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It's hard to think of a better 'one car fits all' solution than Audi's A6 allroad quattro. It's presentable in any situation and as at home in the city as it is blasting across continents or slogging its way along dirt tracks. What's more, it'll do all this in any weather, in total comfort and with some style. That much we already knew about this model. This fifth generation version though, improves the concept further, with sleeker style, a classier cabin and the option of a PHEV drivetrain for the first time as an alternative to the six cylinder diesel that still suits this car perfectly. It is, in short, a smarter choice for those who need occasional off road traction and all-weather capability.
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Background
The A6 allroad is the kind of car Audi does better than anyone else. Not that anyone else is doing this model any more - a large executive class rough track-capable luxury estate. Which in the case of the A6 allroad is now in its fifth generation.
It's a genre Audi has had pretty much to itself since the original A6 allroad was introduced as a more capable take on the A6 Avant estate back in 2000. The initial idea was for a stop-gap model until the first generation Q7 SUV arrived. But customers liked the allroad concept and with subsequently A6 Avant generations, the A6 allroad reappeared, with an MK2 version in 2006, an MK3 in 2012 and an MK4 in 2019, seven years before launch of the fifth generation version we look at here.
Only Mercedes has (rather half-heartedly) dabbled in this niche segment in this time (with the E-Class All-Terrain of 2017-2019). And you might wonder why Audi persists with it given that it currently has eight bespoke-designed SUVs in its model line-up. But the A6 allroad appeals to people with an outdoors lifestyle who don't want an SUV, but need something a little bigger more luxurious than they might get in, say, a Subaru Outback (a model which was more directly targeted by Audi's much less successful A4 allroad).
So what's in store with this fifth generation A6 allroad? Let's take a closer look.
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Range data
| Min | Max |
| Price | 69720 | 83945 |
| CO2 (g/km) | 154 | 54 |
| Max Speed (mph) | 155 | 155 |
| 0-62 mph (s) | 5.5 | 5.4 |
| Combined Mpg | 48.1 | 119.7 |
| Min | Max |
| Length (mm) | 5016 | 5016 |
| Width (mm) | 1986 | 1986 |
| Height (mm) | 1479 | 1479 |
| Boot Capacity (l) | 404 | 466 |
| Power (ps) | 299 | 367 |
| Torque (lb ft) | 380 | 580 |
Driving experience
For a quarter of a century, two things have definitively characterised the A6 allroad driving experience: adaptive air suspension and a big torquey six cylinder diesel engine. And both, as you would expect, are still very much a key part of the engineering of this fifth generation version.
We'll start with the bespoke air suspension set-up, since that's what distances this allroad model from an ordinary six cylinder diesel A6 Avant (and from a cheaper AWD estate like a Subaru Outback). In this case, the system has two dedicated off-road settings, raising the car by 15mm to start with, then a further 20mm of lift is possible to cope with gnarlier tracks. For these, the driver can also engage the 'off-road+' drive mode which allows for extra slip and locks the differential more readily, while at the same time increasing shift points in the seven-speed auto transmission.
It's all about as far as you can go in a car of this type without installing a low-range gearbox (which the first generation A6 allroad had as an option but which we haven't seen on any kind of Audi since).
As for that six cylinder engine (the only six cylinder unit you can have in any A6), well it is of course Audi's usual 3.0 V6 TDI mild hybrid unit with 299PS and a lusty 580Nm of torque. The brand's 'MHEV plus' technology incorporating a belt alternator starter, a powertrain generator and an electric-powered compressor contributes an extra 24PS and 0-62mph needs just 5.4s.
The TDI unit is a good fit for this allroad, but if you're not convinced, then you'll be interested to know that for this MK5 version, Audi is also offering a plug-in hybrid petrol model. With that e-hybrid variant, though there's only four cylinders you actually get more power - 367PS. And the 22kWh battery placed between the rear seats and the boot floor is supposed to be to provide enough energy for up to 63 miles of all-electric driving.
As well as the silky air suspension system, both variants get a rear-wheel steering set-up that turns the rear wheels up to 5-degrees in the opposite direction to the fronts at up to 37mph; and they move the same direction as the fronts by up to 2-degrees at speeds above that. As usual with this kind of system, the result is tighter low-speed manoeuvring and more stable high-speed cornering.
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Design and build
The last four generations of A6 allroad have looked only subtly different from the A6 Avant models they've been based on - but all that changes here. This MK5 model gets a body fully 110mm wider than the regular A6 estate - and sits 34mm taller too. Plus there's a bespoke take on the usual huge A6 'Singleframe' front grille, which for the allroad features stretched hexagons supposed to emphasise height. There's also lots of extra glossy black bodywork to set this model apart, though how that would stand up to off-road shenanigans is anyone's guess. Wheel sizes are between 19 and 21-inches.
