[renov8r]

Hey, it's got a 4 litre 8 cylinder, 271 HP, 273 ft/lb engine...

4Motion...

Lots of "stuff"... (the price sticker at the Chicago Auto Show said $39,635 worth...)


Realistically it is very expensive Vdub, (but then again so are the Allroads...)

Compares favorably with the BMW 540 wagon size wise and money wise...

 

[Paul S.]

My wife drives our MDX but for me I prefer German cars. I owned a 2000 VW 4Motion wagon but now have a 2002 allroad. I considered the W8 Passat but you pay an extra $9000 for the W8 over the standard 190 hp V6. Plus, dealers will negotiate price on a V6 Passat but not on the W8. IMO, the Passat is a very good car but the allroad is worth the extra $5000 over a W8 Passat. You get a far nicer interior, better build quality, free service for 50K, adjustable suspension, better sound system and you can get a 6-speed manual transmission.

 

[BostonX]

Hey Paul S.,
How does your allroad compare with your wife's MDX (assuming she lets you drive it)?
The Audi was my first choice before I bought the MDX but I remember reading about reliability issues with the 2001. I have no regrets about my decision but I do have feelings of envy every time I see an allroad and it's excellent Audi styling!

-Chris

 

[JLee]

funny, the allroad was my first choice also, could have gotten a 2001 leftover allroad for 2500 under invoice...spent too much time arguing w/ my wife about which to get, acted too late and it was gone...

sigh....now i have a MDX in my driveway. don't get me wrong, its a great car, fantastic actually, but i also love german engineering and the fun factor it had.

jeff

 

[Paul S.]

The MDX and allroad are similar yet different. They have about the same h.p. and get similar gas mileage. The MDX is better at hauling large items such as building materials, 5 passengers, plus all the junk we take to a drive-on beach such as a grill, lawn chairs, coolers and our yellow lab. I run snow tires on the allroad and we use it to go skiing in winter. The full time awd (quattro) is a little better on ice and snow (could be the esp too) plus I can easily reach items in the Thule box on the roof.

In regard to quality, like all the other Honda/Acura products I have owned, nothing has gone wrong on the MDX in the year we have had it. Having owned 3 Audis & 1 VW, I expect to have more problems with the ar. I bought a 2002 ar after learning my lesson by buying a '96 A4 as soon as they came out. Some 2001 allroads did have problems (wipers jamming, oil leaks) but my 2002 ar has had zero problems in the 3 months and 10k miles I have had it. The quality of the interior materials on the ar is better than the MDX as is the paint job and Bose system. (Probably why the ar costs more)

On the road, both are excellent highway cruisers. The MDX has much taller gearing than the ar which makes the ar feel a little quicker when passing. My ar is a stick, so it probably is a little quicker to 60 than the MDX. Since you can lower the ar for high speed driving it handles more like a car than the MDX. You can take ramps at speeds you would never even attempt in an MDX. There is less wind noise in the ar but that could be due to the size or sound insulation. My wife really enjoys the "sitting higher" driving position in the MDX and the better view of the road ahead.

Don't think you missed out on a great deal by not buying a close-out 2001 ar. Dealers are still willing to negotiate on 2002's, especially if they have it on the lot. $1500 over invoice ($2000 off sticker) is the going rate.

Both are great cars and we have no regrets with either one. If you want more info from other ar owners you can visit the allroad forum at audiworld.com

 

[Robyjo]

Our other car is an Audi A4 Avant, little sibling to the AR. While the MDX is much more practical and nearly as luxurious and refined--there is a difference. I've got to agree with Paul that German engineering inside and out has something about it--maybe not better than Japanese, but definitely more performance oriented and really a blast to drive. You all know I love my MDX, but I still look for opportunities to drive the Audi--and it's 4 years old now!

So back to the 4motion--I'm sure it's going to be a blast to drive as long as its tires are sticky and suspension is tight...I'd consider it, if you're not looking for the SUV size...in which case, there's no choice but the MDX!

 

[Paul S.]

