The original Audi allroad created a niche in the station wagon segment when it made its debut in 2000. There were other wagons out there with four-wheel drive; Volvo, Subaru, and even Audi all had one in their lineup before the allroad hit showrooms.
However, the allroad strayed from the pack thanks to the plastic and aluminum trim tacked onto the outside of it that gave it a rugged look. Since then, numerous automakers including Peugeot, Volvo and Alfa Romeo have applied the allroad look to their own station wagons.
Audi is eager to keep up with the competition and it has just revealed the third generation of the allroad. It is scheduled to make its public debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show next March.
On the outside, the new allroad borrows styling cues from the previous generations, including plastic fender flares, skid plates front and back, and a model-specific grille. Compared to a standard A6 Avant, the allroad’s ground clearance is 2.3 inches higher and it spans a few sixteenths of an inch longer.
Thanks to the use of aluminum in the car’s construction, the third generation of the allroad weighs 154 pounds less than the car it replaces.
The allroad’s interior boasts a black instrument panel and brushed aluminum trim on the door sills, two features that help differentiate it from the less-expensive A6 Avant. Several high-tech options are part of the package, including a WLAN hotspot that allows passengers to browse the internet on the go, Google Earth and Google Street View.
Four engines will be offered in the allroad. The only one to burn unleaded gasoline is a 3.0 TFSI V6 rated at 310 horsepower and 340 lb-ft of torque. It propels the station wagon from zero to 62 miles per hour in 5.9 seconds.
The other engines on the menu are all variants of the 3.0 TDI V6. The entry-level makes 204 horsepower, the next version up is good for 245 horsepower, and a twin-turbocharged 313 horsepower unit tops off the range. The latter is mated to a eight-speed tiptronic transmission, while the other three engines come standard with a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox.
Regardless of what engine is under the hood, the allroad comes standard with Audi’s famed quattro permanent four-wheel drive system, and an air suspension that allows the driver to raise the ground clearance by 1.3 inches at the push of a bottom.
The A6 allroad will go on sale in Germany next spring and will carry a base price of €54,600 ($69,500).
