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- Highs Attractive exterior styling, upscale interior, sharp handling.
- Lows Not as practical as larger rivals, suspension lift isn't enough to give it legit off-road capabilities.
- Verdict For those who seek to avoid the crossover trap, the A4 Allroad is a premium station wagon dressed to look SUV-rugged.
Overview
Station wagons get a bad rap as the stodgy family vehicles of the pre-minivan era, but as a new generation enters middle adulthood, some luxury carmakers are hoping to reposition station wagons as sporty, outdoorsy alternatives to crossovers. Audi’s attempt at this trick, the 2018 A4 Allroad, is an idea borrowed from Subaru and its Outback wagon. The A4 Allroad is a raised version of the conventional A4 station wagon, a model not sold in the United States. Plastic cladding and a 1.3-inch lift allow this wagon almost to blend in with SUVs, but its agile handling suffers very little for its taller stance. Some competitors are plusher, and fuel economy is not a bragging point for this all-wheel-drive car, but the Allroad sits comfortably at the intersection of utility and class.
What's New for 2018?
Changes to the Allroad for 2018 are limited to tweaks to the availability of certain features. Blind-spot monitoring and rear-collision alert are newly standard on the Premium Plus trim and above. Lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist, as well as adaptive cruise control, automatic high-beams, and traffic-sign recognition, are now all standard on the topmost Prestige trim. Audi also added ventilated seats to the Prestige trim’s available Warm Weather package, and heated seats are now standard on every A4 Allroad.
Pricing
Original MSRP:
- Premium: $45,475
- Premium Plus: $48,175
- Prestige: $53,975
Engine, Transmission, and Performance
There’s only one available powertrain for the A4 Allroad, but it’s a good one. The turbocharged four-cylinder is pleasant, punchy, and downright quick, and the latest version of Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system adds a new level of intelligence to how it functions. The Allroad’s 252-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission work well together and can propel this wagon from a standing start to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds. The only car in this set that returned a better result is the Mercedes-Benz E400 wagon, which bested the Allroad by just 0.1 second despite its 77-hp advantage. The gearbox modulates its attitude depending on the driver’s demands and can snap off quick, precise shifts under hard driving or more relaxed, unobtrusive shifts around town. It should come as no surprise that we like driving the Allroad, what with our admiration for the Audi A4 and our unyielding love of station wagons. The Allroad feels larger than the A4 sedan, but it’s still quick and agile, especially compared with certain less graceful competitors. The Allroad isn’t quite as nimble as its sedan sibling, but it’s still awfully nice to drive. It responds quickly to steering inputs, although the taller Allroad—which rides on less aggressive rubber—isn’t as sharp as the A4 sedan. For a lifted wagon, however, the Allroad drives like a dream; in Auto drive mode, it balances ride and handling extremely well.
Fuel Economy
EPA fuel economy testing and reporting procedures have changed over time. For the latest and most accurate fuel economy numbers on current and older vehicles, we use the U.S. Department of Energy's fueleconomy.gov website. Under the heading "Find & Compare Cars" click on the Compare Side-by-Side tool to find the EPA ratings for the make, model, and year you're interested in.
Interior, Comfort, and Cargo
The A4 Allroad has an attractive, businesslike interior, which we would like far better if we hadn’t seen the art piece that is the Volvo V90’s cabin. It may not be beautiful, but the Allroad is perfectly functional, handsome, nicely appointed, and comfortable. There are two small changes to the Allroad’s interior for 2018: Ventilated seats—which were already available—are now packaged as part of the Warm Weather package in the top-of-the-line Prestige trim. As befits a luxury car, the Allroad comes standard with power-adjustable leather seats, a panoramic sunroof, and three-zone automatic climate control. The Allroad sits quite a bit lower than most of the competitors listed here, and it feels much more like a sedan than a small crossover from the driver’s seat. The Allroad is small compared with several other competitors in this class, and consequently it’s not a champion cargo hauler. Its interior storage compartments are also somewhat unimpressive. The Allroad lost the carry-on-luggage test before it even started. It’s smaller inside and out than competitors such as the Mercedes-Benz E400 wagon, the Subaru Outback, and the Volvo V90. More perplexing is the fact that it barely beat the sedan version of the A4: despite the Allroad’s 11-cubic-foot advantage in cargo volume, it only held but one more carry-on than the A4 sedan behind the rear seat.
Infotainment and Connectivity
Audi’s infotainment system is easy to use and has a stunning array of available features. Audi kept changes to the Allroad light for 2018 after introducing an all-new generation for 2017. The sleek, intuitive MMI infotainment system carried over this year with no tweaks, but we’re not sure it needed any. Audi was one of the first automakers to bring data plans and Wi-Fi into cars, and it hasn’t stopped innovating.
Safety Features and Crash Test Ratings
For more information about the Audi A4 Allroad’s crash-test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites.
Warranty
Some older vehicles are still eligible for coverage under a manufacturer's Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) program. For more information visit our guide to every manufacturer's CPO program.
