NJDriver

I am a current owner of one of the VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI's affected by the Dieselgate recall so I'm in the process of finalizing my decision on what to replace it with once I turn it in. Prior to this car, I've mostly owned Subarus and one Volvo and my husband drives a 08' Audi Avant wagon. I prefer wagons and have narrowed my choices down to the Audi Allroad, Volvo XC60 (more of a crossover by somewhat wagon like), and the Subaru Outback Touring model. I like to buy and hold onto a car for typically around 6-8 years and do a lot of driving on my work commute so log around 22,000 miles annually. From what I can tell researching online, the Subaru seems to come out on top reliability wise but I just don't love it and I think it is overpriced for the quality at the top trim level I'm looking at. Volvo's reliability seems questionable on newer models with lots of problems reported. I'm trying to get a true sense of the reliability of the Audi Allroad as I've been a bit unnerved by many of the reliability issues I'm reading about Audi as a whole online. My husband's Avant has been a very reliable car with only a few minor issues here or there but he drives far less than I do (his car just hit 80,000 miles), it is an older model with far less of the bells and whistles you now find on new models, and it also has the full Quattro rather than the new version found on the Allroad. I'm curious how you've found the reliability of your Allroads and what types of problems are most common. Thank you!

Allroading17

Are you comparing to the 2018 XC60? If so I am an XC90 owner (2018) my 2016 was bought back. I made over 20 trips to the dealer for that car. I would stay away from Volvo. My allroad has been flawless, it's night and day the difference in quality. The adaptive suspension is very good compared to the air ride on the XC90. I love the allroads uniqueness too and the Quattro ultra and DSG work great together. It is very fast too so power isn't an issue. The Volvo does have its advantages, but the allroad is superior in my opinion. No problems with mine. Yet.... although I doubt I will have any

mikec157

Hi, I have a '17 allroad with 5500 miles and zero issues. Everything works fine.

I made a similar choice as you describe. Like the exterior of the Volvo, but i never warmed to the interior. Far fewer dealers about as well. Subaru is the sensible choice ($), but the interior is no where close to the allroad and the transmission is CVT which sounds terrible.

So far no regrets! The allroad is smart, fast (enough) and has an awesome interior

bob m

Similar situation here. I have been partial to Audi's for a while - for their handling, safety, fit and finish and reliability. If any of those qualities were missing, I would have looked elsewhere. Earlier this year, when I had the 2017 A4 I realized that sedans were not for me and looked at the new 2017 Outback with the V6 engine and top trim level. To be fair, I never took it for a drive and only got as far as sitting in one and reading the reviews and comparisons. But coming from Audi's I did not think I would be happy with the performance/handling/fun factor/fit and amenities of the Outback compared to the Audis. And when I went in the Subaru dealership to discuss trading my A4 for the Outback, they asked "why?" I ended up with the 17 Allroad.

Audi has improved its quality in the last so many years and has become a very reliable brand. I have had zero issues with the last 3 Audi's including my 17 Allroad with 7900 miles. The Allroad is quicker, better handling, quieter, maybe equally or better in overall reliability and if you get the B&O sound system is the best stock sound system out there. The Outback is larger, more off-road worthy, probably better in snow, less expensive to own and maintain. Bottom line is the Allroad is an entry/mid level luxury wagon - with all that that implies and the top level V6 Outback is a more utilitarian vehicle with some near luxury amenities. Both have their supporters and you have to decide which one has more appeal/serves your needs better.

pbrown

I have about 2000 miles on my 17 Allroad. Good so far and I love the quiet interior and ride. One minor glitch, the volume control on my steering wheel stopped working about 500 miles in. Now when I make a left turn it makes the volume on the radio go down sometimes, but the **** never works. It's a small thing but disappointing with such an expensive car.

Also disappointing is that I can't get a service appointment until September 1st.

CoMeader

I can give you a couple of comparison points on Audi.

I have a '17 Allroad with almost 18k miles and the only mechanical issue I had was a speaker grill that kept popping out and was replaced. There were a few MMI glitches, but they've mostly been addressed with updates at this point.

I also have an '06 Avant with 152k miles on it. It had some issues, but nothing that I would consider out of the ordinary for cars in this class other than the cam follower issue that was common to the early B7 2.2's.

I consider my Audi as or more reliable than my Land Rover or BMW. I don't know much about current Volvo's. I got rid of my '95 855T when it was spending too much time in the shop in the first couple of years. I looked at the V90, and while I liked the exterior a lot I didn't;t like the interior at all.

The Subaru is a nice car, but I don't think it's in the same class as the Allroad in terms of looks, technical innovation, or the quality feel of the interior. However, the Subaru might cost less to maintain just from an hourly cost of maintenance standpoint.

Dan in St. Louis

Consumer Reports charts show the A4 having problems in 2009, 10, & 11; improving in 2012, 13, & 14; and doing quite well in 2105 & 16. In-car electronics continue to be a sore point, rating just "average" in 2016.

six gun

NOT a small thing, you also lose the mute button, and are forced to listen to all those annoying commercials!.

CO_SKI_92

Does anyone here do high mileage driving? I drive about 30k a year and am looking at the S4 or new Allroad.

Just like others have mentioned, I had a '16 Outback with the CVT... while the car was smooth, it really struggled up mountains and was slower than a Prius I'm pretty sure.....

six gun

Volvo after Ford, has been somewhat of an orphan. Their reputation for reliability is a reputation largely earned while still a Swedish co. I am on my 2nd (B9) allroad, and my D.D. before that I have owned Avante wagons. All three of the cars you are considering are available for you to road test.

You will get allroad endorcment here, but then you are on a Audi allrtoad forum!