Well I took a test-drive of the Audi Allroad (180PS 2.5TDi) on Saturday. To the horror of my wallet, my initial impressions of this leviathan were promising. I?ve always liked this car in Irish Green (a metallic sage), shying away from the darker colours. The car I took out was black, featuring the ?Aluminium Optic? pack (Audi?s way of saying it has got lots of brightwork on it) and really looked the part, with one exception; the roof. On the lighter cars, the plastic roof cover (there to prevent scratching when taking this beast off-road) is fairly inconspicuous. On a darker car it sticks out like a sore thumb.

On to the inside; the brochure really fails to sell the two-tone interior but in reality the beige leather with beige and mid-brown dash/doors works extremely well. A quick look around the rear revealed a truly capacious load space, with easily accessible tie-downs and a couple of cubby holes for storage of smaller, more fragile items. Or at least there would have been if they weren?t already in use to store the CD changer and the Bose amplifier. A full-size alloy spare is provided, but the tyre is a vredstein collapsible, complete with compressor. This means you get the looks (and expense) of a 5th alloy, with a range of 200km/125miles, but are still restricted to 80kmh/50mph. An unusual but sensible compromise, given the off-road limitations that a skinny space saver would offer.

As you would expect from a car of this size, the rear accommodation is more than ample and would seat 3 adults in reasonable comfort (although I?m sure people would draw straws to avoid the usual middle seat compromise).

Although I had the car for 40 minutes or so I didn?t get to play with the bells and whistles, instead concentrating on how the car drove. Suffice to say this demonstrator came fully loaded, with cruise control, Bose soundsystem, GPS and silky-smooth tiptronic transmission.

After the, ahem, purposeful clatter of my Alfa JTD the whisper of the Audi TDi came as a revelation. I know this will sound a cliché, but I genuinely checked with the salesman that the car hadn?t been mis-badged. Barely a purr reached the cabin on starting, with engine noise remaining a muted background hum, even when pressing on with the transmission in Sport mode. Another reason for checking the engine was the alarming numbers appearing in the middle of the dash. I set the trip computer to show the average consumption for my 40 minute session and was horrified to see a figure of 25.2mpg. After talking to the salesman allocated this car for daily use it would appear this is par for the course. Given that fully half of the journey was spent sedately pootling around at 55-60mph at 1900rpm or so, this was a major disappointment.

Having settled in and made my way out of Poole along the dual carriageway I was surprised to hear some fairly significant wind noise from around the B pillar once up to 70mph. Not at all what I expected, although perhaps I?m being overly critical of a car that comes with roof rails (the most likely cause) as standard.

Both around town and out on the dual carriageway the ride comfort was exceptional. On a couple of occasions I deliberately headed for recessed drain covers and potholes, only to be rewarded with a muted clunk from the drain cover and no indication from the Allroad that anything had happened. The air suspension on this car really irons out the bumps with consummate ease.

And there?s the rub. Once off the beaten track and into the twisty back roads, the Allroad showed its Achilles heel. Despite keeping speeds down to 45-50 (where I might usually be pushing on at 70 or so, visibility allowing) I rarely felt secure with the handling. There was an overly detached feel, almost as if the front wheels weren?t in contact with the ground. I can only describe it as ?floating?, although not in the hovercraft/not going to make that corner sense, simply a detachment that prevents you feeling the road when you most want the feedback. This was with the suspension at its lowest setting, with the dampers tightening up accordingly. I dread to think how it would feel if left at the standard ride height.

So will I be ordering an Allroad? In the final analysis, no. Despite a fantastic interior and day-to-day practicality I was frankly horrified by the fuel economy (or lack of) and couldn?t live with the indirect feel of the drive when pressing on. This could be countered by considering the A6 Avant Quattro; however the order book has been closed on the A6 Avant pending a new model in the autumn.

So my bank manager breathes a sigh of relief and I return to my Alfa. Yes, it?s noisy and has all the load carrying capacity of a teacup, but it handles like a dream, returns 36-40mpg and still makes me grin whenever I look at it. I?m glad I drove the Allroad, but was gladder still to get back into the familiar surroundings of my Sportwagon before turning the key and heading back to the same roads that so unsettled the Audi. Only this time, I was in control.

ND
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Just had the clutch replaced on my 1998 Subaru Impreza turbo, a skimmed flywheel was fitted also. The work was done by a reputable Subaru specialist using a Subaru clutch kit and it drives well except....
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