Audi goes off the beaten track

By DAVID LINKLATER

Expect the next-generation Audi Allroad to look less like an estate car and more like a high-riding off-roader. In fact, expect the next-generation Allroad to look similar to the Audi Pikes Peak quattro concept.

The new model was unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show last week, billed as "a draft design that indicates the systematic evolutionary path that current Audi design could take".

And the name? It's taken from Pikes Peak in Colorado, also known as America's Mountain. Every June, up to 160 racers tackle the International Hill Climb Race over a 21km course with 156 corners. The race has particular significance for Audi and the original Quattro - it won three years running in 1985 (Michele Mouton), 1986 (Bobby Unser) and 1987 (Walter Rohrl).

While the styling cues and high-tech features of the Pikes Peak concept point to future Audis of all genres, the design concept is specific. Like the Allroad, the new car uses an A6 powerplant and rides on adaptive air suspension.

"No one has said as much, but the feeling is that this is the way the next Allroad will go," says New Zealand Audi boss Glyn Tulloch.

"Think of it as halfway between the current car and a Range Rover. While it would represent a big change for the Allroad, it's also a logical step up. The vehicles in this segment have become a lot more focused on stretching buyer expectations."

The Pikes Peak remains a "crossover" vehicle, with the emphasis on sporty on-road driving characteristics, but the looks are a lot more macho and the car is differentiated from the rest of the Audi model range.

High-riding wagons are favoured in the lucrative American market and Audi will have been spurred on by the success of the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz M-class, as well as eager acceptance of the Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne.

It's not yet known how the new model will be engineered. It would make sense for it to use the platform of sister brand Volkswagen's Touareg, although that's not a given, explains Tulloch. "The Touareg was co-developed with Porsche, so if the platform has also been made available to Audi it would have to be part of that agreement.

"The other option would be to base it on the A6 and add air suspension [from the new A8], as with the current Allroad."

The Pikes Peak is powered by an upgraded version of the twin-turbo engine from the RS6, packing 373kW/630Nm thanks to the addition of FSI direct gasoline injection technology. FSI engines are used in Europe in the A2 and A4 and also powered Audi's 2001/2 Le Mans racers.

The high-tech engine rockets the big off-roader to 100km/h in an incredible 5 seconds, while top speed is electronically governed to 250km/h.

The full-time four-wheel-drive system is managed electronically, while the adaptive air suspension is raised and lowered automatically according to speed. Maximum ground clearance of 280mm can be selected manually for rough-road work.

The Allroad's people-carrying potential is stretched by the provision of proper seating for six in the Pikes Peak, arranged in three pairs. The rear chairs have an electric "ease of entry" setting and can be folded flat to provide 1950 litres of loadspace. The tailgate extends into the rear side panels for easier access.

The Pikes Peak cabin features the same Multi Media Interface (MMI) system as the new A8 luxury sedan. As well as controlling major vehicle functions, the concept's MMI extends to the rear seats, with an extra fold-down screen, DVD and MD drivers and internet/USB connections for those in the back.

Experimental features in the concept car include an innovative lane-departure warning system. An optical sensor scans the road markings and issues an alarm and steering wheel vibration if the driver is in danger of drifting out of the lane.

The current Allroad quattro is a force to be reckoned with in Audi New Zealand's line-up. Last year it clocked up 126 sales, outselling the standard A6 by 19 units and accounting for 16 per cent of the marque's total registrations for the year.

Sales will be further boosted by the availability of a V8 powertrain mid-year. The current Allroad will continue at least until 2005.