Road test: BMW X5 vs Audi allroad quattro

By Damien Tomlinson

It seems like only yesterday that the term "4x4" conjured images of dusty desert tracks, hat-tipping farmers, councils, boaties and caravan owners.

But motorists have declared open season on the four-wheel-drive segment, and these days it's not surprising to see Toorak mums dropping off the kids in these two-tonne tanks.

Despite attracting the ire of four-wheel-drive diehards, car makers are loving this new breed of buyer. Competition is fierce, and the stakes high in this popular - and ever more populous - segment.

Cloth seats have given way to leather, plastic to wood, fresh air to climate control and rugged suspension setups to plush rides as manufacturers try to marry road car performance and comfort with muscle-bound looks and style.

Two big rivals in this segment are Audi's allroad quattro 4.2 and BMW's X5 4.4i. Both are V8s, both are similarly-priced, and both are pitched at the same market, but each does the job differently.

Both cars are their respective manufacturer's first tilt at the offroad market, but neither model line is new. Our X5 4.4i was an example of BMW's face-lifted model, which gains the company's new xDrive electronic 4WD and a six-speed auto from the 7 Series.

Audi's quattro performance models are nothing new, but the allroad quattro is the company's first adaptation for a true terrain-conquering application, and our 4.2-litre V8 example was introduced only this year.

Drive

Audi's allroad quattro gets up and goes thanks to V8-power

The first thing you notice when you step (X5) or slide (allroad quattro) into the leather-bound cabins of this pair is their height.

Both of these cars offer a commanding view of the road, though more so in the X5. Each has push button height-adjustable air suspension, which automatically varies depending on your speed and the terrain, be it loose gravel or a sealed freeway.

Both machines are driven by thirsty V8s, so city cycle fuel economy is not a strong point, but neither disappoints when you put the foot down.

The X5 turns in a claimed 7.0 second 0-100km/h sprint, and the Audi's 4.2 pushes it to 100km/h 0.2 seconds slower.

Despite the hard data, the allroad quattro felt spritelier, in my opinion, despite giving away 200cc and 15kW to its larger rival. Perhaps it's because you ride closer to the ground, and that it weighs nearly 300kg less (1860kg) than the X5.

The cockpits of both cars are inviting and make a fuss over their pilots. Each features electric seats with adjustments for height, rake and knee-in-the-back lumbar support. The standard buckets in both are adequately comfortable, but the allroad quattro's pews were more supportive, and felt sportier, than the X5's.

Both cars feature traction control and ABS with electronic brake force distribution as standard fare, but the X5 adds hill descent control, which uses the brakes to keep the car at walking pace on steep declines.

Audi and BMW are both renowned for their across-the-range familiarity. If you've driven one model of either brand, you won't be confused by the functions and controls of the X5 and allroad quattro. All Audi controls light up in shades of red, BMW's dials and buttons are mostly orange, and the position and function of the controls varies little across the range of either marque.

The BMW X5 4.4i has good reserves of torque

Each features a complex, though not complicated, series of controls for sound, air-conditioning, cruise control, trip computer and lighting systems. While the function of each button is not made obvious, it's quite a satisfying sensation when you finally work out all the buttons.

I guess the thinking behind these controls is that once you know what it does, an "AUDIO ON" label would probably become annoying.

We took each of these cars on separate test runs on some twisty mountain roads around south-east Queensland. If you consider the development of each of these cars, in that the allroad quattro is a variant of a station wagon which is a variant of Audi's A6 sedan, you would expect it to leave the X5 in its tracks, but the BMW proved to be as sporty as it is stylish.

Having driven the allroad quattro first, I was initially put off by the amount of body roll the big X5 suffers when negotiating bends - the first trip around a roundabout after picking it up was memorable! But after a few twists and turns it became apparent that my nerves reflected only my personal inexperience in the wheelhouse of the big X5.

The allroad quattro is an excellent drive, oozing urge off the mark and keeping plenty in reserve if and when the driver demands it. The all-wheel-drive system and its electronic gizmos take care of traction and control through the zigzags, and the huge potential of the 4.2 is like a carrot hanging out there in front of your nose.

Despite its 2120kg kerb weight, the X5 is a pliant turner, never once becoming unsettled on the damp, twisty roads up Mt Glorious. Third gear on the sequential shifter was my favourite, simply for versatility and its access to the broad torque range, but it was nice to know second was a bump of the shifter away if needed.

Increase ground clearance at the push of a button

For gear changing, the Audi's steering wheel-mounted buttons were best. You can shift up or down with both buttons, which means you don't need both hands on the wheel, as with paddle arrangements.

A flick of the switch in full automatic mode will drop a cog, so you can overtake with gusto, and without taking your arm off the window sill. The computer takes back control of the transmission once you settle back into your cruising speed.

For shift quality, the two were hard to distinguish, but the extra cog on the X5's six-speed was preferable for its silky power delivery, and versatility. Unlike our local six-speeds, BMW's top gear is not an overdrive.

In comparison, the Audi's five-speed was no slouch, delivering smooth shifts from go to whoa, and the Audi also handled kick-down with less lurching than the Beemer.

Neither of these chariots felt like steering a billy-cart, offering little feedback through the column, but you never feel out of touch with the tarmac.

The sedan-based Audi felt like it stuck to the road better than the X5, which, with its greater clearance and suspension travel, rolled around a lot more through the esses.

