Audi A4 Allroad quattro estate (2009-2015) - Reliability & safety

Audi has a reputation for bulletproof reliability that our annual customer satisfaction survey doesn’t really back up. Despite that solid and well-built interior, mechanical reliability isn’t particularly a strong suit. However, it should hold up well in a crash, with the standard A4 scoring a full five-star rating in Euro NCAP tests.

Audi A4 Allroad reliability

The standard Audi A4 continued its descent down the Driver Power customer satisfaction survey’s list of top 100 cars in 2014, dropping a further four places from its 2013 rank of 76th to land at 80, with reliability being one of its poorest areas. This isn’t a great score, but is more understandable when you consider the A4 has been around since 2007. The car didn't feature in the top 200 ranking in 2015.

The Audi A4 Allroad itself doesn’t appear individually, because it isn't bought in sufficient numbers, but Audi as a manufacturer dropped from 12th to 13th out of 32 in the 2015 manufacturer rankings, which isn’t bad, but hardly what you'd expect of a premium brand.

Safety

There are no official Euro NCAP crash-test scores for the Audi A4 Allroad, as it's never tested this particular version of the car. However, as the Allroad is based on the standard A4, it's fair to assume that it'll offer similar protection in a crash, and that car was awarded the maximum five stars when tested.

The Allroad gets front, side and curtain airbags as standard, plus electronic stability control that detects whether the car is on tarmac or off-road and adjusts itself to suit. The quattro four-wheel-drive system that’s standard on all models makes the car safer in poor weather conditions thanks to extra grip.

There are also three ISOFIX mountings for child seats – one in the front with an airbag deactivation switch and two in the rear. Finally, a rest recommendation system detects if you're losing concentration and prompts you to take a break.