Master of (almost) everything

This car is AWESOME. For me it replaced a 2003 Lexus SC430 sports car AND a 2001 BMW X5 SUV. It handles as well as the Lexus and is almost as fast (that had a 4.3 litre V8). With the air suspension up it goes anywhere I would have dared take the BMW and has almost as much space...it way out handles, out rides and out accelerates the BMW (3.0 litre 6 cylinder).

Hunker the air suspension down and the Audi is a very comfortable and stable high speed performer, crank it up a notch and you can go over curbs, put it all the way up and deep ruts are no problem. Just be aware it takes a minute or so to complete each height change, so you have to think ahead a bit. I have been on sand beaches without any traction problem.

Like many modern cars, the Tiptronic transmission favors fuel economy in "normal" drive position and only gives the car pizazzz if you switch down into sports mode or shift manu-matically. BMW was a similar experience, Lexus less so because of the V8 torque. Steering is precise, brakes accurate and the Xenon headlights are excellent. Gauges are clear, most (but not all) controls are logical. Rear visibility is far superior to BMW and most sport utilities I have driven. No real turbo lag, just a rush of power as they come on.

So what's not to like? I don't think the front seats are as comfortable for long trips as some other cars. Not that they're bad, just that they're a little smaller and lacking in cushion than the best luxury cars. I never notice this on a 15 minute trip around town, just on a multi-hour highway trip. Some controls are less logical than they could be: cruise control is on a stalk hidden behind steering wheel, climate control switches take some studying, sunroof control and keyless remote are less intuitive than BMW and I miss the power controls for the steering column. But really these are niggles.

Style is of course subjective, but I think the Audi is a slick looking car with just enough muscle. Only thing I don't like is the gray plastic bumper covers front and rear...they're supposed to be "tough" but to me they look cheap AND they scratch very easily. So do painted bumpers, but you can repaint them, these you have to replace. I chose a black car because I think it looks best with the bumpers, but charcoal gray blends in pretty well with them. Some of the V8s got painted bumpers. On a positive note, the Allroad DOESN'T have a front spoiler, so there's nothing to break on parking lot curbs (even if the ride height is set low).

The fuel economy is not quite what I hoped for: I get 17.5 mpg in mixed suburban and highway driving. That's about the same as I got in the V8 (but two seater) Lexus and about 1-2 mpg worse than I got in the BMW (odd as it's a bigger car). My father has a 2.8 litre (no turbo) Audi A6 and he gets about 23 mpg (but he drives very sedately).

All in all if you want to haul a lot of stuff yet seat 4-5 comfortably, have the handling and ride of a sports sedan yet AWD traction and limited off road capabilities I don't think the Audi can be beat. I looked closely at the Infiniti FX, Volvo V70R, Mercedes C320 4matic, VW Toureg and Saab 9-5 before I bought this (about a year ago) and have absolutely no regrets.