2023 Audi A6 Allroad Review Update
What Owners Say About the Audi A6 - Find the best Audi deals!
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
The Audi A6 competes in the Upper Midsize Premium Car market segment. According to data collected from verified new-vehicle buyers for the J.D. Power 2022 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, 81 percent of new Audi A6 buyers are male (vs. 82 percent for the segment), and the median age of a new A6 buyer is 62 years (vs. 61).
As part of the APEAL Study, owners rated the A6 in 10 primary categories. Listed below in descending order, you'll find their preferences, from their most favorite thing about the vehicle to their least favorite:
- Exterior styling
- Driving feel
- Feeling of safety
- Powertrain
- Driving comfort
- Interior design
- Getting in and out
- Infotainment
- Setting up and starting
- Fuel economy
In the 2022 APEAL Study, the A6 ranks fourth out of five Upper Midsize Premium Car models.
What Our Independent Expert Says About the Audi A6 - Find the best Audi deals!
In the following sections, our independent expert analyzes an A6 Allroad Prestige equipped with the following options:
- Dew Silver metallic paint
- Luxury package
- Black Optic package
- Bang & Olufsen 3D Advanced Sound system
The test vehicle's price was $83,940, including the $1,095 destination charge.
Luxury With an Extra Measure of Confidence in Foul Weather
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
The idea behind the Audi A6 Allroad is simple. Take a station wagon, give it AWD, raise the suspension, add some rugged design details, and you've got an alternative to the SUVs seemingly everybody drives nowadays. It's the Subaru Outback recipe applied to a plush luxury car.
And the A6 Allroad Prestige is plush inside, just like the A6 Prestige sedan. So, from the driver's seat, the Allroad looks, feels, and operates just like the trunk-equipped A6. It has no extra passenger room but offers plenty of comfort, convenience, and technology. However, apparently, the test vehicle's Sarder Brown leather is no longer available.
Aside from the wagon body style, you can't see the changes that make the Allroad different from the A6. For starters, it comes with the A6's 55 TFSI engine as standard equipment. It's a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 making 335 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, and it has 48-volt mild-hybrid electrification to help improve fuel economy.
A 7-speed S-tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT) pairs with an Audi Quattro Ultra AWD system. Quattro Ultra powers the Allroad's front wheels unless added traction is necessary. Six driving modes are available: Auto, Comfort, Dynamic, Individual, Allroad, and Offroad.
In addition, the A6 Allroad has a standard adaptive air suspension tuned specifically for this model. Choose the Allroad driving mode and the suspension adds 1.2 inches of ground clearance when traveling below 22 mph. The Offroad mode bumps that up to 1.8 inches under the same speed.
In addition, Audi installs a hill-descent control system and a tilt-angle assist system that can warn the driver if the Allroad might tip over while off-roading. But, with no more than 7.3 inches of ground clearance and nothing to protect the vehicle's underside, I don't recommend attempting any terrain where that might be a problem.
The Devil is In the Details
Considering the test car's vulnerable underbelly, great-looking 20-inch wheels, 245/45 Continental ProContact all-season tires, and what I presume would be expensive repairs should I damage anything, I elected to stick to gravel and dirt roads while sampling the Quattro Ultra system.
On the gravel road, the Allroad had no trouble with traction or directional stability, though the washboard surface occasionally transmitted too much of itself too clearly into the cabin.
Later, before heading down a short, well-traveled but lumpy dirt road, I switched to the Allroad setting to raise the suspension. I would have chosen Offroad, but this mode turns off the stability control and Audi Pre Sense safety features, so I didn't take advantage of its extra half-inch of height. As it turned out, I didn't need Offroad mode. Aside from scraping the undercarriage on some brush, the A6 successfully crossed sharper bumps and ruts in the road as long as I traveled deliberately and carefully.
I also performed a full-throttle launch from a dirt shoulder onto a paved road, and the Allroad had no problem with traction or getting up to speed. The turbocharged V6 makes plenty of power, and Audi claims the Allroad can accelerate to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds.
When a test vehicle has driving modes, I typically assess the powertrain while driving in whatever mode approximates what might be considered 'normal.' In the A6 Allroad, that mode was Auto. When driving in urban and suburban situations, I regularly detected a momentary delay in responsiveness. This delay caused me to push harder on the accelerator pedal, but then the drivetrain would produce more response than I wanted or expected.
So, I switched to Dynamic mode. That solved the delayed response but also caused the transmission to hold gears longer than necessary before upshifting a cog or two. This behavior introduced busy shifting to the experience and made it harder to modulate the power properly.
Next, I tried the Individual mode, selecting Balanced instead of Dynamic for the powertrain, Sport for the suspension, and the lightest-effort setting for the steering. Unfortunately, this calibration still failed to satisfy, blending the lazy response and surging power of Auto mode with occasional clunking and thunking from the drivetrain.
My inability to coax the preferred drivetrain response from the A6 Allroad's mild-hybrid turbo V6 is a shame. I can't figure out if the issue is related to the DCT, the Quattro Ultra system, the mild-hybrid's lack of an integrated starter/generator similar to what Audi's rival Mercedes-Benz uses, or good old-fashioned turbo lag.
As for fuel economy, the EPA says the A6 Allroad should get 24 mpg in combined city/highway driving. The test vehicle returned 23.3 mpg on the evaluation route, suggesting the EPA fuel-economy rating is accurate.
Regarding driving dynamics, the A6 Allroad provides a compliant ride with capable handling. This Audi feels smooth and refined in everyday situations, if not quite as isolated from road noise and surface anomalies as expected. As is typical with German-engineered vehicles, the brakes can feel a little grabby in heavy traffic, but you can acclimate to this behavior.
