EEMan

Hello all. I am a BMW guy thinking of buying an allroad. I drove one a week ago and really liked it -- much better than the BMW Sportwagon. My wife loved it, too. She has a BMW convertible that is great to drive. I currently have a 2005 X3, but want a lower vehicle with a better driving experience and the allroad seems like a perfect choice.

This a a great forum and I have already learned a lot. The lack of a trailer hitch option could be a show stopper for me plus I don't like being forced to the prestige level to get adaptive cruise. So I have a couple of questions for you: Has anyone been using the adaptive cruise on any other vehicles? Do you like it? Anyone know of a good work around for the factory hitch? Can I expect this car to be reliable over the long run? My X3 has been bulletproof for 145K miles.

Any other thoughts? Thanks for your help.

DennisMitchell

I have a 2015 S3 Prestige with all the options. The adaptive cruise control is very helpful. Whether you are on the highway and traffic is varying speed with slight congestion or stop and go, it is very useful. ACC de-stresses driving. Its like I change my driving mode to "go with the flow" and let the car do to speed changes to maintain distance from the next vehicle. Works very well and I will purchase on all future vehicles. It is now a required option on my vehicle configuration. If you can afford the Prestige, go for it. You won't have regrets.

bob m

Agree with Dennis about the ACC for all the reasons mentioned. It's on my 2017 A4. I would not consider getting a new car without one, but in a few years, who knows, that may be mandatory on all cars. Yes, it's tough having to go to the Prestige level to get ACC, but besides the advantages of ACC, it may be a better selling point some years down the road? Don't know what/how you can do a workaround if a hitch is a deal breaker. Good to hear your X3 has done so well over lots of miles.

dseag2

You asked for "any other thoughts". I have a '17 A4, which is the equivalent of the A4 Allroad, and it is the best all-around car I have ever driven. Nimble, fast, quiet, lots of torque, great interior, great technology. The B&O sound system is also fantastic.

The car is so outstanding that I am seriously considering an Allroad or A5 Sportback when our G37 lease ends in June. I am a many-time Lexus and Infiniti owner, but Audi has recently moved to the top of the reliability charts. I have 2500 miles on my A4, which is a first-year model, and have had no issues.

VipinLJ

Like everyone said, if you are going for Prestige, get ACC. Premium plus is the popular trim when it comes to A4s. Though you miss out on an HUD, DAP etc.

CoMeader

I hear you about the lack of a trailer hitch being an issue - it's a huge mistake to remove it for the US market given the positioning of the vehicle. It was big downer, but wasn't a deal breaker for me because I just use my truck when I want to tow or carry bikes. What's your use case for the trailer hitch?

As far as I know there are no good hitch options that don't hang down well below the bumper. The guys at Torklift (they had a decent hitch for the previous generation) said they would be interested in designing a hitch, but they would need someone in the Kent WA area to loan them their car to do the investigation/design work. The folks at Invisihitch had tentative plans to do an Allroad hitch, but they didn't have a firm date.

I drove the Sportwagon a couple of times before buying my Allroad. It's a nice car, but the interior is very dated, and the lack of a spare tire of any sort was a deal killer for me. I'm not a fan of the collapsible spare, but it's way better than nothing if I get a total tire failure in the middle of a blizzard.

Good luck with your decision, and maybe I'll see you around town in your new Allroad.

EEMan

I appreciate all the helpful feedback. Me trailer hitch requirement is twofold. I want to tow a small (1200 lb) camping trailer and I want to use a receiver mounted bike rack. The salesman assured me there will be a factory hitch available. BTW, I joined the Audi Club today.

DennisMitchell

Congrats and welcome to the "club". Did you find a stock unit or ordered? If ordered, now the wait begins. Audi doesn't provide easy tracking of the new vehicle. So you need to find out through your dealer a contact that can give you updated order by email. So owners have translated the loading date into which ship is transporting the vehicle. There is GPS ship tracking websites.

EEMan

Have not bought yet until I am confident about the hitch solution. Will probably order what I want. Thanks for the note.

Q-Branch

Can I ask you (and anyone else with a prestige) about your thoughts on three things:

1) What do you think about the HUD?
2) Do you notice a difference with the acoustic glass in the front windows?
3) Is the 360º top-view camera good?

I can't find much out there on these features... My salesperson I've discussed the allroad with actually talked me out of the Prestige and Driver Assistance packages, since I'm looking at leasing the allroad and the Prestige doesn't lease well (their words, not mine). That being said, I really want the adaptive cruise from the Driver Assistance package, since I suffer from mild road rage when I get stuck following someone who doesn't use cruise control on the interstate.