Used Audi Allroad 2000 review and buying guide (2000 to present): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Audi Allroad 2000 should you buy?

There's no safe year to aim for, because air suspension bladder failure is a known fault across the whole 2000 to 2006 run. The right car is the one whose suspension still holds its air. Each bladder is part of its strut rather than a separate item, and replacements haven't lasted well, so a car that's already had new struts isn't automatically in the clear.

From summer 2003 the range gained a 4.2 V8 petrol alongside the original 2.5 TDI V6 diesel and the twin-turbo 2.7 V6 petrol, and the suspension risk covers those later cars too. Everything here is about that first Allroad, sold between 2000 and 2006 (the C5 shape); it doesn't tell you anything about the Allroads that came after it.

Which Allroad 2000 engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

There isn't enough evidence to pick a winner between the 2.5 TDI V6 diesel, the 2.7 twin-turbo V6 petrol and the 4.2 V8 petrol that arrived in summer 2003. That's a thin record, not a clean bill of health, and there's no confirmed service schedule to lean on either, so ask the seller what's been done to the engine and when.

Gearboxes are a six-speed manual or a five-speed Tiptronic automatic. The manual could be ordered from the factory with a low-ratio box, which is the one to hunt for if you're planning serious off-road use. On the Tiptronic, the lever's manual shift works the opposite way round to what most drivers expect, so try it on the test drive before deciding you can live with it.

What should you check when viewing a used Allroad 2000?

The air suspension comes first. Raise the car to full ride height and leave it a while: the bladders often seal fine when lowered but leak once fully raised, where the split opens up, so watch for any corner dropping. Listen for the compressor running far longer than it should, and make sure the air suspension warning light isn't showing on the dash.

A warning light isn't always a strut. On one owner's car the cause was a damaged wiring connector on the compressor, and he paid £217.13 for an hour of diagnosis plus the new connector, which itself cost £2.08. Get underneath as well and look for knocks, dents and scrapes from off-road use, and ask the seller straight out whether it's been driven on rough tracks.

Ask for receipts for any strut or bladder work, showing which corners were done and when, because replacements haven't held up well and a recent one tells you more than an old one. Check there's proof of the 2001 recall that fitted a modified driver's side wiper arm, after the wipers were found to get tangled up at high speed.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

What do Allroad 2000 owners like about them?

It's a car that's at home on both tarmac and rough tracks. The ride height drops for motorway runs and lifts when the ground gets rough, giving it proper off-road clearance, and it's genuinely capable away from the road without feeling compromised on it. Underneath it's an A6 Avant, so you're not giving up an estate car to get there.

It's practical in ways a normal estate isn't. The exhaust sits tucked up out of harm's way, guards along the bottoms of the doors fend off scrub, and the low bonnet gives a clearer view out than a traditional tall 4x4. It's a natural fit for ski trips and muddy weekends.

• The Allroad, based on the A6 Avant, featured engine choices like a 180 horsepower 2.5 TDI V6 or a 250 horsepower 2.7 twin-turbo petrol V6.
• Its height-adjustable suspension system can lower for motorway driving or raise for off-road conditions, matching a Range Rover's ground clearance.
• The exhaust system is well-protected, and clever bush fenders are fitted to the door bottoms, enhancing its off-road capability.
• A 300PS 4.2 V8 Allroad model, available from summer 2003, achieves 0-60mph in 6.9 seconds and a top speed of 150mph.