Allroad Dynamic Steering option - worth it?

[Flattersplatter]

Hello all,

New member here. I'm pretty much decided on an allroad BiTdi and so have been ticking all the boxes turning a £50k car into an £80k one. Reading other members' posts has been really helpful in whittling down astronomical back down to merely exorbitant. So, yes to sports diff, HUD, tow bar, tech packs, cameras, comfort seats, xenons, sunroof, Bose; no to auto park, B&O, ventilated massage seats, big wheels and funky colours.
What I'm not sure about is the Dynamic Steering option. What does it give you above and beyond the adaptive steering that isn't already in the various driving profiles? Is there a noticeable improvement worth paying for or is it just an expensive gimmick? Anyone have any experience with it? Thanks for any insight.

[ukgroucho]

I can't answer the question on the steering... But what I will say .. Including your inclusion of the sports diff... Is that the allroad, even in bitdi format, is never going to be a sports car. It is quick in a straight line.. No doubt about that, but with the best will in the world it weighs nearly 2 metric tons AND rides a bit higher than a stock avant or s line even in dynamic mode where the air suspension is at lowest level.

i have driven my brothers s4 with sports diff etc. it is a lovely thing... But I just don't think you will ever get the allroad to feel like that or get the value from adding all the sporty options to a vehicle which, ultimately, was not designed to be like that.

not trying to dampen your enthusiasm but personally I'd save a bit of cash or redirect it rather than trying to make the allroad into a sports car.... And yes I have a bitdi allroad

[Flattersplatter]

I can't answer the question on the steering... But what I will say .. Including your inclusion of the sports diff... Is that the allroad, even in bitdi format, is never going to be a sports car. It is quick in a straight line.. No doubt about that, but with the best will in the world it weighs nearly 2 metric tons AND rides a bit higher than a stock avant or s line even in dynamic mode where the air suspension is at lowest level.

i have driven my brothers s4 with sports diff etc. it is a lovely thing... But I just don't think you will ever get the allroad to feel like that or get the value from adding all the sporty options to a vehicle which, ultimately, was not designed to be like that.

not trying to dampen your enthusiasm but personally I'd save a bit of cash or redirect it rather than trying to make the allroad into a sports car.... And yes I have a bitdi allroad


By all means, please do dampen my enthusiasm. "A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money." I take your point regarding value and not trying to be both fish and fowl. A common observation in reviews about the allroad - which I haven't noticed or else I wouldn't be considering it - is that the steering seems a little disconnected. On the thread relating to the recall to fix the notchiness under certain driving conditions, the general impression I got was that the steering came back lighter than before and the best that could be said for it was, from fallible memory, "I'm sure I'll get used to it." The Dynamic Steering seems to offer improvements beyond mere sportiness, but I'd still like to hear from some first hand experience.

From Audi's marketing blurb:

"Dynamic steering adjusts the steering ratio and effort according to the vehicle's speed.
Improves comfort and handling by dynamically regulating steering according to the driving situation. With this technology, driving is significantly more agile under everyday conditions, while directional stability and precision are increased at high speeds and in demanding driving situations.

Your benefits


Precise steering feel with good feedback from road surface
More convenient when manoeuvring and parking
Supports a sporty driving style"

[ukgroucho]

I think the fundamental 'issue' is that electromechanical steering IS disconnected... but it seems to be that way a lot of manufacturers are going right now.

For what it is worth, I find the steering on the allroad to be similar to my old C6 3.0TDi quattro avant - which was SE spec - when the drive select system is in auto or comfort modes. In dynamic it feels a bit sharper (as do throttle response and gear changes). When you start hustling along smaller roads with tight bends there is no getting away from the fact that it is a big and quite heavy car. High speed cornering on bigger roads is stable and undramatic...

[Lukenkarl]

I'm pretty much decided on an allroad BiTdi and so have been ticking all the boxes turning a £50k car into an £80k one. . I think I would get a RS6 if I was paying that

[belly buster]

I think I would get a RS6 if I was paying that

Yes but an RS6 with 30k's worth of options is £115k!

If I was going to spend £115k I would get an R8 Spyder :D

[Flattersplatter]

I think I would get a RS6 if I was paying that

Unfortunately, where I live, and where I drive to, benefits from some ground clearance, especially in winter, hence the need for some compromise.

[razor77]

Unfortunately, where I live, and where I drive to, benefits from some ground clearance, especially in winter, hence the need for some compromise.

Exactly my thoughts, horses for courses. From my perspective an RS6 is not family friendly, or at least the potential driving style :-). The big difference is total cost of ownership which can not be a direct comparison of retail price, as servicing costs are high and residuals will be lower for high miles on an RS6 when compared to a BiTdi.

Back on topic...
As an A6 BiTdi owner with sports diff (not an allroad nor with air suspension) I whole heartily say the sports diff was my best option, certainly from a driving perspective and to some part from a comfort perspective (especially for passengers on spirited drives). Whilst I agree it also suits a 'sports car' as groucho says, together with the Quattro it supports the car to get around a corner better and gives more confidence. My other deciding factor for sports diff, was sticking with sensible S-line 18" wheels for comfort, without loosing out on the road holding I might have gained with 20". So I would recomend you stick with the sports diff.

And with VCDS I have read you can lower the air suspension by a further 20mm on the All Road, and should you remap the ECU, you'll be eating S4's for breakfast, which are also kissing 2 metric tonne with fuel and a driver on board.

