Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Wagons/Estates, Crossovers/CUVs, Audi
Spy Shots: 2009 Audi A4 Allroad confirms rumors
by John Neff on Feb 1st 2008 at 1:54PM 
click above for more spy shots of the 2009 Audi A4 Allroad
Currently, the only vehicle in Audi's lineup that offers a go-anywhere Allroad version is the A6 Avant (wagon), but that will change soon with the addition of a smaller A4 Allroad based on the A4 Avant. Though merely a rumor early last month, an A4 Allroad is all but a lock now thanks to spy photographers who caught a mule testing in snowy Sweden. Yes, what you're looking at is the new A4 sedan, but that's only because Audi has yet to debut an A4 Avant and is using the sedan body for testing. Clearly visible is a raised ride height, grippy snow tires and thick fender flares that appear to do a good job of grabbing snow that's kicked up.
Though Audi traditionally has only ever offered its Allroad lineup in wagon form, we're totally jonesing for a sedan version now after seeing these spy shots. This A4 Allroad mule looks like a sleeper rally car that's ready to jump a drift or plow through a bank of snow at a moment's notice. Perhaps Audi should consider offering an Allroad package for the sedan, as well. We can't imagine it would take much more investment to develop alongside the wagon version.
[Photos: Brenda Priddy & Co.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
jmveneziano 2:07PM (2/01/2008)
I'd go for it, as long as the fender flares were painted to match the rest of the body. I live in the snow belt and a "go anywhere" sedan would be great...certainly would be a counterpoint to typical wagon-based crossover vehicles.
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blah 2:10PM (2/01/2008)
you'll remember that Subaru went this route w/ the Outback SUS (Sport Utility Sedan) back on the Legacy and had marginal success. I think its a great segment and an alternative to poor handling SUVs. We'll see how long it lasts...
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mark 2:11PM (2/01/2008)
other than all wheel drive, what makes it go anywhere?
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Richard 2:28PM (2/01/2008)
I'm tellin ya: those guys who invented the AMC Eagle have to be in tears by now...seeing how many decades they were ahead of the curve.
This is an Audi copy of the Legacy SUS. It'll have nicer leather, red panel lights, a Bose stereo and doors with window frames.
Other than that, it will understeer like the nose-heavy truffle hunter it is and make tons of trips to the Audi "spa" for annoyances like burnt out tail lights and faulty seat heaters.
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mk 2:34PM (2/01/2008)
The Outback Sedan recently got cut off.
2008 saw the end of the Legacy wagon, AND the Outback sedan.
No more low-height wagons, no more tall sedans, because "They didn't sell well enough"
Now BMW, Audi, Toyota, and all others are jumping ON this bandwagon, while Subaru, who made this segment, is getting OUT of the tall sedan.
I doubt Audi and BMW are going to do all that well with their tall sedans. Why not just get a regular one with AWD? I bought a Legacy GT over an Outback 3.0R sedan for several reasons, including body roll and center of gravity. The only downside is that I can't blow through snow drifts, but I don't want to. I would have kept a truck for that, if I did.
Bad for handling
Bad for aerodynamics
Bad for fuel efficiency
Bad for practicality (why bother with the ride height of an SUV without the cargo/towing capacity???)
Lemmings. Have fun running off the cliff!
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psarhjinian 2:49PM (2/01/2008)
I will bet that this is being done to skirt CAFE. I'm pretty sure the XC70 and Allroad are classed as "light trucks", meaning the looser regulations that govern that class's fuel economy applies to them.
That stupid exemption, more than anything else, is responsible for the weight gain of the average vehicle.
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RGS 3:03PM (2/01/2008)
I'm surprised that nobody's chimed in about this already, but the post is not about an A4 Allroad sedan. It's about a wagon (Avant); the sedan body is just being used as a mule. The picture seems to have thrown people (as mule pictures often do).
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Seoultrain 3:06PM (2/01/2008)
"mark @ Feb 1st 2008 2:11PM
other than all wheel drive, what makes it go anywhere?"
The marketing?
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LOvelyperson 3:09PM (2/01/2008)
I think the subie fan up above is in over his head in dishin dirt.! Considering your defending Subaru? ummm..lets see. This is a new a4 platform which is not nose heavy in the slightest. Audi was almost a complete decade into the AWD game when subaru was still making sewing machines.
The Subaru outback was a model invented to copy Audi awd wagens and quite never got the recipe right. I have many friends who actually go to wrc events and defend Subaru like its a god but will tell in honesty that they too can be prone to excessive shop visits. Subaru has never been able to make an AWD vehicle that gets over 30 mpg? They are all gas hogs! Hello. So yes Subaru's are wanna be Audi's but they have a long road ahead to even be a shadow.
