A return upmarket this month as we compare five-seat, all-wheel-drive estates from Audi and Volvo. One floats like a butterfly, the other stings like a bee…
Sometimes a full-on 4×4 is just too much. Like when you must rock up to a posh function and not look an entire bumpkin, or need to nip from one end of the land to the other in high style yet with plenty of room for a load. If you can’t justify £80k+ for a current Range Rover, then for those times — and plenty of others — a decent estate car with all-wheel drive and bit of extra clearance makes some sense. If you like the fast estate concept, Audi and Volvo have just the tickets. Audi in the shape of its A6 Allroad quattro (£44,525 basic, £54,555 as tested), Volvo with the XC70 AWD (£39,540 basic, £50,630 as tested).
Over time both of these top-end vehicles have evolved into swift, comfortable loadhaulers with a sprinkling of rough-ground capability. If looks and image matter — and, yes, deep down you know they do — the choice is between the understated, slightly pipe-and-slippers Volvo and the scowling, businessman-in-a-rush Audi.
On the road
Although aimed at similar markets the nature of these cars is different. Volvo, as it has for decades, majors on safety and comfort; but the D5 recognises that performance matters, too. The 215hp, 2.4-litre, five-cyl turbodiesel in the XC70 takes it to 62mph in 8.3sec and on to 127mph. At 210mm the car sits 60mm higher than a standard V70 estate and rides on coil springs.
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