Audi allroad quattro

Under the allroad's no fuss, no frills bodywork rests a potent 2.7lt V-six engine, force fed by no less than two turbochargers. It's quiet, it's certainly powerful and it's more than capable of hustling the 1795kg allroad quattro from a standing start to 100kmh in 7.4 seconds on its way to a top speed in excess of 230kmh.

True to form, Audi makes the most of this robust, flexible engine, slotting it beneath the bonnet of two other models, the S4 sports sedan and the RS4 Uber-wagon. In the former it's tuned for sports performance and responsiveness. The RS4, however, is more highly strung than an accountant at tax time, tweaked to unleash almost 400hp and road racing performance to rival a Porsche.

In the allroad, it's a docile beast and astoundingly easy to drive. Responsive from as little as 1000rpm, there's torque a-plenty in any of the six gears, making repeated attacks on the gearlever an unnecessary complication.

It's mainly thanks to this engine that the allroad is rated to tow up to 2100kg braked trailers (750kg unbraked). It'll do it surprisingly easily, and competently, the engine developing the bulk of its load-hauling power right down low in the rev range.

Audi's trademark quattro all-wheel drive system, in fact any all-wheel drive system, is a cinch for towing. Serious haulers shouldn't bother with front wheel drive – even though things are improving in this area – and rear wheel drive, which once owned the towing gig, simply can't match four wheel grip and tug on slippery boat ramps or sandy beaches.

The trick air suspension system on the allroad is impressive in its versatility and an innovative way to get around the inherent contradictions of creating a capable onroader and offroader.

It has four distinct ride height settings, ranging from 142mm to 208mm. It lowers the ride height for long distance cruising, which reduces wind resistance and improves fuel efficiency. It also lowers the centre of gravity, which, initially designed to improve the Audi's handling prowess, also reduces that unsettling front-to-back pitch and toss that acceleration and deceleration causes when a load is attached.

Okay, so it's not the first vehicle we've driven with adjustable air suspension: the Range Rover has had it for a number of years, and Citroen's been messing around with it for longer than we can remember. And we reckon the Audi version will only get better as their knowledge of this technology improves.

Anyone who whinges about the allroad's interior would also find plenty to whinge about on the QEII.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time behind the wheel, ensconced in quality, comfortable leather seats and surrounded by enough mod cons to keep all other sub-$100,000 cars on their toes.

Cruise control, dual climate control air-conditioning, multistack CD player, trip computer, electric seats – if there's something missing from the allroad's specifications we couldn't figure out what.

The allroad's wagon-like dimensions are a boon to the outdoor types, and the cargo bay's ready to accept the scuba gear, skiing equipment, esky and whatever else you need to haul around with the boat. Anything that won't fit can easily be tied to the roofracks, standard fitment with every allroad.

Active and passive safety score the same meticulous attention to detail, with occupant safety cells, crumple zones, antilock brakes, traction control, stability control, and more airbags than an episode of Oprah.

Audi packages the allroad with both the six-speed manual (tested) and an impressive five-speed tiptronic automatic. Only the former gets the low range transmission, though for our money that's not reason enough to buy it. If six speeds is desirable to you, then that's your justification, because we reckon the automatic would easily meet the needs of most.