click on the pic above to view the gallery
Cross-training sneakers took a little while to catch on, too. They weren't the standout shoe in any of the segments they straddled, but they aimed to be competent for more than one use. Think of the Audi Cross Coupe concept as a vehicular cross trainter. Strictly as a coupe, meh; it would look sweet were it, say, half a meter lower with 1/3 less body at the beltline. Then, it'd be closer to living up to the Coupe part of its moniker. Ah, but here's where the Cross comes in. If you want a straight-up Audi coupe, there's already one of those - but there's nothing to offer if you yen for an Audi in the format of the BMW X3. The Cross Coupe aims to change this. It's well equipped to run in that segment against competition like the X3, LR2 and the upcoming Infiniti EX. It certainly carries more style than the Duplo looks of the LR2, or the awfully confused lines of the X3. The Cross Coupe is a handsome design with some unique detailing, and it bears a passing resemblance to an AMC Spirit - one of our favorite vehicular oddballs. We love the fastback profile, and our intelligence points to the Cross Coupe being a harbinger of the Q5. Our fellow Autobloggers over at Autoblog Chinese have put together a nice gallery with lots of live shots of the Cross Coupe Quattro.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ZOG @ Apr 21st 2007 10:23AM
Still not convinced by Audi's new design direction. Overall, the Cross Coupe is OK, but the surfaces and graphics look more Korean than German to me. And I sure have no love for that Hannibal Lecter grille! Can't imagine walking out to the driveway every morning and having that thing scowling at me - maybe I'll take the bus today instead, thank you!
ZOG @ Apr 21st 2007 10:28AM
AMC Spirit - don't you mean the AMC Eagle?
m @ Apr 21st 2007 10:31AM
OMG this thing is sooooo BAD ASS!!!!! Please Audi start doing RALLY in the usa again to show the SUB"S and others you rule the WORLD!!! I will take mine in some super metallic ocean blue with blue interior with orange leather seats!!! BMW blows smoke!!
m @ Apr 21st 2007 10:31AM
GO ahead and take the bus you girly freak. This is the sweetest cross over I have ever seen- AUDI I have cash in the bank! Thats all that matters. I want some colour in my interior ( you hear me)!
Dan Roth @ Apr 21st 2007 10:42AM
No, I mean AMC Spirit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_Spirit
And I *like* the Spirit :)
saf001 @ Aug 28th 2007 3:55PM
No, I think that you mean the SX4...
http://www.javelinamx.com/javhome/jwr/82sx4/
David @ Apr 21st 2007 10:49AM
Can we please have this with normal freakin' ground clearance??? Who's going to pay what this is going to cost and go climb rocks with it? I mean the 1990's are OVER!
All I see when I look at it is a disclaimer by Audi; "warning; this vehicle will not corner as quickly as you're going to think it should!"
Carletti @ Apr 21st 2007 11:51AM
The marketing technique, "Cross Coupe Quattro," is correct in my view, and I would definitely use this label for a future coupe-like SUV from Audi. But not on this rendition of the "Cross Coupe." This car is actually more of a "Cross Hatchback Quattro."
The lines on this car aren't nearly seductive enough to qualify for coupe-like status and the poking rear does not flow correctly with the overall design of the car. What I mean is that the roofline shells over but the C-pillar is left alone with no radical design proposals. The front end, in my view, is gross. But it's the nose of this car that is way overboard and just plain unattractive. Additionally, the front lighting is not pretty but...standard for Audi's interpretation of a coupe-like suv. And finally, the side intakes look like boom box stereos...which is all very odd. One more thing, there is no need for an almost useless roof rack on a curved roof, because that just hints at pure gimmick status.
At least rear storage looks grandiose and flexible, hence "hatchback" reference.
chewy @ Apr 21st 2007 7:49PM
Looks very super. So much better than in the press photos. You can see excellent craftsmanship. Very high detail level.
mk @ Apr 21st 2007 9:36PM
About the "regular ground clearance"...
They Axed the Road-jet concept. No Go. They say that it is an anti-hatchback thing, but that is BS. Every SUV out there has a hatch on the back.
And, last I looked, the concept has four doors.
FOUR DOORS CANNOT BE A COUPE. COUPE MEANS 2 DOORS. Look it up.
re-defining a word just makes it meaningless.
BMW CS concept, Aston Rapide, CLS, all of them, are 4 door sedans, this Audi thing is an SUV for pete's sake. They are NOT coupes.
Carletti @ Apr 21st 2007 11:00PM
I can see where you're coming from mk, but I think Audi has a good thing going with the "Cross Coupe Quattro" moniker. For if nothing else...that label just sounds sweet. And a coupe SUV is truly a sick idea, in my view, because a shiny expensive coupe+SUV reflects the fashionable style of a coupe with the rugged domineering looks of an elevated SUV. All of which sounds like a great car to own and show off to everyone else in my view. So if you're looking for attention on a road filled with mundane vehicles, Audi finally may trump BMW and Mercedes-Benz with their coupe SUV.
But yeah, this car isn't good enough to pass for a seductive coupe, but it's not the size that bothers me at all. And a two-door version of this concept, with a more daring greenhouse and a different but still aggressive front end, would greatly enhance Audi's appeal because the company would then finally introduce a truly different and unique style of vehicle...a Cross Coupe!
ChinaLawBlog.com @ Apr 21st 2007 11:07PM
The AMC Spirit? And that's a good thing?
MtnPlay @ Apr 22nd 2007 12:44PM
This is seriously one of the ugliest cars I have seen in a long time. Its not even an AMC Eagle or Spirit category. Its a Pacer all grown up. I could see buying this design from Hyundai or Kia, but not Audi. Horrible. How can you people find this appealing. First they make the Q7 look more like a Pacifica, and now this. Cmon, seriously, this design is laughable. Everytime I'm having a bad day now, I know exactly what cartoon to go and look at.......the Audi Crossover, aka Q5. Still laughing, every time I look a that rear side angle photo I chuckle. Buy this, please, just so I can have a good chuckle while you and the guy driving the Pontiac Aztec drive by.
bmwlover @ Apr 22nd 2007 3:51PM
this car looks sick, think about audi's motto never follow, this is certainly not a rip off another car and it looks amazing. I think audi is trying to appeal to younger drivers and not to lawyers in their 40's thats what beamers are for.
AMcA @ Apr 22nd 2007 5:53PM
This car is so all wrong. The nose, so blunt. The roofline, so sleek. The whole thing, so short, yet so tall.
It looks like two or three cars at once.
Completely wrong.
aaron @ Apr 23rd 2007 3:16AM
the front end design of this car looks exactly like previous generation hyundai elantra...(minus the bigger grill) to all those who laugh at hyundai designs, it shows hyundai's design is couple years ahead of audi! haha...
rs6 @ Jul 11th 2007 2:14AM
I agree with the complaint that it looks horrible. The front grille resembles Mr Jaws from Bond movies. ;) Really painful to see as I'm a big Audi fan myself.
I hope that it will be a huge flop and Audi will learn a lesson and whoever is responsible for dragging Audi's good name down to this level will be sacked immediately! ;)