[ukgroucho]

And you'd be unlikely to get the same kind of discount on an RS6 as you will on an allroad... RS6 has only just launched in the UK and they will be in short supply. I briefly considered an SQ5 (wifes bidding) and ran the numbers thru DTD etc. Same spec as my allroad is pretty much the same list price but there were NO discounts available - but nearly 20% discount on the allroad.

So have you made a decision yet? Maybe see if you can as your dealer to find a car with the dynamic steering fitted and do a with and without test? It would not need to be an allroad to give you some idea...

[Flattersplatter]

So have you made a decision yet? Maybe see if you can as your dealer to find a car with the dynamic steering fitted and do a with and without test? It would not need to be an allroad to give you some idea...

I have, I think (if that isn't an indecisive decision). Other forums (fora?) seem to give it positive feedback with those that don't giving no explanation as to why not. Time to pull the trigger on autoebid and see what comes back. If I don't start the ball rolling I could be dithering over options until Xmas.

The with/without comparison in another car is a sensible suggestion.

[Molokai]

Just get it and then you can let people know if it's any good. I've no idea why I got a sports diff on the allroad. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
Of the other options I can't recommend ACC enough. Valcona on sports seats very comfortable and wearing well (12K miles). Lighting package worth the 200 quid.
Didn't see the point of adaptive lights to begin with. Now I do. Sunblind’s are useful if you have kids.

It's a really good car, better than I expected. The bitdi is quick not fast.
I accidentally drove across a moor - In 'raise' it’s surprisingly competent.

Plus it takes a beating quite well. The few dents we've managed somehow don't look so bad as I expected. Maybe something to do with the crappy bits of plastic stuck on the side.

I think spending 80K on it would be bonkers. But then so is 50K. It's all so much money...

[ScottyA6]

I thought about Allroad, and BiTDI. After three days in the 245PS S-Line Avant I had on extended test drive I decided it was well suited to my needs, in fact it filled them and some. I could waft about in peace and quiet, went up to Dalby Forest in the snow, and because it was too early and they hadn't unlocked the car parks just pulled up onto a bank of ice and snow and left it there without any worry of getting back off or out, on the A64 I could risk my licence with the best of them too. Having got mine in that same spec I do not regret it for a minute, it is a fast, capable and comfortable car that is cheaper to buy, insure and run.

Not sure about dynamic steering, I do not think that electro-mech is ever going to feel as good as a properly sorted PAS rack, in fact it is the only thing I really miss from the Jag, the feel and precission in that system made you think you were driving something far smaller and lighter than it was. I appreciate that the Audi system is physically lighter, more efficient etc but it just doesn't give the driver the same connection with the road.

As to Allroad if you need that extra clearance it is worth it, beyond that I always get the feeling that at the end of the day it looks like a pumped up Avant that has had a couple of hundred quids worth of Motorsave styling tat thrown at it, and I don't think the chrome look grille helps that at all. My Father in Law had an XC70 Ovlov and I always felt the same about that although it was one tough and capable car (it must have been to survive him !).

Once again, horses for courses

[Flattersplatter]

It's a really good car, better than I expected. The bitdi is quick not fast.
I accidentally drove across a moor - In 'raise' it’s surprisingly competent.

Plus it takes a beating quite well. The few dents we've managed somehow don't look so bad as I expected. Maybe something to do with the crappy bits of plastic stuck on the side.


This great to read. It gives me that extra bit of reassurance that the car would withstand what I want from it. How, incidentally, do accidentally cross a moor? Surely there must come a point where you realise it's just more moor up ahead and that it might be worth turning 'round. Or was it a case of being so lost in the fog that you decided to just plow on?

[Flattersplatter]

As to Allroad if you need that extra clearance it is worth it, beyond that I always get the feeling that at the end of the day it looks like a pumped up Avant that has had a couple of hundred quids worth of Motorsave styling tat thrown at it, and I don't think the chrome look grille helps that at all. My Father in Law had an XC70 Ovlov and I always felt the same about that although it was one tough and capable car (it must have been to survive him !).

Once again, horses for courses

I'm so glad you said pumped up rather than pimped up. I can live with that. I can't pretend to be a fan of the big chrome grill either, and as for the crappy plastic wheel arches, my wife has insisted that I get the full paint finish. I've shredded the plastic underbody "protection" on my last car enough times that I'm happy to put up with the styling on the allroad as long as it fulfills its advertised purpose. A friend of mine lives in what must be one of the ugliest of ex-council flats in a nice neighborhood, surrounded as it is by lovely Georgian buildings. He thinks he has the better deal around there because, wherever he gazes out of his windows, he gets to look out on delightful architecture, unlike his neighbours whose views are spoiled by the monument to '60s brutalist utilitarianism that is his building - his words not mine. I feel a bit the same way; I'm not love-struck by the exterior, but I do very much like the interior, the dashboard layout, the way it drives, what it can carry and tow, and where it can take me. I reckon I'll be on the inside looking out most of the time, and am not too bothered if others on the road pay me no attention whatsoever - well, so long as they don't cut me off. I wanted a car and not an SUV (otherwise I'd be looking at a Disco), so it came down to this or the Volvo... and I just couldn't warm to the Volvo.

Thanks for your thoughts on the steering. I've decided I'm going to go for it. Short of wrecking it, I'm going to be in this car a good eight to ten years, and as I haven't come across any posts wishing they hadn't opted for the steering, I might as well opt in. All the positives have been from US forums, and I just hoped to see some feedback from this side of the pond where the roads are, one the whole, a little more organic in their layout.