Possible 2014 A4 Allroad purchase
 

I'm considering buying a slightly used 2014 P+ Allroad in glacier white with grey sports package seats. I welcome everyone's thoughts on a few questions:

1. The car is a previous service loaner? Is that a potential problem?

2. I'd like to have the grey cladding painted body colour - full paint finish. But I've never seen a factory full paint finish A4 Allroad. Can someone here tell me whether the factory full paint finish results in the grey cladding being as smooth as the body, or does the pebble texture remain?

3. Has anyone here seen a glacier white Allroad with grey sports seats? How does it look? I've seen only photos.

4. A contender is the BMW 328i wagon. I'd welcome comments from anyone who's driven both. The roads where I live are not terribly smooth, so I'd like a comfortable (smooth) ride, not harsh or even very 'firm'. From what I've seen, the BMW is quicker, handles a bit better, is more efficient (mpg), but has a smaller cargo volume.

5. I want good cargo area. Has anyone here cross-shopped the A7? - if so, what are your thoughts?

Thanks all.

Anyone?

I believe when the vehicle is "full paint" from the factory there is no grey cladding underneath. The grey stuff is actually painted on at the factory over the steel (or whatever) body. This is why we get the option of ordering the vehicle either way. At least that is what I have been told. If you are painting over an existing "grey cladding" vehicle a body shop could probably sand down the pebble effect (not sure there really is any - seems pretty smooth to me) before painting to match the body. My 2 cents.
In terms of it being a previous loaner, I would expect a healthy discount. One could assume the Audi dealer broke it in properly and maintained it, but maybe an angry customer beat the piss out of it (redlining the engine and driving over craters on purpose) in frustration one day - how can one tell?
A7 - how can one cross shop cars that are $25K different in price?

Thanks for your reply.

re:Cross-shopping. - if you're looking at used, the price difference between the A7 and Allroad is much less than $24k. Both offer wagon-like cargo space, which is what I'm looking for - plus handling, good ride and a responsive engine. I won't object to paying additional for the A7 if that difference is represented by a corresponding increase in overall value, to me.

When I was shopping and looking at the Allroad, I saw a couple of cars with the body color cladding. I thought it looked better in pictures vs. real life, but that's just a personal opinion. When buying new, it's a $1k option. Pretty steep IMO.

I came across a couple pictures of the monochromatic look while looking at area dealers inventory online. It might be worth a try.

imho

1. The upside to a service loaner is pretty much guaranteed regular maintenance. The downside is that many people don't care for a loaner as they would their own; many dealerships too. If you know the dealership's typical practices that would help (I've had a few dirty loaners from my prior dealership; one of the reasons i switched).
2. The full body cladding paint is smooth. But quite frankly I like the grey (plastic btw) cladding contrast to my Monsoon grey exterior. Definitely a more rugged look. The full painting looks like an Avant, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
3. Glacier white exterior with platinum gray seats is quite nice (I have same seats). Just enough contrast as very light gray seats (of course in my case quite a bit of contrast).
4. The Allroad is definitely more "planted" than the Bimmer, but I think that's what you/we want in this model. And of course Quattro is superior. I felt the Allroad had more cargo capacity. The Allroad has a much smoother ride. Again, for a "wagon" I think that's what you/we want. Related, my wife has a Caddy ATS 3.6 with run-flat tires (a 3-series direct competitor). It has a much firmer ride, to include even the seats, so we take the Allroad on long drives. I average 26 - 28 mpg which I feel is quite good considering my heavy right foot.
5. I've driven an A7 as a loaner, and very nice, but didn't consider it.

roger -
I also happen to think the Allroad looks so much better than the A7. To me the A7 (I see a lot of them where I live) is FUGLY. IMO the rear end is weak looking - it tapers to nothing. It is reminiscent of a 1950 Buick Special my Dad had, and that car always looked bad to me at that tender age. To me BMW has nailed the fastback look much more so than Audi – theirs are at least strong looking. I have a 2013 A6 and when I park near an A7 I feel so much more handsome (the car, that is lol).

Thanks very much for your thorough reply.

Unfortunately, I don't know anything about the dealership. The car is being offered with a CPO warranty, so I'm hoping that might offset the service-loaner aspect.

I agree - the grey cladding looks very good with the Monsoon grey. That would be my alternative choice, though I've had grey cars for a while, and I think I'm ready for a change.

You mentioned 'platinum' grey; the one I'm looking at has titanium grey, though it may be a matter of semantics. I've not seen the grey in the flesh (or 'hyde'), though I understand it's more light than dark. As the glacier white paint can have a slight grey undertone, the light grey seats should work.

It's entirely subjective, but I like the looks of an Avant and would be happy to buy one if they were available.

That being said, from what I've read, the Allroad offers a smoother ride than the Avant, and smooth is what I want. Not numb handling, just a ride that isolates me from our bad bumps and potholes here. I'm encouraged that you find the Allroad smoother than the 328i.

A good friend has a Cadillac CTS wagon. It handles well, but gives a jittery ride over bumpy roads. The CTS seats, too, are rock hard.

I would consider an APR stage 1 tune, to extract a bit more pep from the 2.0 engine; apparently, if I don't use a heavy foot, mileage won't suffer and may in fact improve marginally. That said, one doesn't buy more power, and then not use it.

Cargo - the Allroad apparently has 782 litres of space with the seats up, 1430 with the back seats down. The 328i is said to have 495/1500. I much prefer to have the cargo space in the back, with the seatbacks upright. That leaves room for a dog or two in the back seat, yet still lots of cargo in the cargo area. If I had kids, I might feel differently.

Again, many thanks for your detailed reply.

Funny, but you captured perfectly my take on the A7's look. The first few times I saw one, I found it really attractive, but subsequently, I noticed what seems to me to be a droopy behind. Now, whenever I see an A7, I can't get past that sagging bum. I didn't know there are others who felt similarly. I realize it's entirely subjective, and that others may (and do) regard the A7 as a thing of beauty, stem to stern.

My error, I meant Titanium Gray interior.

I too like the Avant. It's lower and narrower so visually appealing.

However the Allroad's 7 inches of clearance gives an almost SUV viewpoint without being so top heavy in the corners. And the Allroad's A5 frame width (which necessitated the wheel arch cladding btw, not just for looks) provides a slightly wider wheelbase than the Avant and therefore that more planted feeling.

I did an Stasis stage 1 on my prior A5 (my dealership available), along with a free flowing K&N intake filter and their stainless exhaust, and it's remarkable. This award winning 4-banger has a lot more to give. Just look at the S3 spec's! And yes, if you keep it out of full boost it's still very economical, with again remarkable power in "chipped" boost.

The Allroad comes with a vertical dog screen roller adjacent the horizontal privacy cover roller.