A6 Allroad - Anything to watch out for?

[Tabs]

Hi All,


I'm looking at getting a 2012/2013 Allroad. I'm primarily going for the Allroad as I need a Tow Car that comfortably Tow more than 2000kg (2012 Allroad is rated at 2500kg and 100kg hitch) so I can two my track car and trailer. But I also need extra interior room, as my current B7 A4 is getting a little cramped these days!


Couple of things I've noticed such as lack of Xenons on earlier models and a few cars with base options - is this normal?


I see they have a 204PS version, which has lower Road Tax and Insurance. Is this a detuned version of the 245PS model or is there a minor difference in Turbo/Engine and gearbox? I'd be looking to remap ideally so the idea of going for the 204PS model and upping the power is an option.


I did look at the C6 Allraod when buying my current B7 but was put off by the Air Suspension problems at the time. I'm hopeful Audi has resolved those problems with the new model but it could be too early to tell! Being that the first run of models are now coming off lease....


Would be great to hear from any owners on their experience

[ukgroucho]

Xenons have been an optional extra until the recent facelift so if you want a car with Xenons then you'll be looking for one that someone 'pimped' to their own spec rather than a base spec vehicle.
I have this niggly feeling that 204bhp models are less likely to be pimped... they are the entry level vehicle in the allroad range and probably most accessible to company car drivers (where extras hit the bottom line hard in term of tax).
I'm pretty sure that the 204 engine & gearbox (s-tronic 7 speed) are mechanically very 'similar' to the 245 - certainly there are not the mechanical differences that exist with the BiTdi - although there are apparently some limitations because many tuners (like MTM in germany) quote different target outputs after tuning for the 204 and the 245. Maybe the inlet manifolds are more limiting or whatever... stuff that could be 'fixed' but would be visible and could be £££.

I've not really seen a lot of discussion of issues with the air suspension. It's been around for a long time starting in the old C5 allroad and in addition to the C6 allroad was offered as an option (or standard fitting) on various models across the C6 range and on C7 A6 (and RS) and A7 / A8 of course. There is a fair population of air suspension out there.

Having said that I had a compressor failure on my car when it was one year old so things can happen.

If you still fancy a C6 allroad then I know that Splash is selling quite a nice one. He's a "serial" allroad guy having gone thru C5, C6 and now C7.

[Whippy53]

I believe it's actually a different blower.

[Tabs]

Cheers guys. Xenons aren't aren't a deal breaker I guess but it would be nice to have - hardly see any cars with halogns these days!

I need more than 2100KG's Towing capacity otherwise I'd happily go for the C6.

Seems to be a slow steady trickle of card entering the system since March 1st so I'll keep them peeled. There is one in Derby currently but it's had 4 owners since new which always makes me somewhat suspicious for a car that's only 3 years old.

[Splash]

I think the air suspension gets "bad press" although I would say that having never suffered any such issues on C5, C6 or C7 allroad. Little things can make you paranoid so some slight misting (no change over 2 MOTs) on one shock caused me to get a proactive change under warranty - and the replacement is covered by Audi for 2 years. My only experience of suspension issues was the DRC fitted to C5 RS6 which I'll hypocritically assume affected everyone simply because I had it. QED.

I've sent you a PM which may be "too good to be true", but worth exploring nevertheless. Let us know if it proves positive, although I assume it's a "virtual" car. Fingers crossed for you anyway...

If you want a look at a typical 2013 C7 allroad I'm frequently at Costco Haydock to break up my 200 miles of motorway. OE towbar allows 100kg nose weight, but not sure about aftermarket ones. Slightly more than on C6 allroad anyway.

[Tabs]

Spalsh, cheers I've replied to your PM

[Allroad_2013]

We are nearly two years into our 245 Allroad ownership and (touch wood) we've had no warranty issues. Servicing costs are a bit painful (considering how little they actually do) but other than that it's been a pain free experience. We manage roughly 37/38 mpg on average, which ranges from high 20's in town to low/mid 40's on long journeys (and less when towing, obviously). I have once recorded 51 mpg for a medium paced motorway journey of 140 miles.

Just replaced the two front tyres (18") at 23.5K miles and the rears are due pretty soon.

