All-new Quattro is to the fore

It seems like an age since I’ve driven an Audi — apart from my wife’s.

Audi has been busy with the establishment of its flashy new, slimmed-down sales network. It has also been locked in a battle of hearts and minds with BMW and Mercedes for the top slot in the premium segment.

That being the case, you would have thought that Audi’s PR machine would be ramping up its act to keep the Irish motoring hacks on-side, but apparently not.

The Audi machine appears to be independent of the well-oiled Volkswagen operation, which is militarily efficient by comparison.

Audi Ireland has announced a new string to its well-strung bow by unveiling price and order information for the third member of its new A6 family; the new C7 A6 allroad Quattro.

The first two generations of the allroad Quattro, launched respectively in 2000 and 2006, enjoyed considerable success, and Audi understandably hopes to build on this in its latest offering by combining the car’s versatility with greater efficiency and that is reflected in fuel-economy improvements of up to 20%.

Two hundred allroads found Irish homes between 2000 and 2011 and Audi says it is confident that the high loyalty among these customers will ensure that the third-generation version is as successful as the first two.

At 4.94 metres long, 1.90 metres wide and 1.47 metres tall, the latest A6 allroad Quattro sits six centimetres higher than the Avant.

Like the saloon and ‘standard’ Avant, the Quattro has been constructed using the latest Audi, ultra-lightweight construction principles, with aluminium components making up 20% of its body. Total vehicle weight has been reduced by 70kg compared with the previous model.

The new A6 allroad Quattro will initially be available in Ireland with a choice of four powerful and highly cultivated V6 engines — one TFSI petrol engine and three TDI units. All are 3.0-litre engines with turbo-charging and direct injection.

Audi says they make use of technologies from the company’s modular efficiency platform — the start-stop system and innovative thermal management.

The three variants of the 3.0 TDI produce 204 bhp, 245 bhp and 313 bhp; torque values are 450 Nm, 580 Nm and 650 Nm respectively. The entry-level version achieves a combined economy figure of 46.3mpg, corresponding to 159 g CO2/km.

The top-of-the-range, 3.0 TDI, 313 bhp BiTurbo powers the allroad from 0-100kph in just 5.6 seconds.

All three engines are paired with the seven-speed, S tronic dual-clutch transmission.

The standard Quattro, permanent four-wheel drive system is paired with torque vectoring. During dynamic driving, this system brakes the wheels on the inside of the curve, which are under a reduced load, before they can slip.

This further enhances traction and handling.

The optional sport differential distributes the power in continuously variable proportions between the rear wheels.

All cars are fitted with SE equipment as standard and come comprehensively equipped with items such as Milano leather upholstery, 18” alloy wheels, adaptive air suspension, cruise control, front and rear-park assist, Bluetooth interface, Audi music interface, headlight washers, MMI radio plus, and light and rain sensors, among others.

The adaptive air suspension, which combines air suspension with controlled damping, comes as standard. It lowers the body by 15mm at high speed and raises it by 35mm at the push of a button.

This allroad mode is suitable for rough terrain.

Furthermore, the driver can select a lift mode at low speeds. An additional 10mm enables the new Audi A6 allroad Quattro to also handle major irregularities in road surfaces. A hill-descent assist function for steep downhill treks is also included.

This limits the speed to between 10km/h and 19 km/h, depending on the surface.

Distinguishing allroad Quattro features include extended side sills, more widely flared wings and vertical slats within the single-frame grille.

Andrew Doyle, managing director of Audi Ireland, said: “We are delighted to announce the launch of our all-new A6 allroad Quattro as part of our exciting new range for 2012. This is one of several launches planned for this year as we continue to grow market share in Ireland and reaffirm our position as Ireland’s number one premium car marque.

“The new A6 all road Quattro combines Audi’s world-class engineering with stylish design, while offering up to 20% greater fuel efficiency than its predecessor.

“We are confident that this latest model will match the success of previous generations,” he said.

The all-new A6 allroad Quattro is available to order from your local Audi dealer now and the first customer deliveries can be expected in Jun 2012.

Maybe I’ll even get to drive one.