2015 Audi A6 Allroad Quattro Review

Once a limited edition model, Audi has launched an updated version of the A6 Allroad wagon with a more fuel-efficient V6 turbo diesel, sharp new looks and a freshened interior. Best of all, the updated Audi A6 Allroad is priced at $111,900 – that’s $6,000 less than the car it replaces.

Yep, new engine, fresh looks and more kit but $6K less – that’s value by any measure. No wonder it’s now a permanent addition to the Audi range.

 

Audi A6 Allroad Overview

This is the high-riding version of the gorgeous A6 Avant (wagon) for non-SUV people . How high? Well, with adaptive air suspension in ‘Lift’ mode that’s 185mm of ground clearance (175mm in ‘Allroad’, 140mm in ‘Comfort/Auto’ or 125mm in ‘Dynamic’).

So Audi A6 Allroad is ideal for families with active lifestyles which dictate a modicum of off-road ability. Dimensionally slightly larger than the regular A6 Avant, the Allroad runs the familiar exterior enhancements like tougher 19-inch alloy wheels and suspension plus visual clues like plastic protection for the wheel arches.

Audi being Audi, the A6 Allroad is beautifully kitted-out inside with glorious leather seats and lots of technology.

 

Audi A6 Allroad Engine

Audi has revised the 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel for EU6 compliance. Included are auto start-stop and a coasting mode (when you select ‘efficiency’ in Drive Select) which disengages the powertrain when you lift off the accelerator.

Maximum power is 160kW and peak torque is 500Nm.

Even better is fuel consumption which has dropped to 5.6l/100kms (from 6.6l/100kms in the old model).

Drive is to all four wheels via Audi’s acclaimed Quattro system which normally splits the drive 40:60 front/rear. In tough conditions this can vary up to 70 per-cent to the front or 85 per-cent to the rear.

The Audi A6 Allroad also comes with the Quattro sports differential at the rear which continuously varies torque split between the rear wheels (torque vectoring).

In off-road conditions your mobility is aided by Hill Descent Control (actively applies the brakes to maintain a desired speed).

 

Audi A6 Allroad The Interior

From the A1 through to the A8, Audi always excels with interiors and the A6 Allroad is up there with the best of them. It’s so good in fact that for the update, Audi really only threw-in a re-shaped gear lever, full colour driver information system and some extra chrome and aluminium highlights.

In front of the driver is a curved instrument binnacle with rev-counter and speedometer and in between is that colour driver information system which includes the satellite navigation display and to the left is the retractable eight-inch MMI navigation screen. You have the usual gorgeous Audi three-spoke sports steering wheel (rake/reach adjustment).

Seats are works of art trimmed in beautiful Milano leather. And everyone can be comfortable with four-zone climate control air.

Rear seat accommodation is spacious and outback is a massive cargo area – 1,680-litres with the rear seat folded or 565-litres when in-place.

 

Audi A6 Allroad Exterior & Styling

We’re sure the styling department at Audi is populated by tea leaf readers and artisans in the numbers requisite of any styling team but we’re confident it was the high-performance/motorsport enthusiasts who penned the update for the A6 Allroad. Just check-out the awesome front-end with new LED headlights (Matrix LED optional), the new wider Audi singleframe grille and revised lower air intake – that’s dynamic with a capital ‘D’.

At the rear are new linear illumination LED tail-lights with dynamic indicators, the hallmark Allroad stainless steel underbody protection and a chrome tailgate strip.

Of course the Allroad is the chunkier version of the A6 Avant so, as well as the raised ride height, it also features the front-end protection, side sills and plastic wheel arch protectors which provide its off-road suitability.

Massive 10-spoke 19-inch alloy wheels with sturdy higher profile tyres provide extra ‘meat’ for the exterior look.

 

Audi A6 Allroad On The Road

Audi sent us off from Mary River in the Northern Territory up to Darwin over a mixture of the Territory’s acclaimed high-speed bitumen roads with just a little high-speed dirt thrown-in for good measure. The only other appropriate place to test the A6 Allroad would have been in the snow-covered high country of Victoria or NSW but in May that wasn’t a goer.

The Audi A6 Allroad is that sort of car. It’s not a Q7, rather it’s a powerful, high-speed German wagon – the sort of car preferred by families who ski or who have weekenders in hard-to-get-to places.

And man-o-man did we get a shove in the back when we unleashed that 160kW/500Nm V6 turbo-diesel on those fast NT roads. Remember this is a wagon, but zero to 100km/h takes just 7.3 seconds and we won’t tell you the top speed we saw, but it did start with a ‘2’.

OK it’s not a twin-turbo RS6 Avant, rather a wagon which has ground clearance up to 185mm, but the Audi A6 Allroad felt nicely tied-down despite those high speeds. Not even a strong, buffeting crosswind at a couple of points could destabilize the A6 Allroad.

‘Twisty’ is not a term you can apply to Top End roads but the corners we tackled were traversed at enormous speeds with immaculate response from the Audi A6 Avant. That’s the beauty of the speed-sensitive adaptive air suspension with continuous active damping for all four wheels.

At all times in the Territory, but especially when the speedo is well north of 160km/h, you keep a keen eye out for wildlife. We had no problems during the day but at night we would have had the advantage of Audi’s excellent ‘Night Vision Assistant’ which uses thermal imaging to detect animals (or pedestrians) in front and provides flashing warning light in the instrument cluster.

Dirt roads mean dust so, in the name of full reporting, your www.carshowroom.com.au correspondent jumped to the head of the cue to lead the peloton down the winding fine gravel track out of the National Park. With unrestricted vision - and some familiarity of the route from the convey trip in - we gave the Audi A6 Allroad loose reins and it responded with a remarkably poised display of Quattro grip and direct response as we drifted through some of the turns like a World Rally car – brilliant!

On road of course the A6 Allroad was supremely quiet inside – at any speed. We didn’t think refinement was lacking in the previous A6 Allroad but Audi says the acoustic glazing for the front and side windows which was included in this update has reduced interior noise by 8dB.

 

Audi A6 Allroad Challenges

We’ve read some reports which allude to the Audi A6 Allroad being a bit blunted on-road. We ask: compared to what? The $225,000 twin-turbo V8 RS6 Avant?

There’s nothing similar which even comes close to the Audi A6 Allroad (except the smaller A4 Allroad).

 

Audi A6 Allroad Verdict

We ‘get’ the Audi A6 Allroad. Yes it’s a unique and somewhat specialist car with appeal to only a limited number of people but we reckon it’s terrific.

In many ways it’s a testament to the diverse and incredible talent of the German automotive industry and Audi in particular. Here we have a high-performance wagon, with all the practicality you could ask for, but with the ability to get you to your ski lodge or camp site in even the worst of conditions.

In bringing to market an updated model with a better engine and even more equipment for $6,000 less than the one it replaces Audi has done us a favor. This thing is brilliant. 

 

Audi A6 Allroad the Competition

Like its smaller sibling, the Audi A4 Allroad, the A6 Allroad is unique. You can’t really compare the Volkswagen Pass at Alltrack (130kW/380Nm) as it’s a $48,290 proposition without the equipment level or performance of the A6.