A8 to A4 allroad?
11-30-2017, 07:45 AM
#1
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A8 to A4 allroad?
Has anyone transitioned from an A8 to the B9 allroad? I've been thinking a lot about my next move and I've come to the conclusion that I don't need a luxo-barge. Would be curious to hear opinions and experiences.
12-03-2017, 09:53 AM
#2
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My experiences with the AR after 10k miles is that it has everything that I need and nothing that I do not. My perspective is an owner of a new 2008 D3 A8 SWB with sport option until 2014 when I got a 2013 Panamera GTS and early last year a 2016 Panamera GTS. AR is easier to drive and on long trips is very comfortable with sport seats that are as comfortable as the Porsche 18-way seats. Of course, the AR is not a Porsche with a 440 hp NA V8. Also had a 2015 911 Turbo S for 11k miles and the Panamera GTS was more satisfying than the outrageously fast Turbo S on road and track. All in, the AR is optimal for me, for many reasons, not least is that a Manhattan Gray all paint blends in well.
12-30-2017, 04:15 AM
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I just traded in my 2011 A8 for a 2018 Allroad, I actually go pick it up today. I loved my A8 but I have 2 small kids, terrible roads, and the A8 was becoming a maintenance nightmare. I have been in lots of loaners the past year and thought the new A4 was the most fun to drive. I need an affordable kid hauler and can’t bring myself to get a Q5 so I started looking at the allroad. The rear legroom is non existent compared to the A8, but the cargo space is a lot bigger so I figure it’s a wash. I’ll let you know more after I get a few miles under my belt.
12-31-2017, 07:58 PM
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That’s my old A8 and the new allroad. I really like the allroad, it isn’t a flagship but that’s ok. My car seats and kids fit fine, the 2.slow is much better than the previous versions, and the sport seats feel fine. I don’t feel like I downgraded my car, just switched to a more useful type of car for me.
01-01-2018, 06:04 PM
#6
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That’s my old A8 and the new allroad. I really like the allroad, it isn’t a flagship but that’s ok. My car seats and kids fit fine, the 2.slow is much better than the previous versions, and the sport seats feel fine. I don’t feel like I downgraded my car, just switched to a more useful type of car for me.
01-14-2018, 07:56 AM
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Now that I have had 2 weeks in the Allroad, I have decided that I can't really compare the Allroad to the A8, they are too different. I will say that I love both cars, but the Allroad is a lot more pratical for me, still fun to drive, and beautiful to look at in its own right. Since I bought the A8, I have had 2 kids and a new job that requires parking in a garage downtown. Even though I had a SWB A8, it was still a road boat for 90% of the driving that I did and lacked any functionality for a family hauler. There is nothing like 2 kids climbing into a German flagship after a muddy soccer practice, and just trry to put a stroller or wagon in the back. On the other hand, for about 4 months I had to commute to another city once a week that was 700 miles round trip. I drove most of the time because there is nothing like an A8 on the open road.
Now that I spend most of my time trying to fit in parking spaces made for compact cars, or in carpool lines, I am loving the Allroad. The front suspension on my A8 was replaces 3 times in 45k miles because of the terrible roads here, the Allroad handles it much better, and I'm not dragging my nose on parking blocks, or opening doors that scrape on sidewalks. I feel better knowing that I'm not trashing a $90k car every time I leave my house, especially since my undercarriage doesnt scrape on my driveway anymore.
The Allroad is small and light, it doesn't have a giant engine or that rock solid feel, but I love it. I swore off small cars after a 330ci I had a decade ago, so I was skeptical, but this car isn't in the same league. It does so much right, there isn't anything to really complain about, other than wishing it has the 3.0 engine.
Now that I spend most of my time trying to fit in parking spaces made for compact cars, or in carpool lines, I am loving the Allroad. The front suspension on my A8 was replaces 3 times in 45k miles because of the terrible roads here, the Allroad handles it much better, and I'm not dragging my nose on parking blocks, or opening doors that scrape on sidewalks. I feel better knowing that I'm not trashing a $90k car every time I leave my house, especially since my undercarriage doesnt scrape on my driveway anymore.
The Allroad is small and light, it doesn't have a giant engine or that rock solid feel, but I love it. I swore off small cars after a 330ci I had a decade ago, so I was skeptical, but this car isn't in the same league. It does so much right, there isn't anything to really complain about, other than wishing it has the 3.0 engine.
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01-14-2018, 08:07 AM
#8
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Now that I have had 2 weeks in the Allroad, I have decided that I can't really compare the Allroad to the A8, they are too different. I will say that I love both cars, but the Allroad is a lot more pratical for me, still fun to drive, and beautiful to look at in its own right. Since I bought the A8, I have had 2 kids and a new job that requires parking in a garage downtown. Even though I had a SWB A8, it was still a road boat for 90% of the driving that I did and lacked any functionality for a family hauler. There is nothing like 2 kids climbing into a German flagship after a muddy soccer practice, and just trry to put a stroller or wagon in the back. On the other hand, for about 4 months I had to commute to another city once a week that was 700 miles round trip. I drove most of the time because there is nothing like an A8 on the open road.
Now that I spend most of my time trying to fit in parking spaces made for compact cars, or in carpool lines, I am loving the Allroad. The front suspension on my A8 was replaces 3 times in 45k miles because of the terrible roads here, the Allroad handles it much better, and I'm not dragging my nose on parking blocks, or opening doors that scrape on sidewalks. I feel better knowing that I'm not trashing a $90k car every time I leave my house, especially since my undercarriage doesnt scrape on my driveway anymore.
The Allroad is small and light, it doesn't have a giant engine or that rock solid feel, but I love it. I swore off small cars after a 330ci I had a decade ago, so I was skeptical, but this car isn't in the same league. It does so much right, there isn't anything to really complain about, other than wishing it has the 3.0 engine.
Now that I spend most of my time trying to fit in parking spaces made for compact cars, or in carpool lines, I am loving the Allroad. The front suspension on my A8 was replaces 3 times in 45k miles because of the terrible roads here, the Allroad handles it much better, and I'm not dragging my nose on parking blocks, or opening doors that scrape on sidewalks. I feel better knowing that I'm not trashing a $90k car every time I leave my house, especially since my undercarriage doesnt scrape on my driveway anymore.
The Allroad is small and light, it doesn't have a giant engine or that rock solid feel, but I love it. I swore off small cars after a 330ci I had a decade ago, so I was skeptical, but this car isn't in the same league. It does so much right, there isn't anything to really complain about, other than wishing it has the 3.0 engine.
01-14-2018, 03:24 PM
#9
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In three separate trips to the dealership, they replaced 4 broken control arms and a broken sway bar. All of the repairs were done under warranty, but I feel like I drove around a lot on busted suspension while trying to convince my service guy that I needed to come back in.A divorce left me without access to my wife’s Q5, so the utility of the Allroad and the reliability of a new car, was a pretty big deal for me. Even if I was still married with access to her Q5, I would still be equally as happy with the Allroad though. I just love the car.