There's a lot less that's unique to the allroad inside - actually almost nothing, apart from a few bespoke off-road graphics and controls accessible via the centre screen. That's 14.5-inches in size as usual on A6, part of the curved OLED dashboard that also incorporates an 11.9-inch instrument display. With top 'Vorsprung' trim, the front passenger gets a 10.9-inch touchscreen too.
Our cabin issues are the same as for the ordinary A6 Avant - too much gloss black easily-scratchable plastic; and the fact that virtually everything has to be operated through the centre screen. At least finding a good driving position is easy.
It feels spacious in the rear, where the vast panoramic glass roof can add to the feeling of airiness. But there's a high centre tunnel, so fitting three people in will be challenging. You might be expecting more in terms of boot space for a car of this size - capacity is rated at 466-litres for the diesel and 404-litres for the e-hybrid. Still, at least there's a wide, low loading aperture. And a convenient 40:20:40 rear seat back split. When everything is flat, the diesel version can take up to 1,497-litres.
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Market and model
Pricing for the TDI quattro version starts at around £70,000 for the standard 'Black Edition' version - or around £81,500 for the plusher 'Vorsprung' TDI model. If you want the e-hybrid petrol PHEV, prices start at around £72,000 for the 'Black Edition' version - or around £84,000 for the 'Vorsprung' variant. In both cases, that's a big chunk more than you'd pay for a conventional A6 Avant, but it's difficult to be specific about the model premium as the allroad comes with different engines to that conventional model (a six cylinder rather than a four cylinder diesel; and a higher-output PHEV).
As you'd hope for those sums, even base 'Black Edition' spec comes with plenty of kit. As well as the allroad-specific engineering features mentioned in our 'Driving' section, there's 19-inch Audi Sport black metallic wheels, Matrix headlights, roof rails, a powered tailgate and adaptive cruise control. Inside, there's power-adjustable heated front sports seats upholstered in a combination of real and faux leather. Plus a sport leather steering wheel and stainless steel pedals.
'Vorsprung' trim gets you larger 20-inch wheels, Digital OLED rear lights and a panoramic sunroof with switchable transparency. Plus there's an MMI front passenger display, a head-up display, a 360-degree surround view camera and a Bang & Olufsen premium sound system with 3D sound.
On both models, assistance systems include Intersection Assist, front emergency brake assist, lane departure warning, swerve assist and turn assist.
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Cost of ownership
For the petrol e-hybrid, the figures are up to 119.7mpg (engine and battery combined), up to 40.1mpg (just using the engine) and up to 54g/km. The e-hybrid's 63 mile EV range figure can rise to as much as 70 miles in the city. Charging the e-hybrid from empty to full using a three-phase 11kW AC wallbox needs 2 hours and 30 minutes. To get close to the stated figures, you'll need to regularly engage the most frugal drive mode (Efficiency) and get proactive with the provided three brake regen settings.
The TDI model is rated at up to 48.1mpg on the combined cycle and up to 154g/km of CO2. The key engineering efficiency development with the diesel version of this MK5 A6 Allroad is, as we told you in our 'Driving' section, the new 'MHEV plus' mild hybrid system. This is based on a 48-volt on-board electrical system that supports the combustion engine and reduces CO2 emissions while increasing performance. Its added powertrain generator (the 'PTG') enables electric driving components that contribute to a reduction in fuel consumption.
The 'MHEV plus' system offers advantages in CO2 emissions compared to the previous MHEV set-up. The PTG can also add up to 24PS of electric power to the output of the combustion engine. When decelerating, the PTG feeds energy back into the battery at up to 25kW. As a result, purely electric manoeuvring and parking are possible to a limited extent.
As usual with Audi models, there's a choice of either a 'Fixed' or a 'Flexible' servicing regime, the choice between the two depending on the extent of your likely annual mileage.
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Summary
British roads are routinely rated as the worst in Western Europe and made worse by an average of 184 wet days every year, mostly throughout winters that climatologists claim are set to get more unpredictable, with higher likelihoods of snowfall. High fuel prices and spiralling taxation rates make that a difficult challenge to meet in an SUV. So an all-wheel drive estate car with elevated ride height that's right for the rough, efficient to operate and beautiful to ride in seems to be the perfect car for well-heeled British families.
A6 allroad buyers are apparently the most affluent of any of Audi's customers, so it makes sense perhaps that they're also amongst the cleverest, amongst the few choosing a car with four-wheel drive for what they actually need it to do, rather than buying into vague perceptions of safety and social standing. There are other biggish, plush estates that offer limited off road ability of course, but without the clever air suspension that really makes this car work in that respect, these can seem very pretentious and contrived.
No, if you want the occasional benefits of better ground clearance and off road traction without the usual clunky dynamic downsides. If you can do without the image, expense and bulk of a fully-fledged SUV. And if, in summary, you want to make a sensible lifestyle statement, then we can't think of a much better way to do it.
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