2017 Audi A4 Allroad review: Skip the SUV, get a wagon

Gallery: 2017 Audi A4 Allroad review

This is a great looking vehicle inside and out, especially in this wonderful dark green color.

In this SUV-crazed world it’s refreshing to get into a station wagon, and congrats to Audi (and Mercedes and Volvo, and possibly Buick) for believing there’s still some market left. An excellent wagon this is, too. The minimalist interior is well built and handsome and Audi’s latest MMI system works well and is more intuitive than previous versions. The car’s exterior looks good as well – just robust enough, not overdone.

The Allroad drives quite nicely, quiet and composed. I tried the adjustable suspension modes and liked comfort best because it’s, well, comfortable but not floaty. Body control is still good in comfort.

The Quattro system is new. It’s a front-drive car when cruising, only engaging the rear wheels when needed. This new system knows when that’s coming, involving the rear wheels a half second ahead of predicted wheel slip. How does it know? Sensors examine steering angle, engine torque, lateral and longitudinal acceleration and whatnot, arranging appropriate power to the back wheels accordingly.

I’m a fan of the VW Group’s 2.0-liter turbo engine and 252 hp is plenty. I remember when it was a big deal when this turbo four cracked 200 hp. Power is linear and smooth here. Audi says 60 mph takes 5.9 seconds, not bad for a 3,825-pound car.

All signs point to Americans not buying wagons anymore, and Audi gets that. In fact, with just 3,500 Allroads sold last year, the company’s sales goals have to be modest this time around. It’s simply a low-volume car with a limited audience, but a committed and passionate one, Audi says.

This car is a fine remedy to the SUV tidal wave.

--Wes Raynal, editor

Yeah, I hate to be like every other journalist looking for a brown, diesel, manual station wagon but dammit this one is good, and I do see its not being an SUV as a plus. I don’t think the wife would go for it; she wants a high seating position, but I might.

The 252 hp IS plenty, as is the 273 lb-ft of torque. I do always like more power and surely if offered I would take another hundred horses or so, but this car is fun to drive as is, with a little ruggedness thrown in. It’s turbocharged, so it takes a split second for the power to come on, but once motoring, I never felt like I couldn’t make a pass or slide through a yellow light. Shifting is buttery smooth from the S Tronic dual-clutch transmission, which I would have guessed was a regular automatic. It felt smooth at slow speeds, which is rare, though Audi’s been doing it longer than most. And did anyone else notice a little diesely sound from under the hood? It has a little grumble to it.

Anyway it’s more rugged than your average sedan and it feels that way on the road. In dynamic setting, the stiffest, it still felt comfortable. And with that extra ride height I was able to take a shortcut on my commute home that involves some rough roads, so that was nice -- saved me five minutes or so. Audi’s AWD system is always good, though I didn’t need it much this time around because the weather was perfect. I’m sure this car would be a blast in the winter.

The new Audi instrument panel looks cool, but it takes time to get used to. All the leather looks nice and the cabin feels pretty roomy overall. The extra space in the back would be plenty for my family of three, and probably plenty for a family of four as well. Maybe even four and a pet.

It ain’t cheap, but it might be the least expensive option in a foreign wagon, if that’s what you’re into. The E-Class wagon is surely more expensive, though bigger; BMW would be another, and Volvo is again a competitor. The new V60 starts at about $42,000, so it’s right there. On looks alone I’d probably pick this, but both seem to be good utility vehicles. Like Wes said, there aren’t a lot of people driving these anymore and that might be a reason to get one. Stand out a little bit.

--Jake Lingeman, road test editor

Gallery: 2017 Audi A4 Allroad interior

Yes, I'm the stereotypical wagon slappy, but even for a fan of longroofs this latest Allroad is really beautifully done. If it was just gorgeous looking, that'd be one thing, but there's so much more to it, starting with the ride comfort; it's got this crazy blend of isolation and connectedness that's monorail smooth in cruising but instantly grips turns the moment you turn the wheel. German cars have long traded on such a chassis dynamic, but the Allroad takes it to a different level. It perfectly complements the torquey turbo four and dual-clutch automatic, though the latter is probably the Achilles heel, if this car has one. Fuel economy is outstanding (I averaged about 25 mpg) but the DCT still exhibits some laggy takeup on light acceleration, and there was an occasional pause/clunk when I inadvertently confused the gearchange logic in low-speed traffic.

Oh, and did I mention it's gorgeous? Inside AND out? Plus AWD and a wagon bodystyle…the Audi Allroad could be a forever car.

--Andrew Stoy, digital editor

I don’t need to rehash everything said above: This is a great looking vehicle inside and out; it’s a wagon, but its stance and body cladding make it just butch enough for drives in the country, the winter trips I’d make to the ski resort if I actually skied, and so on. If I had to buy a moderately luxurious people-hauling Audi, it would be the Allroad. Why would you get a Q5 when this thing is on the market?

Of course, my girlfriend took one look, asked where the hearse parked in the driveway came from and then promptly declared the Allroad to be the ugliest car that is, was or ever will be.

My logic here was useless; no amount arguing would get her to reassess her stance on longroofs. She couldn’t explain why, but she just knew wagons were dowdy, frumpy, mom-mobiles -- never mind that we’re both of the minivan generation and modern-day moms are driving around in Q5s (which are nevertheless preferable to Allroads for some reason).

So, it turns out that outside the bubble of people who write about cars, and the marginally larger bubble of people who read about cars, there’s not a lot of wagon love to be had. Who knew! Well, except for all those other companies, who don’t offer wagons in North America despite the earnest pleas of car-writers and car-writer-readers.

But so what? That doesn’t make the Allroad any less worthy. It’s a niche vehicle, and an unexpectedly -- at least to me -- polarizing one at that. And that’s great.

--Graham Kozak, associate editor