NAIAS 2016: Audi A4 Allroad Quattro is a Model Built on Millimeters
Thirty-four millimeters of ground clearance. That’s what separates a standard A4 Avant wagon (which we can’t get here in the States) with the new Audi A4 Allroad quattro. That, and a bunch of plastic lower-body cladding.
Apparently, American consumers can’t handle the low step-in of the standard Avant.
The flared wheel arches are what we’ve come to expect from any Allroad variant, and look quite handsome. Audi has changed up the corporate grille for the Allroad, as well, with chrome vertical slats rather than the horizontal strakes found on the sedan.
At least for the European market, a wide range of gasoline and TDI engines are offered. No word on what we will get Stateside, though the 2-liter gas turbo and 272 horsepower, 3-liter V-6 are fair bets.
Some enthusiasts say they were born with gasoline in their veins. Chris Tonn, on the other hand, had rust flakes in his eyes nearly since birth. Living in salty Ohio and being hopelessly addicted to vintage British and Japanese steel will do that to you. His work has appeared in eBay Motors, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars, Reader's Digest, AutoGuide, Family Handyman, and Jalopnik. He is a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association, and he's currently looking for the safety glasses he just set down somewhere.
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I honestly don't understand what people see in Audi. They are fancied up VWs that last about as long. I owned a new 6 speed Allroad in 2003, my wife had an 80 in the late '80s and she had an A4 too. None of them were great cars by any measure including mechanically. The new ones are overpriced IMHO. Seeing older ones are like finding hens teeth.
Does the extra 34 mm of ground clearance let Audi sell the A4 Allroad as a truck instead of a car? If I remember correctly, some combination of height and cargo area was enough to qualify for more favorable fuel economy regulations in the US.