Open Letter from Johan de Nysschen regarding Audi allroad

[Jason Teller]

Please respond to this thread with your comments which Johan and AoA will be sure to see. http://www.audiworld.com/news/06/033006/

[paulroad]

but, I truly believe it was a worthwile action. I hope that a solution, fueled by our love for the allroad, is around the corner. Thank you for for you private as well as public responses.
Paul Bernstein

[grey-2002-ar-6sp]

...take permanent root, and lead to new successes for Audi.

(in case the folks at Audi are wondering, I'm the writer who was rather strident in his preference for a manual trans awd mid-sized avant

[Troy H]

and even the Japanese, once they catch on to the wagon craze (Subaru obviously excepted, since they've been there all along).

[allestraße]

relatively small, but extremely vocal and enthusiastic segment of your customer base. Whether or not I buy Audi products in the future (we currently have more than Audi vehicle, in common with many other members of this forum) will depend on a number of factors, but knowing that AoA senior management is prepared to listen to customers is a factor for me.

You will already have heard from many of my co-posters that the allroad is a very special and unique vehicle. I still enjoy driving mine after 4.5 years. There is nothing else out there in the marketplace that interests me, so the allroad will most likely be with me for some time to come.

Thanks to Audi for producing this great car and I hope circumstances change sufficiently for you to consider re-introducing the allroad for the non-SUV crowd once the Q7 is established.

[ColoradoDriver]

below, I had my first opportunity to sit in a Q7 last night at the Denver Auto Show. My wife and I were both surprised how cramped the Q7 seemed to be in the back seat compared to our allroad. And the third row seating, with its tight entry, seemed almost a joke. I expected more room. And so did other folks at the auto show. We decided to keep our 2003 allroad a lot longer. (We are an Audi and VW family. Presently have an '04 TT3.2QC and '04 Jetta TDI--in addition to the allroad. Will continue to buy Audi/VW products, but not the Q7.)

[downindenver]

An avant with a manual transmission and decent power (read - better acceleration than the current allroad or upcoming Q7). I'd forego the offroad capability just to have the manual transmision. And the S4 avant isn't big enough to be versatile.

[ex-Burgundy03]

Couldn't agree more!!

My '03 ar 6 speed lease ended in January. Guess whats in my driveway now???? BMW 530 wagon with 6 speed!!!!

Now I've been a loyal Audi driver for a long time - and if the new ar or A6 Avant was available with a manual shift, guess what I'd be driving today?

Now I hate to say it (as a long-time Audi lover), but this bimmer is one nice ride!!! I like it so much that I may have been converted from a loyal Audi customer to a loyal BMW customer - all for the lack of a manual shift car.

Also, if Mr. de Nysschen is reading - the free maintenance which you used to offer, and BMW currently does is another big selling point in BMW's favor.

I think the North American corporate offices of the European manufacturers need to look beyond the sales numbers alone on a particular model. I am a car nut (currently have 5 cars) and many friends ask my advice about car purchases. Many of us here are in the same position. The cost of certifying a car all of us enthusiasts want to buy would pay off exponentially in the number of referral sales and "goodwill" we all bring through our enthusiasm.

I hope to have another Audi sometime in the future. For now, I'll just have to enjoy my clutch pedal and shifter in my new BMW.

[MachineMan]

I use it as a my company car/personal car and will be ready for another allroad in a couple years (31K trouble-free miles so far). Customer that I drove 200 miles today states, "This car is nicer and more practical than my new Jaguar. I did not know these existed. Can you still buy these?"

I'd buy a next generation diesel or V8 allroad with most options in less than 2 years. The Q7 is nice but not for us. Our last car was a new 97 Benz E320. Bring back the free 4 year maintenance or at least offer it as an optional extra at a fair price.

Only problem I have with my car is only one cupholder up front since we have NAV and the Motorola phone cradle. I have to reach into the backseat to store and retrieve my drink while driving.

And please bring back ONSTAR as it a must have option.

[Misplacedyankee]

Since your listening I will keep this brief as you are overwhelmed with responses, but I do want to submit my vote for a manual allroad. I have been a long time Audi and VW customer with my first Audi being a 1984 Audi 4000. For a while I strayed from the brand buying Saabs and BMWs, but the allroad brought me back...twice. I bought my first allroad for my wife and the second one for myself. As a father of a growing family the allroad is the perfect solution for my needs. The fact that I could get a Twin-turbo 6spd sealed my purchase.

I would highly recommend bringing the allroad model to the US. Furthermore I feel a manual transmission version of the vehicle is an important option to satisfying the enthusiast market. I personally will not consider an automatic version of the allroad. Given the rise in gas prices I believe a manual turbo diesel allroad would be a fantastic choice. Given I drive 100 miles a day in my allroad I would order a new one today if it was available.

My 2004 6spd allroad has 45K miles - I generally get a new car every 2-3 years. At this point I am forced to consider the BMW 6spd wagon as many have discussed on this board. I feel that would be unfortunate. I really hope there is a manual allroad in the future.

As for other considerations - bluetooth compatibility would be great as would rain sensing windshield wipers. Both are a must for a car at this level.

Thanks again for your consideration. I hope you make the right choice.

Best Regards