Probably knowing that the Q5 will steal some of the attention away from this model, Audi has decided to launch the all-new A4 allroad quattro in Europe today. It's already available for order from €44,750, but some of the models will take a little longer to arrive.
What are its best features? Well, as loyal fans of this go-anywhere wagon know, it drives like a regular A4 yet comes with raised ground clearance, 34mm (1.3 inches) in this case.
Depending on the color, it can be a very attractive machine, though, with gray or black on top of the body, it suffers from the boring wagon syndrome. Extra body cladding and new front and rear bumpers have been installed to protect the A4 from nature's roughness. New features also include a redesigned Singleframe grille with chrome bars and silver roof rails.
What isn't 100% clear is what the engine range will consist of. While the press release talks about a €44,750 model, that one isn't available in Germany yet.
Instead, the Domestic market is fed two well-known versions of the same 3.0-liter TDI installed on the Q7. In base configuration, it produces 218 PS, is connected to a 7-speed S tronic gearbox and costs €49,750. Probably due to the gearbox restrictions, it only produces 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque, which is appalling for a V6 engine. However, with 0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprints taking 6.6 seconds, we'd hardly call this a slow car.
For the princely sum of €54,400, you can have the flagship model with a 272 PS version of the 3.0 TDI matched to an 8-speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox. It produces 50% more torque and takes you to 100 km/h in just 5.5 seconds.
The entry-level model Audi talks about is the 2.0 TDI with 163 horsepower and a seven-speed S tronic. It gets standard quattro and 17-inch wheels, but misses out on the LED headlights.
More 2.0 TDI and 2.0 TFSI engines will follow in time for the market introduction this summer. We suspect there will be two ultra models, one gasoline and one diesel, equipped with the quattro system that disengages that Audi presented a few weeks ago.
Depending on the color, it can be a very attractive machine, though, with gray or black on top of the body, it suffers from the boring wagon syndrome. Extra body cladding and new front and rear bumpers have been installed to protect the A4 from nature's roughness. New features also include a redesigned Singleframe grille with chrome bars and silver roof rails.
What isn't 100% clear is what the engine range will consist of. While the press release talks about a €44,750 model, that one isn't available in Germany yet.
Instead, the Domestic market is fed two well-known versions of the same 3.0-liter TDI installed on the Q7. In base configuration, it produces 218 PS, is connected to a 7-speed S tronic gearbox and costs €49,750. Probably due to the gearbox restrictions, it only produces 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque, which is appalling for a V6 engine. However, with 0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprints taking 6.6 seconds, we'd hardly call this a slow car.
For the princely sum of €54,400, you can have the flagship model with a 272 PS version of the 3.0 TDI matched to an 8-speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox. It produces 50% more torque and takes you to 100 km/h in just 5.5 seconds.
The entry-level model Audi talks about is the 2.0 TDI with 163 horsepower and a seven-speed S tronic. It gets standard quattro and 17-inch wheels, but misses out on the LED headlights.
More 2.0 TDI and 2.0 TFSI engines will follow in time for the market introduction this summer. We suspect there will be two ultra models, one gasoline and one diesel, equipped with the quattro system that disengages that Audi presented a few weeks ago.