We added xenon's, heated sports seats, privacy glass, interior light pack, colour DIS and tow bar to ours, which is finished in Dakota Grey (which, for all intent and purposes, is really brown), but in standard trim the spec. is quite high. It was bought new through Drive the Deal with an approximate 21% discount.

Without doing a detailed analysis, I suspect that you'll find more 245's available than 204's as the price difference wasn't too great and it offers a lot more performance without much (if any) of a fuel consumption penalty.

We tow (or rather the wife does) a horse trailer and a 16 hands high horse (so combined weight is about 1700 kg's) with no problems, apart from combined length occasionally making turning more difficult than previous car (Skoda Yeti),

Whilst I don't love our Allroad, I do like it a lot. It has that 'all the car you'd ever need' feel about it (usually applied to a Golf) and I'd be sorely tempted to get another at replacement time.

Good luck with your search.

[Tabs]

Thanks! Good to hear from someone who tow's with one.

I think I'll probably go for the 245 model given I've got a similar output on my A4 currently. Why have cotton when you can have silk

Just a case of finding one now I guess. The one I had my eye on in Derby, after checking with a friend who works in the VAG world, checks out a little sketchy. 4 owners, and 3 EGR vavle replacements under warranty plus some odd mileage differences between ownership changes. At one point the car did just over 500 miles in a year.

Does anyone have experience of Audi dealers being able to source used vehicles from other franchised dealers? I've steered clear of dealerships for years so I'm a bit dry behind the ears when it comes to what services they can offer for sourcing cars.

[Splash]

You'll find the C7 towbar implementation the easiest there is, with a pull-cord to release it rather than the "tap" system of the previous generation which required the dexterity of an arm-wrestling gynaecologist to release. Both are more sophisticated than the B7 where the faff of connecting the detachable bit meant you were inclined to leave it in place, making subsequent removal much more difficult.

My towing experience is limited as my maximum load is normally upto 3 dirtbikes on a trailer so maybe a tonne in total. My garden trailer is even less and the trips are to the local tip so that doesn't really count.

I wouldn't say there's much between the C6 and C7 allroads and my B7 was the infamous 170PD quattro which had its unique characteristics anyway. My experience of the 3.0 TDI 240 & 245 engines plus the additional tractive mass suggests you shouldn't have a problem and it will be more effortless than with a similar engined B7.

Just one thing to note, which applies to any equipped C7. My test drive was of a 204PS and I found it lacked zest on the motorway. Living with my own 245PS car, I think this is more a characteristic of the "efficiency" setting than the nominal difference in outputs. There's a time and a place for efficiency, and for me that's normally only motorway roadworks or other <50mph convoy scenarios.

I should also say that the C7 allows dynamic suspension by default when towing. I have an "individual" setting which is lowest and "sport" in all aspects bar the gearbox which can itself be easily flicked into "S" as required. It allows for better aerodynamics even at lower speeds. An MMI option (with reverse logic nomenclature) allows the ride height to be locked. In contrast that's the default solution on the C6 allroad which requires any suspension change to be completed before the electrics are connected as this is what locks the ride height. You won't necessarily have considered this because the A4 doesn't have adaptive suspension - even on the B8 allroad.

The C7 is also clever enough to know that opening the boot from the driver's door might result in the trailer obstructing the tailgate and so only releases it. A nice touch that could save someone some nasty damage in the wrong circumstances. It would have to be a very close trailer, but I don't know about the odd world of caravanning other than they seem to have a fixation about needing extra electrics for running fridges. How cool... Actually, sarcasm aside, this afternoon I've seen a dirtbike on the front end of a caravan being towed, so that might be just enough to obstruct the tailgate from opening.

Did keep checking for PMs mid Fri PM, but will have to settle for a future date, likely to be mid April at this stage.

[Tabs]

Took delivery of a 2013 Allroad today Really pleased with it so far. Decided to stretch up and get a newer model with a few toys too. Tech pack, Xenons, Two bar and colour DIS.

Spent most of the day fiddling about the settings but I think I've got it figured it out now!

Can't believe how refined it feels to the B7. Light years ahead.