On the mountainous portion of the driving route, switched into the Dynamic driving mode, the Allroad proved the most satisfying to drive. The powertrain worked well in this situation, and while the Allroad isn't thrilling on twisting two-lane roads, it demonstrates competence and predictability.
For example, while the Allroad displays some body roll, squat, and dive, it is blessedly free of excess and sudden body motions. Also, though the steering feels artificially weighted and isn't particularly fast, it is accurate and doesn't require mid-corner correction. Similarly, while the all-season tires squeal early in curves, the Allroad tracks well through them and exits without drama. Lastly, though the test car's brakes did begin transmitting some vibration through the pedal after repeated use, there wasn't an ounce of fade associated with the behavior.
What's important to remember is this: The A6 Allroad is a German wagon, not a German sport wagon. So, for maximum on-pavement performance, you'll want the RS 6 Avant.
While I think Audi could fine-tune some of the A6 Allroad's dynamic behaviors, I believe the mission, execution, and calibration of this vehicle are valid. And, despite its quirks, I did enjoy driving it.
More Practical Than an A6 Sedan, But Not Quite as Useful as a Q7 SUV
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
In addition to the A6 Allroad's added ground clearance when traveling at low speeds, utility is a great reason to choose this model.
For example, with an A6 sedan, you get 13.7 cubic feet of cargo space in the trunk, while the A6 Allroad supplies 30 cubic feet. The cargo hold is practical, too, providing a netted storage area to the left, an adjustable strap on the right, hooks on either side, and rails embedded into the floor for adjustable cleats. The cargo cover rises to make loading easier when the liftgate is open, and release handles drop the back seats for extra room when necessary.
As you can see in the photo above, you can load three or four full-size suitcases into the Allroad, sliding them in on their sides with enough room to close the liftgate. If you place the suitcases flat and stack them, enough room remains to add several backpacks.
Also, when you fold the seats down to expand capacity, the A6 Allroad can reportedly accommodate 63.8 cubic feet of cargo. In addition, the wider cargo opening lets you load larger, bulkier items into the cargo area than with the A6 sedan.
Compared to a similarly priced and equipped Audi Q7, the A6 Allroad isn't quite as accommodating. For example, the Q7 holds 37.5 cubic feet of cargo behind its second-row seat (25 percent more than the Allroad) and up to 69.6 cubic feet behind the front seats (10 percent more). Plus, the Q7 comes with a small third-row seat for carrying up to seven people.
However, the Allroad has a lower liftover height than most SUVs, making loading heavy items easier. And, if you're planning to use the roof rails to attach a bike or kayak carrier or a rooftop cargo box, loading is more effortless because the Allroad sits lower and closer to the, umm, road.
During a week spent driving the A6 Allroad, the power liftgate sometimes seemed to have a mind of its own. For example, I exited a building to find the Allroad's liftgate wide open, and I have no idea how or why it happened. In addition, while examining the details of the cargo area, the liftgate suddenly and unexpectedly began closing and hit me on the head. Again, it is a mystery as to why this occurred.
If I had to guess, I'd say the key fob's power liftgate button got pressed against my wallet in my right front pocket, activating the accidental functioning of the liftgate.
Available Black Optic and Full Body Color Appearance Upgrades
Since Audi introduced the current-generation A6 Allroad in 2020, it has begun offering a Black Optic package for all A6 sedan and Allroad versions.
The test vehicle had this upgrade, which includes terrific looking 20-inch 5-arm turbine-style wheels in a platinum gray finish, gloss black exterior detailing (grille, window surrounds, front and rear bumper trim), black roof rails, and Manhattan Gray contrast paint for the lower body and wheel arches.
Alternatively, you can get full body paint if you choose one of these four colors: Mythos Black, Glacier White, Firmament Blue, or Florett Silver. This option makes the A6 Allroad look more like a traditional station wagon and less like a crossover SUV.
Independent Expert Opinion - Find the best Audi deals!
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
I am a wagon guy. They are relatively rare, unlike ubiquitous SUVs. In addition, they're typically more rewarding to drive and more efficient than an SUV while providing similar utility and the foul-weather traction of all-wheel drive.
The Audi A6 Allroad looks terrific, is very comfortable, and is mostly enjoyable to drive. However, Audi's arch-rivals, BMW and Mercedes, build more satisfying turbocharged, mild-hybrid 6-cylinder powertrains. Also, the A6 displays a hollowness you don't sense in a Bimmer or a Benz, from what it sounds like when you drum your fingers on parts of the interior to how small but sharp road anomalies can dully ring into the cabin through the suspension.
As of this writing, the 2023 Audi A6 Allroad is a rarity but is not the only game in town. BMW doesn't sell wagons in the States, but I'd recommend cross-shopping it with the Mercedes-Benz E 450 All-Terrain wagon and the Volvo V90 Cross Country. While the elegant Audi holds its own in this trio, you may find one of the alternatives more appealing.
No matter which one you get, don't wait too long. None of these wagons sells in substantial numbers, making their continued existence in the U.S. market tenuous.
Christian Wardlaw is a veteran automotive journalist with nearly 30 years of experience test-driving vehicles. He began his career at Edmunds and now owns Speedy Daddy Media, Inc., an automotive content creation company serving several automotive publishers. In addition to JDPower.com, his work has appeared in numerous new- and used-car buying guides, newspapers, and automotive industry trade journals.
The opinions expressed in this review are the author’s own, not J.D. Power’s.
No portion of these reviews may be reproduced, distributed, publicly displayed, or used for a derivative work without J.D. Power’s written permission. © 2024 J.D. Power
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