my wife and I are hoping on the family thing actually working sometime in the next few months and i'm very interested in getting a family vehicle.

However, Mini-Vans are out of the question for my wife. She's been dead set for a Sport-Ute but I don't like them for multiple reasons including the Trendy & the people that don't know how to drive them.

I saw the allroad and I really like it. However, the wife is obsessed with the 'it's a station wagon' thing.

She's slowly warming to the idea, but her biggest complaint is the Luggage Rack. She says it's too 'Vaction-like' referring to NL's Vacation with Chevy Chase.

From the website, I can't tell if it's an option to not have it, or if it only comes that way. to me it doesn't look odd at all, but I'm trying to appease her so we can avoid the sport-utes. Even though the allroad seems to get gas mileage close to a sport-ute anyway.

hopefully one day I'll be a green allroad owner, but we'll see if I can convince the wife. I haven't had her drive one yet because I don't want to get my salesperson's hopes up for a quick sale, this is probably six or eight months off. not going to buy the thing if we're not having kids. Her Beetle will suit her just fine.

l8r

Tom

These roof rails especially in the brushed silver look very sporty.

Every poser in the country is driving some SUV hoping to look rough and ready. All the hot new cars are sport wagons. Don't be a wimp. Let her actually try driving an allroad. I heard last week about a friend whose wife talked him out of the allroad he wanted to buy and into an LX470. The kicker is she is driving his A8!

We tried the SUV thing too... for four months. No one in the family would drive it. allroads drive like what they are, German touring sedans which can turn into bat mobiles on command.

...and then the allroad. Never mind the salesperson, he can wait. I think the comparison will shake the doubts. The allroad is a great hybrid vehicle that has features that any woman (or man) will love, especially if you have a baby:
- navigation system to keep her from getting lost in wrong neighborhoods (my wife is begging for one now that she has seen mine)
- variable ride height (easy to lift baby carriage into cargo area)
- heated steering wheel (cold weather package)
- all wheel drive and stability control for added safety
- side and rear airbags
- solar powered cooling system keeps the car cool when parked (warm weather package)
- built in sun shades
- 250 HP twin turbo engine for safe passing :-)

Etc. Hard to beat, and great to own!

Doesn't just about every SUV have roof rails as well? I don't understand her objection.

Women in general don't like these sort of vehicle. When I brought my wife alone to the dealer and told her which car I am going to get, her first comment was "Gosh, it's ugly!" (we use to have an A6Q sedan). However, since I took delivery a month ago, not one of my friends have anything but praise for the allroad, and people just stare at it in the streets.

We had a 99 A4 that became too small for us, our new baby and our dog. My wife was skeptical about the allroad until she drove it and realized how practical the car was for our family. She liked how fast it was and also like the luxury. We also have a Jeep Grand Cherokee but now all she wants to drive is the allroad. This biggest problem we have with the allroad is fighting over who gets to drive it.

Dude, my colleagues who harrassed me about the "station wagon" thing have come full circle once they've seen it in person. The allroad looks burly whether it's in it's lowest or highest position. I've literally had friends and stranger freaking out when they see it. They point out the rims, fenders, bumpers and twin tailpapes as being totally unique. My manager even commented on how nice the roof rails are. Believe me, you don't want to take them off. I am totally glad that I didn't bow to peer pressure and purchase an overpriced, overrated and overowned X5. ;^)