Audi will travel to next week’s Shanghai Motor Show to introduce a more rugged-looking version of the prologue avant concept that was presented in Geneva last month. Called prologue allroad, the show car previews the future of Audi’s posh station wagon on stilts.
Designed to go off the beaten path, the allroad sits three inches higher than the prologue avant. It gets redesigned bumpers on both ends that improve the approach and departure angles, protective black plastic trim over the wheel arches and the rocker panels and a set of brushed aluminum roof rails. 22-inch five-spoke alloy wheels add a premium touch to the overall look.
The Prologue allroad is powered by a plug-in hybrid drivetrain made up of a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter TFSI V8 engine and a compact electric motor integrated into an eight-speed tiptronic gearbox. The two power sources send 734 horsepower and 663 lb-ft. of torque to all four wheels via Audi’s time-tested quattro all-wheel drive system.
The wagon can reach 62 mph from a stop in a sports car-like 3.5 seconds when the two power sources deliver the system’s full output. Alternatively, it returns up to 98 mpg in a mixed European cycle when it is driven with a light right foot.
The electric motor can power the allroad on its own for roughly 33 miles by drawing juice from a high-capacity lithium-ion battery pack located under the cargo compartment. The pack can be recharged while driving, by plugging the wagon into a household outlet or by using Audi’s on-board wireless charger. The latter technology will be found on the company’s regular-production models in the coming years.
Audi has not revealed exactly what the future holds for the prologue allroad concept. It could simply shed insight into what the allroad of the future will look like, or it could be toned down for production and become the next-gen allroad.
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