Allroad owners

I get the impression there's a gathering of Allroad owners here on Pistonheads, especially from the PH C7 buying guide, so I thought I'd start an owners thread to see if it has any "traction" haha.

I sold my A6 Avant to cash in on the used car prices (and due to an imminent move out of London) and got myself an Allroad with the same 272 TDI. It's a Tornado grey 65 reg with 127K miles. So far I've cleaned the leather (inc steering wheel), replaced the rear tyres and tomorrow it's having a gearbox oil change for peace of mind. That'll be it until two front tyres in a couple of months.

Options on it are quite scarce. It's got BOSE, better nav, heated wheel and body coloured wheel arches. I think that's it. Oh it's a Sport so it's got the same seats I'm used to on the A6. Nice to have proper exhaust pipes again!



Show us your Allroad; A4/A6, all welcome!

Ah, this should be a great thread. Allroad owners seem to be decent types.

I'm on my second C7 shape Allroad. The first one I got on a very cheap lease deal (272PS version, 3+23 months at £337 per month for 8k/annum - included metallic paint but I added alcantara sports seats as my one option for a somewhat pricey £30 a month extra). I'd fancied one for a long time but always seemed to be distracted by other cars which I didn't keep long. I wish I'd had a longer lease on the Allroad; it went back the day I returned from my honeymoon so I was distracted when it left.

I always said while I had it that I'd have another at some point, but preferably with more options. Realising this year that I was more likely to end up with a C8 shape which I don't like nearly as much, I jumped on a relatively sensibly priced late C7 with low miles (17k) at a main dealer; I saw it before it was on Auto Trader and I think they'd priced it using an old Glass's guide so it would have been snapped up if I hadn't had it.

Spec isn't as high as I really wanted (comfort seats and beaufort wood trim would have been lovely) but it's a 272 Sport with the same basic colour and trim as I specced my original car (moonlight blue paint, alcantara sports seats). The options on the Sport make it feel less bare, and mine has on top:
- Tech Pack
- Folding mirrors
- 20" wheels
- Audi phone box (pointless)
- full paint finish
to which I added the official Apple Carplay (software installation by the dealer) and a 2nd year on the approved used warranty

While I fancied a BiTDi, I actually like the way the 7-sp S-Tronic suits the car and I do plenty of miles so the better economy of the 272 is a bonus. The 272 doesn't feel slow. So far I'm averaging about 43mpg in the new acquisition (90% motorway miles commuting). Done nearly 6k miles and it's not demanded an Adblue top up yet.

I've ordered a set of the standard 18" Allroad alloys for winter tyre use, but I might actually fit Goodyear Vector All Seasons and use them all year round. One of the joys of the Allroad is the brilliant ride and the 20" wheels are a bit flashy and take the edge off it just a little.

The thing I really like about the Allroad is how much less brash it is than an S-line or Black Edition A6 Avant. The air suspension means you can stick it in Dynamic and really throw it about or cruise about in incredible comfort. It'll do a bit of light green laning if you're so inclined (I am less so in my own car than the leased one ) or you can just raise it Allroad height for a better view out. It still handles well like that; when I'm down in Devon or away generally I raise mine up and call it holiday mode. Compared to an F10 5-series Touring, Volvo V90 Cross Country or Merc CLS Shooting Brake it is so much more fun to drive. Nobody really says that; I can only think Allroad owners are quietly smiling and feel no need to tell the world how good it is. Or maybe it's because they're used so much as tools; plenty for sale have very high mileages (which mine will have by the time I change it, I'm sure).

I have to say I'm not particularly fussed about the full paint finish. I think it works well on a black one with the 20" Allroad-specific alloys but I quite like the contrasting wheelarches and sills. Here are my current and previous cars (in that order):

An aspiring Allroad owner here!

I had an a6 Avant for nearly 10 years and it was a brilliant, and comfortable workhorse that travelled many miles all over the UK and Europe. This year it was time for a change, and I quite fancied the idea of 4 wheel drive and a bit of lift, and as the A6 was so good (it was a 2.7tdi manual), I thought a used allroad, in BiTDi form ideally would be a great upgrade, and had a look at a couple. Very nice cars...

