Geneva Motor Show - Audi

Off road with Audi's Allroad
If Audi's huge Q7 4x4 is all a bit much for you, perhaps the all-new, slightly less hardcore Allroad is the answer?

True, you'll only be able to carry five, not seven passengers, and the second-generation Allroad isn't exactly what you'd need for jumping into the deepest off-road muck.

While it might not represent the toughest pair of waders, the Allroad is still likely to equate to a reasonable set of wellies, however. It has raised ride height, full-time four-wheel-drive, and added body cladding and under-body protection to shrug off little knocks.

Even though it's bigger than the previous model, and bigger than the current A6 Avant, it's tiny compared to the Q7, so will be considerably easier to pilot around town and park up in a tight spot.

The Allroad goes on sale this summer, and can be ordered with petrol engines producing 255bhp or 350bhp and diesels offering 180bhp and 233bhp. Expect to pay from around £32,000.

Up and down
The Allroad comes with adaptive air suspension as standard, with lots of different settings, including two off-road modes.

In sporty 'dynamic' setting, ride height is reduced to 125mm, while clearance is set at 140mm in 'normal' function (unless you're cruising along at speed for any time, at which point it automatically lowers the car by 15mm).

'Allroad' mode sees the height set at 175mm, but, once again, this automatically drops by 15mm and then another 20mm depending on speed. For the most demanding occasions, there's 'lift' mode, in which the Allroad 'hovers' 185mm above the ground.

Audi to the power of (RS)4
If you're more interested in power, Audi has found another couple of homes for the 414bhp RS4 engine that’s just gone on sale in the A4 saloon.

The 4.2-litre V8 is being slotted into the A4 Avant and A4 Cabriolet from this summer. Both cars reach 62mph in 4.9secs and have a restricted top speed of 155mph. Price? £51,000 for the estate and about £55,000 for the Carbiolet.