Name: Audi A4 Allroad (2016-2019)
Brand: Audi

The A4 Allroad’s rivals are few and far between – jacked up versions of the Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3 Series have yet to be conceived. That leaves cars such as the Volkswagen Passat Alltrack (a little less premium), Subaru Outback (way less premium) and the Skoda Octavia Scout (less well equipped… and less premium).

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RRP £37,250 - £46,955

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Used: £19,992

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wowscore

8/10

This score is awarded by our team of expert reviewers after extensive testing of the car

What's good

Very quiet
Comfortable suspension
Four-wheel-drive grip

What's not so good

Sat-nav not standard
Low on charisma
SUV better off-road

Find out more about the (2016-2019) Audi A4 Allroad

Is the Audi A4 Allroad (2016-2019) a good car?

The latest Audi A4 Allroad estate is the first model to get the firm’s new ‘ultra’ quattro four-wheel drive system, although from launch it’s only available with the petrol engine option.

Telling the Allroad apart from a regular A4 Avant shouldn’t be that difficult – its suspension is raised by 34mm, it gets a unique framed grille and roof rails. Less obvious is the underbody cladding that protects the floor from bumps and scrapes should you venture off-road. Few will.

Jump inside and the changes are less obvious – the only difference being the Off-road setting on the car’s Drive Select. Of course, the standard A4’s dashboard is smarter and more minimalist than in a BMW 3 Series and a good deal less ‘grandad’ than the Mercedes C-Class can be in some trim levels.

Engines, predictably, are also good. The 2.0-litre petrol is spritely, while the 3.0-diesel offers substantial midrange thump for overtaking, but it’s the 2.0-litre diesel that we would choose. It is the cheapest to run of the lot, is quiet and feels plenty quick enough in the real world.

Standard equipment includes 17-inch alloy wheels, xenon headlights and three-zone climate control, but sat-nav is on the options list.

At a time when everyone seems to want an SUV the Allroad will be a rare sight on the roads

Mat Watson

Carwow expert

Given that a basic A4 Allroad costs just £1,150 more than a regular A4 Avant quattro SE, you can see how many people would be sold on the Allroad’s unique looks and comfy ride. It’ll also tackle light off-roading better than the regular car, however irrelevant this may be, and would be an ideal tow car.

Exclusivity could well be the biggest draw, though, Audi says the Allroad will account for just eight per cent of total Avant sales with 1,000 cars expected to find new homes per year.

How much is the (2016-2019) Audi A4 Allroad?

The Audi A4 Allroad (2016-2019) has a RRP range of £37,250 to £46,955. The price of a used (2016-2019) Audi A4 Allroad on Carwow starts at £19,992.

How practical is it?

The Audi A4 Allroad has enough room inside for four adults and a big boot, but you can buy just as much practicality in a regular A4 Avant – which is cheaper

The extra ground clearance doesn't just help off-road, it'll also make it easier for some people to get in and out of the car

Mat Watson

Carwow expert

Dimensions

Boot (seats up)

505 litres

Boot (seats down)

1,510 litres

Passenger space

There’s space for four tall adults to sit in comfort and the three-zone climate control means even people in the back can set the power and temperature of their blower.

Storage space

There are no complaints to be had with the storage areas in the A4 Allroad. You get four cup holders, a large glovebox and huge door pockets. For around £200 you can get a cubby under the climate controls that can recharge your compatible smartphone wirelessly.

Boot space

Boot space is unaffected by the clever 4×4 gubbins hidden under the floor – at 505 litres it matches the capacity of a front-wheel-drive A4 Avant.

What's it like to drive?

While the raised suspension might be sold as an aid to light off-roading, it’s the more comfortable ride it offers that’ll be of more interest to most people.

Drive it like a saint and you can achieve impressive fuel economy thanks to the clever quattro system

Mat Watson

Carwow expert

Performance and Economy

Choosing an Allroad means limiting your engine choice to just three, but they cover a decent breadth of abilities. The 2.0-litre petrol is the sporty choice, while the 2.0-litre diesel is a great all-rounder, leaving the 3.0-litre diesel to provide stonking performance without huge running costs.

Its comparatively high-revving nature makes the 249hp 2.0 TFSI Allroad the enthusiast’s choice and – helped by the quick-shifts of the dual-clutch automatic gearbox – it can shoot from 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds. Trouble is, the linear power delivery and subdued noise levels ensure that it isn’t that engaging and somehow doesn’t seem that quick. But few will care when it can return fuel economy of 44.1mpg.

In the real world the 2.0-litre diesel feels every bit as quick – if not quicker – than the petrol model. Fitted with the DSG automatic we drove it gets from 0-62mph in 7.8 seconds and the healthy 295Ib ft of torque available from 1,750rpm means it has power in reserve for overtaking. Economy is pretty impressive for a four-wheel drive – it can return 57.6mpg and CO2 emissions are 132g/km.

Top of the range is the 3.0-litre diesel with 215 or 268hp. The latter has lots of power even at speeds well above the UK’s legal limit, thanks to a massive torque figure of 443Ib ft. Nevertheless 55.4mpg fuel economy is pretty decent.

Driving

It’s not perfect – feeling a little choppy on A roads and getting caught out by the occasional large bump in town, but on the whole it is pretty good.

There’s a little more lean in corners than normal A4 owners will be used to and the Allroad can also float over crests, but pushing on reveals grippy and predictable handling, while the four-wheel-drive system calmly powers out of bends no matter how keen you are with the accelerator.

Choose Comfort in the car’s Drive Select system and the steering’s perfectly set up for the city, but too light for giving it the beans through a series of quick curves. Selecting Dynamic sorts that by adding a decent amount of weight, yet no matter which of the five modes you choose the steering’s resistance can feel inconsistent and judging front tyre grip is tricky.

Okay, so the Allraod may not be the most engaging car to drive – hugely accomplished as it is – but out on the motorway it’s pretty much faultless. We drove the car on a de-limited German autobahn at speeds of more than 100mph and interior refinement was nothing short of excellent. In part that was down to the (£450) laminated side windows fitted to test cars. Praise must also be heaped on the 2.0-litre diesel engine, which is noticeably quieter than similar units from BMW and Mercedes.

You get three gearboxes to choose from – a slick manual six-speed, a quick-shifting DSG seven-speed automatic or a conventional auto eight-speed that’s relaxed nature suits the lazy torque of 3.0-litre diesel it’s fitted to as standard.