Audi A6 Allroad review – the estate car that thinks it’s an SUV

With the world falling out of love with the large family estate car, preferring to continue its blind love affair with the SUV, there remain a few stalwarts that will still sell you all the car you’ll ever actually need™. In Audi’s case it continues to also offer a halfway house with its A6 Allroad, which was first introduced in 1999 and the fifth generation is now here, costing from £70,495. 

This latest A6 Allroad retains its predecessor's increased ride height (it offers 55mm of ride height adjustment over a regular A6 Avant) and while the bodywork continues to include additional rugged protective cladding, it’s less overt than previous generations. With its RS6-esque blistered arches there’s also a skunkworks feel about its appearance. Overall it also looks far more considered than its predecessors, in terms of being less of an afterthought and more of a considered cohesive design. Even the RS6 GT’s cut-away air vents behind the front wheel arches have been included. 

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Engine choice is down to a six-cylinder turbo diesel or a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid petrol; the V6 is a mild-hybrid with a 24bhp electric motor integrated within the seven-speed double-clutch gearbox. While the petrol engine is the same 367bhp unit that Audi also fits to the S5 and SQ5, the 295bhp, 428lb ft diesel is the same engine that powers the standard A6 and new Q7. It therefore features the new electronic compressor and variable geometry turbocharger. 

It pulls like the proverbial steam train as all good turbo diesels should, which is a rare experience in a modern car as homogenous engine development and ever stricter emissions regulations has killed off the diesel engine and made many petrol engines a little anemic. It’s a reminder of the benefits, and for some the appeal, of a large capacity, high torque, low revving engine doing a very straight forward jump to the highest degree of efficiency. In a world of synthetic sounding and feeling turbocharged petrol engines, the Allroad’s diesel feels old school mechanical and is all the better for it. I’m not convinced the four-pot petrol PHEV would be a good choice. 

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Performance is just about brisk enough with a slow start building to some serious mid-range shove. So while electric car drivers will scoff at its 5.4sec 0-62mph time, its mid-range pace feels unburstable and the Allroad feels that it was designed to sit at three-figure speed all day long on the autobahn. Or 70mph on the M1. Its 60-litre fuel tank and the 45mpg we recorded over a 1000 miles of testing equated to a 585 mile range and only a few minutes to replenish its fuel tank. Admittedly at current fuel costs that makes an electric fast charger on a motorway look good value. 

Underpinning the Allroad is a mix of air suspension with adaptive dampers and five-link hardware front and rear. This combination allows you to lower the Allroad’s ride height by 20mm or raise it by 35mm. On the optional 21-inch wheels (20-in items are standard fitment) the ride is supple if not S-class smooth, but its superior body control over an SUV makes it a far more relaxing car to drive either on long motorway hauls or cross country, where there’s next to no float or aloofness to deal with. You’re not bombarded with communication but there are no surprises to manage either, it's all very neutral and measured. 

Standard rear-wheel steering adds ability when manoeuvring and stability at higher speeds, and the wider front track maintains a consistent turn-in. It might have pseudo RS6 looks but it’s no V8 uber-wagon. Drive it as intended though and you’ll find an estate car that ticks all the boxes you’d expect when it comes to size, space, capability, comfort and useability. 

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While Audi’s latest Quattro Ultra four-wheel drive transmission is standard, the Allroad sends its power and torque to the front wheels unless it’s required at the rear where the multi-plate clutch on the back of the gearbox will send up to 70 percent of the engine’s torque to the rear wheels via the rear-differential. And… you won’t notice the difference when it is driving the front wheels or all four. The system is configured to support traction rather than aid dynamics, but push harder than anyone is likely to in a jacked-up, two-ton, diesel-engined estate car and where you might expect the front tyres to make a break for freedom you’ll get a hint of torque transitioning to the rear to trim your line. Combined with the rear-wheel steering, the Allroad’s balance remains neutral and unassuming in a good way.

There’s a level of refinement that blends the best of a large, comfortable estate car with the security some get from sitting up high in an SUV. At a claimed 2195kg it doesn’t pummel the surface and constantly fidget like a bloated SUV either. 

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Being an Audi estate there’s plenty of room - more than a Q8 but less than a Q7 - and the quality meets Audi’s standards although piano black trim has, unfortunately made itself into the cabin. Other trim finishes are thankfully available, although at the car’s launch there is a very limited choice of colours available inside. 

With Mercedes-Benz and Volvo no longer offering the E-class All Terrain or V60 Cross Country the Audi A6 All Road is in a class of its own, which makes it very much a niche within a niche. However, the reality is the All Road is very much the car most people actually need rather than going down the crossover or SUV route. Its raised ride height provides the security some crave and the capability to negotiate a small flood and inclement weather. And it’s an estate car, so it’s better packaged, more comfortable and offers better value for money than many SUV equivalents. 

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