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.
Passat W8 4Motion Wagon
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...
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...
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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
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, 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.
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.
- 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.
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.
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