Auto News 5

For the new year the sporty A4 Avant has disappeared from our shores and instead you'll find the 2013 Audi Allroad at your Audi store, a different riff on the whole station wagon thing. You can tell right off, as the plastic cladding on the rockers, more ground clearance and a full-frame grille ablaze with LED lights let you know all about it.

You would be forgiven for forgetting that this is a quarter-million-dollar car because it just doesn't feel special. Yes, the eight-cylinder is a well of seemingly infinite power and every surface that looks like metal, leather, or glass is what is looks, but there is some ephemeral sensation missing. It's as though this Bentley ticks all the boxes on what a ultra-luxury car should have: it has a specialized, high-end audio system designed by Naim and bespoke to the car; it has ornate, cross-hatched metal detailing; and a powerful 500-hp 4.0-liter V-8 engine. But none of those pieces feel as though they are a step above the mainline luxury fray, as should be the case in a car with this price tag. In fact, the engine was co-developed with Audi for use in most of the lesser brand's products.