Robyjo, I agree that Audis are really fun to drive. I had a '98 A4 Avant that I loved but ran out of space. Traded it for a 2000 VW Passat 4Motion wagon and was disappointed. On paper it was similar to an A6 Avant (for far less money) but in reality it lacked something. I know I'm not alone as others have done the same thing and came back to Audi. The Passat was nice, quiet but just lacked the quick handling due to a softer suspension and more flex in the chassis. So the plan was to trade my wife's Accord for an MDX that can haul all our "stuff" (did that) then trade the Passat for an S4 Avant. However, once you go on a test drive and see all the space in the allroad for about the same price as the S4, you can easily justify the small sacrafice in performance for everything the allroad offers.

 

[Robyjo]

Wow, good to know Paul--a few questions:

-Can you get a 'sport' package with the 4motion, which would give the sport suspension/tires? And if so, I wonder how it compares to the Audi sport suspension...
-Wow--the S4 would be sweet--twin-turbo!! Is it really only a 'small sacrifice' in performance? I thought the S4 would be much more performance-oriented than the AR...
-Speaking of performance--how does the AR compare to your 98 A4 as far as agility/handling etc. (and did you have the 1.8t or 2.8)?

Thanks amigo!
Rob

 

[Paul S.]

Rob,
- No sport suspension in 4Motion Passats, plus most come with the quiet but poor handling MXV4 tires.
- The S4 is more performance-oriented than the ar, due mostly to its smaller size, stiffer suspension and performance tires. However, the S4 and ar share the same biturbo motor (2.7T).
- I had the 2.8 in my A4 without the sport suspension. (more clearance in snow) The A4 seemed more agile, again because of its smaller size and lighter weight. With more torque, the ar feels quicker than the A4. The ar also feels more solid at higher speeds than the A4.
- Many of the current ar owners had previously owned A4s & S4s but needed more space. You can post questions to other ar owners at the allroad forum on audiworld.com.
- Finally, as a member of both the MDX and allroad forums, I have noticed that there are many people like myself that have both an MDX and an allroad. Two great vehicles.

 

[jpayne]

allroad vs. mdx in snowy tahoe

I went to Tahoe this past weekend in my MDX, with another family that drove an Allroad. I have an A6 2.7T which is similar to the allroad.

TO keep it short, the allroad performed flawlessly in the snow, and the MDX was slip-sliding away all over the place, until I LOCKED the rear differential with the VTM-4 lock. But who wants to do that when you can't drive > 18mph or on a dry road?

I was very disappointed. I hope my VTM is broken, or else my confidence in the MDX is permanently broken.

 

[JLee]

Re: allroad vs. mdx in snowy tahoe

I went to Tahoe this past weekend in my MDX, with another family that drove an Allroad. I have an A6 2.7T which is similar to the allroad.

TO keep it short, the allroad performed flawlessly in the snow, and the MDX was slip-sliding away all over the place, until I LOCKED the rear differential with the VTM-4 lock. But who wants to do that when you can't drive > 18mph or on a dry road?

I was very disappointed. I hope my VTM is broken, or else my confidence in the MDX is permanently broken.

well thats discouraging, i've read a couple of posts now that have reported poor snow performance..........

i knew i shoulda gotten that allroad, i wonder if its too late

jeff

 

[donsev]

Re: Re: allroad vs. mdx in snowy tahoe

well thats discouraging, i've read a couple of posts now that have reported poor snow performance..........

i knew i shoulda gotten that allroad, i wonder if its too late

jeff

The posts are from the same member: jpayne. The consensus seems to be that the results he reported are likely due to a problem with the VTM-4 on his MDX. In fact, with the update on this thread that he did NOT have a problem when manually engaging VTM-4 lock:

...the MDX was slip-sliding away all over the place, until I LOCKED the rear differential with the VTM-4 lock.

leads me to agree that it appears that the sensors that detect wheel slip are not initiating the transfer of torque to the rear wheels.

 

[Paul S.]

We have both an MDX and allroad and they are both great. However, we have found that the allroad (quattro system) is far better in snow than the MDX VTM system. Add snow tires to a 6-speed manual allroad and it can go through the deepest snow without a problem. Plus you can lower it to easily reach items in a Thule roof box. However, we take the MDX to the beach and with the VTM locked it does just fine in sand at speeds under 18 mph.

 

[kenyee]

Re: Re: Re: allroad vs. mdx in snowy tahoe

leads me to agree that it appears that the sensors that detect wheel slip are not initiating the transfer of torque to the rear wheels.

Also, don't forget that you have to be accelerating *forward* for the torque transfer to work. Otherwise, it acts just like the FWD system it is unless you have VTM-4 locked...