of Audi’s legendary Quattro AWD, a system that essentially elevated the German automaker to the next level when it premiered in their rally cars in the 1980s. Using an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch and decoupling rear axle differential, Quattro with Ultra predicts how much torque the car will need, and to which wheel, and then sends it there seamlessly (within 200 milliseconds). Unlike most systems, it is not reactive but predictive of driver demands and/or road conditions.

 Photo by Audi Media Services

Photo by Audi Media Services

Suspension

While the adaptive suspension is a $1000 option for the A4 sedan, it's standard on the A4 Allroad. Independent of the several driving modes, the ground clearance always remains constant—34 mm (1.3 inches) above the standard A4. However, if you switch among modes (Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, Individual, and Off Road), the dampers’ stiffness changes for a softer, more comfortable ride or a stiffer, more dynamic one.

In a vehicle that may need to negotiate wooded back roads and other questionable terrain, the A4 Allroad and its 5-link suspension (with twin-tube adaptive dampers) offers an increased breadth of capabilities. This Audi is a vehicle that excels on the road, yet it can handle dirt-road duties with grace when called upon.

 Photo by Audi Media Services

Photo by Audi Media Services

Virtual Cockpit

As Audi’s Virtual Cockpit works its way down the lineup, it becomes ever more apparent how substantial an innovation it really is. Converting the traditional gauge cluster into a wide 12.3-in. high-res (1440 x 540 pixel) TFT LCD display, the optional Virtual Cockpit allows the 2017 Audi A4 Allroad driver to use that space in a multitude of ways.

By default it features two large digital gauges (speedo and tach). In the area between them, you can toggle between various info screens (radio, fuel economy, nav directions, etc.) with buttons on the steering wheel. We like to shrink those two gauges to the corner of the TFT display, and push the nav map into the big space between (see photo). This way, the map is more in your direct view, and it also then frees up the 8.3-in. center display (a 7-in. one is standard) for your passenger to play around with the radio, Spotify, Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, or whatever other entertainment feature he/she wishes to control.

 Photo by Audi Media Services

Photo by Audi Media Services

Safety Technology Suites

As can be expected from Audi, the A4 AllRoad offers a litany of safety technology suites. What Audi calls  "pre sense basic"is standard; if it predicts a collision, it will close the A4 Allroad's windows and sunroof,  pre-tension the safety belts, and pre-charge the brakes, etc. paring the brakes, etc). "Pre sense city" is also standard: It can detect cornering and stationary vehicles (as well as pedestrians) at speeds up to 52 mph, and can initiate full braking if and when a potential collision is detected.

Other available systems are traffic sign recognition, active lane assist, side assist, pre sense rear, vehicle exit assist, rear cross-traffic assist, and adaptive cruise control with stop & go and traffic jam assist.

Prices for the Audi A4 AllRoad start at $44,000 for the Premium trim, $47,000 for Premium Plus, and $51,400 for the top-level Prestige.

 Photo by Audi Media Services

Photo by Audi Media Services


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