Photo: S.Baldauf/SB-Medien
Back in the days, the Audi A6 Allroad (or just Allroad, as it was originally called) was an answer to a question not many people asked.
Sure, Audi wasn’t the only carmaker dipping its toes in the ‘station wagon on stilts’ market, as Volvo and Subaru are also well known for their crossover wagons, but it’s the Allroad name that somehow became synonymous with this type of niche vehicle.
Nowadays even Mercedes-Benz has jumped on the bandwagon, pun intended, Porsche is on its way as well, while Audi is offering both the A6 Allroad and the A4 Allroad to cater to a wider range of soft-roading clientele.
Even though we now live in a world that is irremediably in love with SUVs and crossovers, the market seems to be far from being saturated with high-bodied vehicles, and Ingolstadt is well aware of the trends.
This is probably why the A4 and A6 Allroad are getting a little brother soon, with pre-production prototypes of a peculiar A3 hatchback with higher ground clearance have recently started public testing.
An Allroad version of the compact A3 has been part of the rumors mill for years, with each generation of the compact rumored to get one but now it’s finally happening.
The recipe is simple, a slightly high ground clearance, standard quattro all-wheel-drive and some plastic body-cladding on top of the sleek-looking A3, all of it bound to find a fair share of customers that enjoy the look and prestige that comes with this type of design.
Despite having no direct rivals, the Audi A3 Allroad will not be the first of its kind, with Subaru being rather successful with the Impreza-based Crosstrek in recent years.
This begs the question if Audi isn’t for the first time late to the Allroad game, since the A3 will have to eat into the sales of other Ingolstadt compact crossovers like the Q2 and the Q3.
The revamped MQB platform underneath the A3 is not exactly fit for off-roading, but fans of this type of car mostly appreciate the raised driving position and the rugged look of the models anyway, not their off-road prowess.
It is expected that the production version will be unveiled at the end of 2022, and it might be powered exclusively by three-cylinder gasoline and four-cylinder diesel engines, with mild-hybrid assistance, and it might be exclusively an European affair.
Nowadays even Mercedes-Benz has jumped on the bandwagon, pun intended, Porsche is on its way as well, while Audi is offering both the A6 Allroad and the A4 Allroad to cater to a wider range of soft-roading clientele.
Even though we now live in a world that is irremediably in love with SUVs and crossovers, the market seems to be far from being saturated with high-bodied vehicles, and Ingolstadt is well aware of the trends.
This is probably why the A4 and A6 Allroad are getting a little brother soon, with pre-production prototypes of a peculiar A3 hatchback with higher ground clearance have recently started public testing.
An Allroad version of the compact A3 has been part of the rumors mill for years, with each generation of the compact rumored to get one but now it’s finally happening.
The recipe is simple, a slightly high ground clearance, standard quattro all-wheel-drive and some plastic body-cladding on top of the sleek-looking A3, all of it bound to find a fair share of customers that enjoy the look and prestige that comes with this type of design.
Despite having no direct rivals, the Audi A3 Allroad will not be the first of its kind, with Subaru being rather successful with the Impreza-based Crosstrek in recent years.
This begs the question if Audi isn’t for the first time late to the Allroad game, since the A3 will have to eat into the sales of other Ingolstadt compact crossovers like the Q2 and the Q3.
The revamped MQB platform underneath the A3 is not exactly fit for off-roading, but fans of this type of car mostly appreciate the raised driving position and the rugged look of the models anyway, not their off-road prowess.
It is expected that the production version will be unveiled at the end of 2022, and it might be powered exclusively by three-cylinder gasoline and four-cylinder diesel engines, with mild-hybrid assistance, and it might be exclusively an European affair.
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