The new Audi A6 Allroad is a bit smaller than an SUV, but just as capable. It’s powerful, built to last, and offers plenty of practicality and space. It’s ideal for dynamic families who want the speed of a coupe, the agility of a hatch and the usefulness of an SUV.
Desirability is always a key factor when buying an Audi. Those four rings are enticing, whether they grace the front of a saloon, a TT coupe, or a family-friendly Estate. Beyond that, the A6 is accomplished in a wide range of areas. It might be more expensive than rivals such as the VW Passat Alltrack, but it’s more stylish, more comfortable, and has better engines.
OSV takes a closer look at what it’s all about with our Audi A6 Allroad review.
The Allroad isn’t the most exciting car to drive in the world, with Audi going for a more measured approach. So what you have is an Estate that is both comfortable and smooth.
Crucially, it’s also very performative. It’s just that it’s calmer than, say, a regular sports car.
It’s also a big car, despite the brand doing well to shave some 70kg off its kerb weight. Its more lightness of being has been made possible by the introduction of aluminium; the tailgate, door parts, bonnet and front wing all get the aluminium treatment. But because it still weighs 1,855kg, there is more body lean than perhaps anyone would like, while the steering is overly weighty at times. However, it is responsive.
18” alloys and a 7-speed ‘box come as standard. These offer a good amount of grip, while quattro four-wheel-drive adds even more.
There are no petrol engines available, which means that your choice is restricted to a trio of diesels, each of which are 3.0-litre turbos. They all offer plenty of shove, and enough to make overtaking on the motorway a piece of cake.
The 316bhp variant is the most fun – and the most monstrous. It’s fast, and can do 0-62mph in 155mph, but is less efficient than the other two. The 268bhp variant will be the most popular; it costs £5,000 less than the 316, but still has enough power to rocket you from rest to 62mph in 6.2 seconds. It’s also perfectly suited to the 7-speed gearbox.
Audi weren’t going to make an Estate that wasn’t stylish, but they needed to make sure they got the balance right between style an brawn. They got it right. The beefy A6 Allroad sports stainless steel underbody guards, extended side sills and black-painted bumpers, sills and arches, which all give it presence.
Inside, it’s super comfortable. Heated leather seats help with comfort and make the cabin a pleasant place to be, while the MMI infotainment system is useful and easy to operate. The controls and switches are all easy to find and use, while the surface are as always of a high quality. Build quality is faultless.
The Estate body style already ensures a good amount of space, both for passengers and your luggage space. And because Audi are so good at getting the most out of spaces, the A6 Allroad is one of the most practical cars around. Everything is well-arranged, and access is easy.
Four adults will be able to enjoy a journey in comfort, while five should be just about okay. Folding rear seats are a great addition, the cabin is rife with storage spaces, while a big cubby makes the central transmission tunnel more useful than it is awkward. The boot, meanwhile, measures 565-litres with all the seats up. It’s far from being the biggest in class, but that should be enough room for most.
There is a pair of trims to choose from:
Standard kit across the range is good. Along with the heated leather seats and the MMI infotainment system, the basic model also gets keyless access, dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth connectivity, parking assistance and hill-start assistance.
The Sport trim is still a recent addition. If you go for it, you get treated to 19” alloys, high beam assist with your full LED headlights, heated mirrors, privacy glass, four-zone air con, and better leather.
Prices for the new car start out from £46,500 and rise to £56,500. If you want to lease the A6, you can pick up a deal from as little as £400 + VAT per month. For more information on our leasing deals, you can check out our page here.
In terms of running costs, the A6 Allroad Estate does reasonably okay. It employs a four-wheel-drive system, which means two-wheel-drive rivals will be more efficient.
However, the 3.0-litre diesel engines are all modern and can therefore return decent fuel economy. The 215bhp TDI is the least powerful in the range, and can average returns of 51.4mpg. From there, the numbers dwindle, and a 316bhp twin turbocharged diesel can only return fuel economy of 43.5mpg at best.
Insurance will cost you a fair bit, with the basic model sitting as high as group 39. The most expensive model to insure, meanwhile, occupies group 44.
There is no denying that this is car designed to last. Easily capable of dealing with the demands of a modern family, there isn’t a flimsy material in sight.
The base-level model is performative, but as you move up through the range things get decidedly powerful until you get to the top-spec model, which is formidable.
If you don’t want a full-sized SUV, this Allroad boasts smaller dimensions while still being useful.
There are cheaper alternatives.
It’s not got as many chops off-road as you might like or – having looked at it – expect.
Let’s see how the car fares against its rivals in the comparison section of our Audi A6 Allroad review.
The new BMW X5 4 x 4 is a rather big 4 x 4 that performs admirably and offers arguably the best handling in this class.
BMW have managed to get the X5’s weight down so that it’s less heavy on the road. Yet it still tips the scales at over 2,000 kg. You’d think that spells sluggish performance from a car that feels bloated, but somehow BMW have come up with a car that handles superbly and which has minimum body lean in bends.