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010111 12:09PM (2/02/2008)
the AWD in my Subaru out-performed the AWD in my Audi by far. night and day really.
terry 3:18PM (2/01/2008)
I agree these people have no clue what they are even talking about. The outback idea is of German origin. The Audi Awd system is far superior to Subaru or any other German brand period.( and the best off weather handling) Most other companies who do Real Awd do it at the expense of handling which Audi has spent years fiding a happy balance and is almost perfected. Subarus are mostly waste plastics and cheap materials for a moderate premium over lesser jap models. If your gonna do it do it right.As far as lemmings what a typical response from people who have no actual intellectual comments to make.
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zoom_x2 3:35PM (2/01/2008)
Seeing as the allroad quattro has height adjustable suspension (I believe it has 3 inches in variability) it doesn't seem too irrational to think that they'll also incorporate that technology into the A4 allroad.
Come back to the WRC Audi!
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TMC 3:36PM (2/01/2008)
This only works as a wagon - and it works well. But,
that thing up there ^^^ is UGGGGLLLYY.
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evensteven 3:38PM (2/01/2008)
Being that it will be on the new B8 MLP, understeer has really been limited, unlike Subaru still. This is the same platform under the new S5/A5 which has been getting great reviews and with the 60/40 quattro split more power is at the rear wheels (like the great handling RS4)
Audi has really been focusing on getting rid of understeer and by the reviews that are coming out from the new MLP they are succeeding.
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DKB_SATX 3:41PM (2/01/2008)
Terry and Lonely...er...Lovelyperson: It's true that Audi makes nice fancy cars, and when they aren't broken they are very nice to drive. I shopped an A3 against my Legacy GT Wagon when I was deciding on a car the last time, and found the Legacy to be more solid, significantly more comfortable, and quicker. Oh, and if you want Quattro on the A3 you're restricted to the V6, so much for Audi's superior fuel mileage.
If you're winding up to say that the A3 isn't really an Audi or some other such nonsense, save your keystrokes. In 3 years my Legacy has had no significant problems, is still very quick and very entertaining to drive. It will most likely continue to serve me well for years to come.
If I needed to impress someone, I might have chosen the A3 for those pretty rings on the front. It's not a terrible car, but I think my Legacy is a better one. If anyone wants to give me an RS4 Avant I'd be HAPPY to drive an Audi, and since Subaru no longer sees fit to give the US a road-oriented wagon on the platform, I may buy an A4 next time around but it won't be because I think Audi is orders of magnitudes better.
If either of you bothered to read carefully, you would've seen that none of the people above who were posting about Subarus were saying they were somehow more wonderful than Audis (though Richard seems to feel that Audi's driving dynamics, mass and balance are off, and historically there are lots of Audis to support his case.) They were saying that the weird tall AWD sedan thing has been done (even though the article says this is most likely just a mule for the Avant.)
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broosewee 3:50PM (2/01/2008)
Audi needs to get back into WRC. In fact, more car manufacturers in general would give WRC a healthy dose of competition.
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Kris 3:55PM (2/01/2008)
Combine this with new 6 cylinder TDI and it will blow the doors off any Subaru... at least until Suby gets their boxer diesel out the door. I love my Subaru (Forester), but I really miss the efficiency and power of the VW TDI. If Audi comes out with a 4 cylider TDI A3 that isn't ridiculously expensive, I'll probably make the jump to that.
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Scott 4:09PM (2/01/2008)
Here in Denver, there are Audi's and Subaru's everywhere (for obvious reasons). There is simply no comparison between the reliability of the two. Audi's are nice, solid heavy german cars that feel great - when they are running. But you can spend a fortune maintaining them. Subies are absolutely bulletproof.
Again, not an apples to apples comparison; its german luxury vs. japanese practicality. I have numerous friends and family who have owned audi's, and very few have nice things to say. The repair costs are obscene. The subies feel a little "tinny", lack the infamous window frames, and have low-rent interiors you'll never find in a german sedan, but the fact is they run forever.
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Tom 4:33PM (2/01/2008)
"LOvelyperson @ Feb 1st 2008 3:09PM
Audi was almost a complete decade into the AWD game when subaru was still making sewing machines."
Um… Subaru has been doing AWD since the 70's. The original Audi Quattro didn't come out until 1980.
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DKB_SATX 4:55PM (2/01/2008)
Tom: I think Subaru had part-time 4WD until the mid-80s, and went full-time AWD then.
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