I have lusted after allroads for quite a while, but was afraid that the experience would be the same as my B8 Avant: Sloooow. On the other hand, the S4 is fun, but a sedan still wasn't completely what I wanted. I did what I could to make my S4 stand out, but it still felt like it blended in with all the other traffic.
A few months ago, I had an allroad as a loaner for 5 days while my S4 was in for service. I was surprised by how quick it felt, especially when my B8 Avant felt like it was sometimes too underpowered to get out of its own way, even after I got an APR tune. I talked to my salesman, and he told me Audi remapped the transmission's shift points so it was a lot more responsive. The 2.0T in the allroad is also a different motor than what I had in my B8 Avant. For a while, I was positive that the allroad loaner had been tuned (my Audi dealer sells GIAC tunes), but he swore that it hadn't. Over the course my time with it, I grew to like it more and more, and decided that I would be completely happy owning one.
While I loved the power of my S4 and the sound that the AWE exhaust made, I was growing tired of driving a manual. Plus, I felt dumb for making a high monthly payment for a car that I rarely got to take full advantage of. On-ramps were fun, but with the amount of traffic I am in almost daily, it was beginning to feel pointless. Right before I traded the S4, I spent 30 minutes in a traffic jam to go about 1/4 mile. Constantly on & off the clutch sealed the deal for me that I was ready to get rid of a manual for my daily driver. I do not regret it one bit.
Here's what I miss from my S4:
1. The sound of the exhaust
2. The black headliner
3. There is no 3.
I could put an exhaust on the allroad, but honestly, I don't know if I want to yet. Coming from the S4, the sound was awesome, but it could get annoying at times. My wife made it clear that she did not like to travel in my car for great distance. With the allroad, I'm enjoying how quiet it is. My wife and 15-month-old daughter like that too.
The APR 91/93/E85 tune is amazing. It's not quite as quick as an S4, but you'd be very surprised. I haven't tried E85 in it yet (because winter blend gas here sucks), so I'm looking forward to that. There's a stage 2 Q5 2.0T on AZ putting down 291hp at the wheels, which is pretty damn impressive. Plus, while I was getting 18mpg average in my S4, I'm getting 24+mpg now, and that's not being light on the pedal either. We took it on a road trip shortly after I bought it and got about 32mpg. At 80mph, the engine is only turning at about 2k RPM, so I would not be surprised to get over 400 miles on a tank of gas on a longer trip.
To sum up:
• The 2.0T in the allroad is very nice, and a tune makes it even better. It's not "S4 fast," but it is quick. The lack of sound from the engine & exhaust can be deceiving though. The first day I owned it (after getting the tune), I went to pass someone on the highway. When I looked down, I was doing 91mph without even realizing it.
• The 8spd transmission is really, really good. I actually like it better than the DSG in my first B8 S4, and not having to worry about mechatronic unit failure adds peace of mind. In sport mode, the 8spd is great. I drive in sport mode probably 75% of the time.
What the allroad needs:
• Suspension: It's floaty, but that might be my soft 18" snow tires making it feel that way. I'll wait until spring when I put my summer tires on and see how much that firms it up. Then I might do sway bars.
• Brakes: Coming from the S4, the difference in brakes is noticeable. I'm not sure what I'll do here, but I don't plan to do a fullblown BBK. It's not a race car, so I'm not going to spend a lot of money pretending it is, but a pad/rotor upgrade might be in my future. The ECS Q5 3.0T upgrade is an option.
• Seats: If you can find an allroad with the sport seats, you'll be glad you did. The non-sport seats are comfortable, but they are a far cry from the S4 seats. I was lucky to find one with them. Sport interior also gets you paddle shifters.
I have zero regrets about trading my S4 for the allroad. I wanted a cool looking wagon that stands out and is fun to drive, and that's exactly what my allroad is. I love it.
More to come as it gets warmer around here.
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Originally Posted by staticuxo
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