Audi Allroad Quattro

The Audi allroad quattro is a mid-size luxury executive car; a crossover SUV/station wagon, produced by German automaker Audi since 2000, and was based on the existing Audi A6. The allroad quattro remains in production for Europe, but not for North America at this time as of December 2006. Audi announced the second generation allroad in the spring of 2005 and released it in the summer of 2006. Unlike the previous model, this new model will be called Audi A6 allroad (unlike the previous version, which was merely called Audi allroad). The car features again quattro four-wheel drive system and adaptive air suspension. The A6 allroad is powered by two FSI gasoline engines, a 3.2 L V6 and a 4.2 L V8, and two TDI engines, a 180 PS (132 kW) 2.7 L and a 233 PS (171 kW) 3.0 L. The Tiptronic gearbox is standard on the 4.2 V8 and the 2.7 TDI, but optional on the 3.2 FSI and 3.0 TDI. The suspension can be raised by up to 60 mm to provide ground clearance of 185 mm. The car features a number of off-road styling cues including larger bumpers and sills. In some European markets, the new A6 allroad is more expensive than the larger Q7, but air suspension is an expensive option in the Q7. In its native country, Germany, it costs a few hundred euros less than the Q7. The second generation is currently not available in North America. Audi launched the Audi Q7 full-size luxury SUV in 2006, which shares its platform with the Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg. To date, the A6 allroad model has received critical acclaim thanks to a lower price than the larger Q7, an enjoyable driving experience, some off-road credentials and a superb quality cabin. A smaller and sportier Q5 is expected to be introduced to compete against mid-size SUVs such as the Lexus RX, Lincoln MKX and Mercedes-Benz M-Class.