The Detroit News's view

It’s sort of the automotive version of palm reading.

Len Hunt – who runs Audi of America Inc. – says he can determine the kind of car a person drives by the watch he or she wears. A Mercedes owner tends to wear a Gucci or Rolex watch. BMW drivers prefer something high-tech, like Tag Heuer.

The 45-year-old Hunt, a former London social worker who once counseled battered women and geriatric patients, wears an Omega Speedmaster. On the back of it is engraved “first watch worn on the moon.”

And Timex lovers? Probably Chevrolets or Kias. It’s all part of Hunt’s philosophy of “branding people.”

“More people see you in the cars you drive than the clothes you wear,” he said in an interview in his posh hotel room overlooking the Rockies. “Therefore, the car is an extension of you. What people start to do almost subliminally is actually take on the value of brands.”

Which leads us to an obvious question, since we’re here to dissect German automaker Audi’s newest product, the 2001 allroad quattro. Allroad is a so-called crossover vehicle that’s basically a jazzed-up performance station wagon based on the A6 Avant. What does an allroad purchase say about a person?

“It’s almost the anti-badge,” Hunt said. “It’s understated. It says more about who I am than what I do or what I earn.” Perhaps that distaste for status symbols explains why Audi officials insist on spelling allroad with a small a. Still, you’ll have to earn plenty to get into the allroad, which ranges in price from $41,900 (plus $550 destination) to about $45,000 fully loaded. Audi says the allroad is aimed largely at college-educated married couples with a median household income of $150,000 a year. The vehicle went on sale Nov. 8. Allroad is designed to compete with such diverse products as luxury sport-utility vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz M-Class, the BMW X5, the Lexus RX300 and the BMW 5-series wagons.

Perhaps allroad’s closest competitor is the Volvo V70 XC all-wheel-drive station wagon, better known as the Cross Country. It’s interesting to note you’ll pay dearly for the anti-status appeal of the allroad. Its base sticker is $7,000 more than the Volvo.

However, the newest Audi is equipped with a Cross Country-beating dual-overhead-cam 2.7-liter V-6 engine that makes 250 horsepower – 53 more than the Volvo. While the Audi has a larger and more powerful engine, it weighs almost 500 pounds more than the Cross Country, so the edge in performance is not as great as you might expect. Walter Hanek, Audi of America’s director of marketing, says eventually the allroad will get an optional V-8.

The allroad engine is either paired with a Tiptronic automatic transmission, which allows for clutchless shifting, or a six-speed manual.

Styling-wise, the allroad, with its shorter front overhang, looks somewhat more muscular and macho than the A6 Avant. The allroad is shorter and has a wider track than the Avant. It i s further set apart with dark body cladding, fender flares, dual exhaust pipes, brushed aluminum strips on the side panels and ribs along the roof.

Inside, the allroad is decked out with plenty of luxury touches, including standard leather upholstery, wood trim and dual-zone climate controls. Puny cupholders are the only disappointment. Expect to pay $800 extra for heated front and rear seats and a heated steering wheel. A rear-facing, removable children’s bench seat is a $750 option.

Our experience in the allroad included highway driving in the Vail area, plus two local off-road courses, Hardscrabble and June Creek Trail. The challenging off-road routes included rock-strewn muddy roads, some snow and veering around deer hunters and joggers.

One unique feature of the allroad is its automatic four-level pneumatic suspension, which varies the ground clearance from 5.6 inches for highway driving up to 8.2 inches for off-roading. A button on the center console a o allows the driver to manually adjust the ground clearance in about 15 seconds.

One observation: While the all-wheel-drive allroad lacks the command seating position that has made SUVs so popular, it may satisfy buyers who have tired of the truck-like feel of so many SUVs. Allroad performed and handled like an SUV, never getting stuck or sliding around in some rather dicey cliffhanger conditions. And it hugged the curves better than taller vehicles.

Standard safety features are plentiful and ought to be reassuring to most family-minded buyers. The allroad has front and side air bags and side air curtains designed to inflate and cover the entire side-window area and protect front and rear outboard passengers. Rear side air bags are a $350 option. Also standard are anti-lock brakes and an electronic stability program, which helps keep the allroad from sliding or fishtailing.

The only thing that made us uncomfortable about the allroad was the continual references by Audi executives to its “crossover” vehicle status. We may be the simple-minded sort who wears a cheap Rolex knock-off watch(warning: Honda buyer). But we know a station wagon when we see one.