In the LA Times today, Dan Neil gives the newly redesigned Audi A6 Avant some of the highest praise a wagon--or any car, for that matter--can get:
...quietly gorgeous...The Avant's interior space and cargo capacity rival the much larger, much heavier VW Touareg. Says Neil, "If you are a pharmaceutical rep racking up hundreds of miles a week, I think I've found your car."... While other companies agonize over their "crossover" designs ó too many of which come off as ugly and oversized, the wagon as orthotic footwear ó the Audi A6 Avant once again demonstrates that a fast station wagon with all-wheel drive is the ultimate road vehicle...
The Audi Allroad, which I loved, but which was a bit problematic--and achingly expensive to repair, according to my brother and a good friend whose family has been spending vacations at the Audi dealer--has been discontinued for 2006, leaving just the Avant. $60,000 out the door.
Wagon Without A Hitch [lat]
I can highly recommend the Audi Avant RS6. You can toy with the Porsche's and still got enough room for a few kids. But it's missing from the 2006 lineup.
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[Yeah, I wondered where that was. the RS6 rocks. -ed.]
4.6 inches of ground clearance doesn't cut it where I live. Quattro seems to be evolving into a wet-weather performance feature. At best, it's a nicely plowed snowy road feature.
The 2WD 3-series has about 5 inches of clearance (or the E46 did, anyway)
Doesn't the Outback have 8 inches of clearance? That's more like it in my world.
Diesel X3 anyone?
PS: I'm bitching about a car that I can't afford anyway, so maybe I'm not the target consumer.
[I thought that seemed kind of low/odd. But everyone I've ever known with an Allroad has had problems with the lowrider-like adjustable height suspension, so maybe they were stuck. -ed.]