12vWhat

Agreed! Get a 'pavedroad' badge for it then Audi opted for A6, but I like my idea more.

Also, previously I did not address your question about whether or not your car would "stay out of you pocket" for the next 45-50k. In short; NO. You will have to spend more money on it. This is a fact. It is a car with low tolerances, a severely nuanced build, and many redundancies. It is also a wonderful car to drive. There are trade-offs. It's not like a Taurus where if your steering wheel turns 180* and your wheels don't, it's still within tolerance. I have realized that the allroad, amung many other Audi lines, is not a 'point A to point B' vehicle; it's everything in between.

Side note- I budget $2k/yr for maintenance, but I also do all the work

GTA_Driver

You mean get a castrated wagon with the 2.8L?

I don't get you guys that object to any modification. If you want wider tires/rims, or more boost, or better handling, what'll your answer be? Import RS6 from Europe?

A proper set of adjustable coilovers will be just fine - raise it for the winter, lower for the summer, and you get a much better ride in terms of dampening and general sportiness. H&R on my A6 are very balanced - not harsh, and the car doesn't bounce like a boat when going over speed humps.

As far as 99% of the people are concerned, the most distinctive feature of the Allroad is the way it looks, not the air suspension which hardly anyone knows about.

fjasper

+1

Mike B

As far as 99% of <b><i>allroad owners</i></b> are concerned, the air suspension is the most distinctive feature of the allroad.

GTA_Driver

Surely you meant to say a "bug" in place of "feature"?

Personally, I doubt I will go with the coilover setup, probably Gen II + Bilsteins (because I like everything to work as designed from the factory), but there are definitely advantages to doing it.

lawdogg

Like Jeremy Clarkson's affection for Lancias is based on their tendency to break down, if your affection for allroads is because of a horrible design flaw like the airbag setup, and that adds some romance, some je ne sais quoi, to your experience, so be it. Enjoy!

As an engineer before a romantic, I'll take function over form ... that means I want all the bang my buck can get me: a wagon, with turbos, conventional stick shift, and coilovers. Fun as a sports car, practical as a van.

To each his own, and there's nothing wrong with that.

jamotom

Kudos 12V...great responses all around.

The air suspension is unique, and I have used it quite a bit touring tree farms and looking over timber, I take the allroad where my competitors are driving trucks. But I am practical...and the damn things are are costly to maintain. I like pretty & smart women who move well and don't bite often, same with horses and hunting dogs....however, when things become high maintenance I start reavaluating our realtionship....looking at the longterm prospects. I knew this day would come...I researched the allroad before jumping in...but..I just couldn't help myself.....having owned several vw's and an 86 quattro that was the most satisfying and reliable car I have ever owned(I sure was infatuated with a 16Valve scirrocco).

I think I am going to have beer and try 12v's approach.

I just can't see myself walking away yet.

Thanks fellas.

12vWhat

If the looks you are talking about are the fender flares and oddball colored bumpers and roof, I have to assume that to a non-audiphile or car geek, those nuances are far more minuscule than the adjustable suspension. What is the difference between an A6 Avant w/2.7T and manual trans compared to the allroad?
Also, the great majority of us are very into improving our cars all the way around: handling, performance, breaking, wider tires, etc. What most of us are not about is turning the allroad into something it is not. That is to say, an A6, or Corvette, or Gremlin. It's got on-the-fly adjustable suspension!!! And if it didn't, most of us would have sold ours by now or never owned one in the first place. Not worth the headaches otherwise.

Don't get me wrong, I do like the looks as well. And the fact that they opted for an aluminum hood and roof (except when I want to use my magnetic trouble light while working on the engine).

Jamotom - Thanks for the completely unnecessary kudos. Just my opinions, and I tend to over think, and perhaps over research most of what I do to my cars. Hope everything works out for you. Its a car I can't see getting rid of until brake a little too late and bail her off of a cliff Due to your job, you are a perfect owner for this heavy, stubborn, gold-digging bitch of a car!! Its actually so perfect that its not.

lawdogg

If you live in the US and want a 2.7T 6spd in an Avant, it's either B5 S4, RS6, swap it in, or grab an allroad.