For ride comfort, I hired a "test family" to ride in the back, and the results were that in the BMW, vision from the back was excellent, but the ride was bumpy and hard, while the Audi's ride felt sedan-like, and smoother overall.

Road noise was negligible in both, despite their huge wheels (both 18-inch alloys) and semi-offroad tyres (245/45s on the Audi and 255/55s on the BMW) and, for a driving experience, the Audi with its sporty shifter and lusty performance took the chequered flag overall.

Engine

The BMW makes 60Nm more torque than the Audi

Both the allroad quattro's 4.2 and X5's 4.4 are big, powerful, modern engines.

For die-hard off-roaders, these V8s could seem excessive, and indeed each model comes in smaller, more fuel-efficient six-cylinder and diesel variants. But if your taste is for effortless cruising or spirited blasting, you're in the right place.

With a combined fuel consumption of 13.1 litres/100km, the X5 is no fuel sipper, and is saved only by its 93-litre tank, which is good for well over 650km.

But the Audi won't get you nearly as far, with a maximum range, at a combined consumption of 13.7 litres/100km, of just over 350km from its 70-litre tank.

If you're serious about offroad adventures, you'll get further off the track in the X5 than the allroad quattro, but filling either of these premium juice-guzzlers won't be a pleasant experience.

Audi's figures suggest the V8 was either an afterthought designed to square the odds with its rivals, or that the allroad quattro is targeted at Toorak's power-hungry, though not outback-inclined, soccer parents rather than boat-towing, mountain-conquering adventure-seekers.

Peak torque and power for both engines is listed below, along with the powerband:

Despite the suggestions of the performance figures, Audi's 4.2 litre offers a more rewarding drive in my opinion. Where the BMW's 4.4 is quiet and refined, the allroad quattro's mill makes no secret of its intentions, with a lovely, uneven V8 burble more at home in a true-blue FPV muscle car than a premium Euro.

But the figures don't lie. The X5 is faster and has more power and torque, but the Audi's donk just grew on me more than the Beemer's. Rather than lurching as the weight shifts to the back on the softer suspension of the X5, the allroad quattro specialises in neck-snapping urgency, which kept me grinning.

Vital statistics are as follows:

Exterior

The restyled 4.4i X5, complete with 18-inch alloys, looks great

In the styling stakes, BMW's rough-and-ready X5 beat the subtle allroad quattro for dead.

Where Audi engineers have stuck bulging plastics, bash plates and brushed aluminium to an understated family wagon to give the allroad quattro its presence, the X5's muscular curves and aggressive ripples were penned in the design studio.

Each car is very differently designed, and from a purely visual perspective, the cars look a lot different than they actually are.

The allroad quattro sits low, drawing attention to its 18-inch alloys, roof racks and its two chrome nostrils hanging out from either side of its handsome rear end.

Unless you're an Audi fanatic, the only give-away to this car's V8 capabilities is the big "4.2" nailed on its bum.

The styling is minimalist - the car's a veritable wolf in sheep's clothing - and allroad quattro owners can expect some middle-finger salutes from their red-light dragster inferiors.

The X5, on the other hand, is instantly recognisable due to its unique body shape, look-at-me styling and the fact that there are a lot of them on the road. The face-lifted 4.4i, apart from gaining the 7-Series's six-speed gearbox, has had a nose job to soften the shape of the headlights, and gains clear indicator lenses among other things.

If you're an X5-spotter, look for the quad-exhausts protruding, although camouflaged in black paint, from the back bumper, and the indicative (although optional) badging near the front wheels forward of the front doors.

It'll be a personal preference for buyers considering these cars. Neither is directly competing for looks, and each is appealing in its own way. For me, the X5 does it with its no-nonsense, curvy exterior.

Interior

Lots of leather for the Audi (top) and BMW interiors

As I said earlier, the cabins of these cars follow true to the tested formula of each marque. You won't be lost in either cabin if you've ever sat in a BMW or an Audi.

Each features eight-way electrically-adjustable driver seats, and electric front passenger seats, though the BMW's driver's pew had a memory function that the allroad quattro lacked.

Each car seats five in comfort, but as is the norm these days, the four adults in each corner will probably prefer to chip in for a cab, bus or plane ticket for the fifth passenger than share the leather surrounds.

BMW's electric controls are integrated into its in-dash television, which also houses the optional navigation system.

The X5's stereo fails only in that its six-disc stacker is housed in the boot, where the allroad quattro features an in-dash stacker.

The X5 also suffers from its ugly black upper-dash, which I'm sure is great for eliminating windscreen reflection, but looks old and picks up every grain of dust in the near vicinity.

In an interior that is geared toward contrasting shades, this is a feature that needs rethinking. Also, BMW's orange dials and mid-1980s graphical displays for the trip computer should be put out to pasture.

Audi's grey uniform may not suit everybody either, but again, the focus is on non-offensive, subtle styling. The Audi's trademark red dials and ambient cabin lights are a great contrast, and visibility at night is good around the cabin. Overall, the Audi wins on the interior front.

Overall:

BMW X5
Audi allroad quattro

The bell has rung, and in a points decision, BMW's X5 4.4i is the victor. It's nice to know the allroad quattro 4.2 hasn't been knocked out by its lairier opponent, and indeed it does some things better than the X5.

But in the areas that count for buyers in this market, the X5s power, fuel consumption, styling and more focused 4WD packaging edge out the allroad quattro albeit only just.

Audi has built a real contender, and has added a much-needed alternative to the models available in the $100,000 luxo-4WD category. My advice? Try them both.