I was seduced by the dark world of the SUV though, and ended up buying a 4 yr old Jeep Grand Cherokee, mainly because the the long list of standard options (kids really wanted reclining (never seen), rear heated seats (rare in an A6) for the long journeys), and relatively reliable and priced compared to Range Rover/GL/X5/Touareg equivalents, strong 8 speed gearbox and 3l v6 diesel engine (250bhp), plus to me it's a good looking, reasonably uncommon car. I also thought I would get more boot space to fit all the camping gear for all the UK staycations this summer and extra stuff for the dog and growing kids.

To a point however, I am now regretting my purchase. Somebody at Jeep was telling a few porkies with the boot dimensions, and in reality it is a fair bit shorter than the A6 and the dimensions they claim, as I found, are measured to the ceiling, not the seat heights like everyone else! Also, the Jeep air suspension, although gives you loads of clearance, and good for climbing over rocks and boulders, results in a very bouncy ride, has SUV style cornering, bangs alarmingly on occasion too. MPG even for diesel is pretty pants, engine is tractor-like in refinement (somehow this same VM Motori unit is used in the Maserati Ghibli too), and the automatic first gear is very binary and takes a lot of prodding to get the 2.5 tonne car going. And despite perhaps reliable underpinnings, just the way everything feels flimsy makes me feel this car will not last me (and kids and dog) 10 years in the same way my last Audi did.

So I reckon after the winter, once I've visited plenty of muddy rugby clubs, and possibly had a drive to the Alps and back, I will be on the market for the more subtle refinement of the Audi Allroad. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread with interest....

Blimey - looking at £13k price but as you say very low miles for the age. Friend had one of that vintage, lots of trouble with air suspension, ended up locking it to a single height converting to coil springs.

That's a shame, and doesn't really make much sense, though perhaps they're just not getting the sales, especially in comparison to the standard avants, and also emphasis is now towards developing the Q and E-tron ranges instead.

In !

But only on Mob, so will post proper later.
On my second C7, this one a sport.

Great all rounder and prob the last ICE we’ll own as a main car

I've just recently bought a 2013 allroad as my sensible do everything car. Have to say I am loving it so far, living in the Scottish countryside it really is the perfect car for me, it's got the 18" wheels with nice big sidewalls on the tyres which make a huge difference to the ride comfort on what pass for roads around Glasgow, plenty of room for my mountain bike/snowboards etc. Mine only had 58k miles on it when I bought it so hopefully it will last me quite a while.

I plan to use it for winter trips to the Alps if we're ever allowed to do such things again, and it's already been used for a few trips up north. I have to say I am pleasantly surprised with how quick it feels, I have the 275bhp version, but my previous couple of cars were a 997 C4s and before that a C7 RS6 which I had for 4 years and 60k miles. The allroad is obviously not as fast as them but doesn't feel that much slower, and is far more comfy on our crappy roads and uses much less fuel!

The only thing that lets it down slightly are the current tyres, they are Continental SportContact 5's and I feel they are lacking in grip a bit in the wet. It could just be the fact that they are about half the width of my other cars though, maybe I just need to get used to them!

Thanks, that’s my plan too I think. I’ve read good things about the Michelin Crossclimate 2 tyres but they are currently unavailable in the correct size unfortunately.

Nice car! Looking at its MOT history, you're only about 25 or 30K miles ahead of me and nice also to see the contrasting interior.

Thanks!

If cared for it sounds like these engines are regularly good for well over 200k miles, so I hope it's got a few years of good service left in it beyond the current 150k

I am a big fan of dark exterior, light interior colours, although this car is a relatively basic spec having only half leather seats, which are not heated.

It does have the power tailgate though, which is a novelty!

It'll be mainly used for a my 90 mile motorway schlep to work 2 or 3 times per week as well as going off on adventures with dog / mountain bike at the weekends and for cross country jaunts from Yorkshire to Dorset to see family.

Now I just need this sense of impending financial ruin to subside and I'll be all set!