The steering feels a bit unnatural at times and centres slowly when you emerge from corners, while the car performs poorly off-road (which is a surprise, given how it looks). Moreover, the tyres create a fair amount of noise which don’t mind intruding upon your peace and quiet in the cabin.
There is only one fully petrol engine in the range, a twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 unit that can do 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds. That’s faster than plug-in hybrid, which combines its electric motor with a 2.0-litre petrol engine so that it can get you from a standstill to 62mph in 6.8 seconds. You can run it on electric power alone, but once you switch to petrol the fuel costs will rise sharply.
There are a handful of diesel engines available, beginning with an entry-level 25d unit that delivers up to 228bhp, and which can get you from rest to 62 in 7.7 seconds. For more pulling power and refinement, the 3.0-litre six pot engines are better. Available in either 255, 308 or 375bhp guise, the fastest of them all can do 0-62mph is 5.3 seconds.
The diesels are not as performative as the petrol engine, but they’ll be more than enough for most people. They’re reasonably affordable to run, too, with the 25d capable or returning fuel economy of 53.3mpg while costing just £130 a year in road tax. Compare that to the
£500 you’ll have to pay each year if you plump for the V8 petrol engine.
BMW excel when it comes to stylish interiors. These days, they’re also generous with their standard kit, which here includes a DAB digital radio, climate control, cruise control, a 20GB hard drive, and the brand’s iDrive control system.
The dash is easy on the eye and neatly organised, the steering wheel and driver’s seat offer lots of adjustment, and everything is well-built. A 10” high-def screen is a highlight, while the touch-sensitive pad makes it easier than ever to execute commands.
You can specify an extra row of seats if you need more passengers and don’t mind forsaking some boot space. Without the third row of seats, the boot measures 650-litres, though this can be increased to 1,870 if you fold down the rear seats. It’s not the largest in the class, but it isn’t far off and should be enough for most buyers.
Other storage spaces include huge seat back pockets, plenty of cup holders and some big door bins. Upfront, space is excellent and the large leather seats help to create the illusion of even more room. Three adults should be comfortable in the back, and for once the middle-seated passenger isn’t piggy in the middle, thanks to a wide central seat.
Price:
Audi – £46,500 – £56,500
BMW – £44,500 – £90,000
The new Skoda Octavia Scout Estate is solidly-built, powerful, and boasts a spacious interior.
Impressive performance is not something we’ve traditionally associated with Skoda over the years, but that’s exactly what the Scout Estate can offer here. The car is well-planted and comfortable, and manages to keep body lean to a minimum in bends. The car comes with four-wheel-drive, but although that doesn’t automatically make it an excellent off-roader, it is more than capable of getting you out of trouble.
There are no petrol engines available and only one diesel, which comes in two separate power guises – 148 and 181bhp. If you prefer manual gearboxes, you’ll have to stick to the least powerful of the two.
Both engines should be fast enough for your needs, with the 148bhp variant capable of doing 0-62mph in 9.1 seconds. The 181bhp, paired up with a DSG automatic transmission, covers the same distance in just 7.8 seconds.
The lack of front-wheel-drive harms fuel consumption, and the most frugal engine in the range – the 148bhp diesel – averages fuel economy returns of 58.9mpg while incurring a yearly £110 road tax bill. The 181bhp fares only slightly less worse at the pumps, and achieves average returns of 56.5mpg, while landing you with the exact same road tax bill.
The interior is well-built and roomy, and thanks to a soft suspension setup it’s also comfortable. External noises are also kept to a minimum, which overall makes the cabin a pleasant place to be. The dashboard is clearly well put-together, there are plenty of high-quality materials here and there, while standard kit is impressive and includes an infotainment system, touchscreen sat-nav, cruise control and rear parking sensors.
If the Skoda Octavia Scout majors on anything it’s practicality. The 610-litre boot is gargantuan, and can be extended to a staggering 1,740-litres if you fold down the rear seats. And should you need even more space, you can make use of the false floor.
Head and legroom is fantastic upfront and in the rear, and while the four-wheel-drive system puts a a massive dent in consumption, it turns the car into a strong tower.
Price:
Skoda – £25,700 – £28,500
The new Audi A6 Allroad couldn’t really go wrong. Its predecessor was already an excellent car, which meant Audi just had to build on its success.
They’ve done it well. The engines are strong and inexpensive to run, the interior is classy and spacious, while quattro gives it some sturdy mettle. It feels a bit top heavy but that’s a minor criticism. Overall, we’re big fans of the new Audi A6 Allroad.
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31st May 2016
The new Audi A6 Allroad is a car that doesn’t come with any pretensions. Available as a Quattro estate, it’s an all-rounder that is practical and comfortable, and which comes with Audi’s prestigious badge appeal. Higher priced than some of its rivals, the key question is whether this 4×4 estate is better as a 4×4…
Presented by Will Titterington
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