There have been many vehicles, and lots of extra miles, but when I needed to do it over once more, I’d nonetheless take the 2020 Audi A6 Allroad.
On a piece journey racking up 1,000 miles behind the wheel of all the things from full-size SUVs to compact sedans to a Bentley Bentayga ultralux SUV, the A6 Allroad logged the most miles and checked all the containers: enjoyable to drive, wonderful dealing with, loads of cargo room, expertise that shared the driving load, and beautiful seems that made me gaze just a little longer every time I approached the elegant wagon.
The solely factor it lacked was a periscope to see over all the mammoth SUVs and prehistoric semis. The automobile combine in site visitors has modified dramatically since the A6 Allroad wagon first launched in 2000. But the 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 took care of the outsized crowds with punchy torque-rich bursts and nimble lane maneuvering. It’s the crossover antidote.
My tester for the week got here in high Prestige trim washed in Avalon Green metallic paint. It’s a coloration that adjustments like a Great Lake on a summer season day, from slate, to seafoam inexperienced, to a distant type of blue. The broad and low stance, quick overhangs, and grey matte cladding on the spherical wheel arches and lengthy rocker panels mix collectively fantastically for a automobile that’s not simply an antidote to crossover fatigue however a standout design for something on 4 wheels.
2020 Audi A6 Allroad
2020 Audi A6 Allroad
2020 Audi A6 Allroad
The silver bumpers, roof rails, and sills body it like a trapezoid. The face showcases a steep grille with vertical slats that differ from the horizontal slats on the sedan. Curves sculpt the muscular entrance and rear ends, and commonplace 20-inch wheels buff out the profile for a glance that’s each subtle and sinister. No love is ideal, nevertheless. The rear doorways barely reduce into the cladding over the rear wheel arches. Those with OCD would possibly wrestle with this.
The inside carried over the subtle contrasts, with Pearl Beige leather-based surfaces contrasting textured ash wooden trim with aluminum accents. Sitting down got here with a sigh of aid and gratitude.
Modified habits
The Allroad is about 1.5 inches taller than the A6 mid-size sedan, however the commonplace adaptive air suspension leads to 2.Four inches of variability, relying on the six drive modes. At its peak with a 7.3-inch floor clearance in Offroad mode, the A6 Allroad rivals some crossover SUVs.
Switch to Dynamic mode, nevertheless, and it lowers from the commonplace 5.5 inches all the way down to 4.9 inches, which elicits visceral emotions. It’s nonetheless not as little as the 4.2 inches of clearance in the A6, however Dynamic mode’s change in throttle sensitivity is critical. In Comfort mode it plods alongside like a canine on a summer season day. Dynamic mode makes it bristle and dart out for that massive furry bunny up forward.
The turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6’s 335 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque is routed to all 4 wheels by way of a 7-speed twin clutch computerized transmission that’s seamless in excessive gears however much less assured in the decrease gears. It pushes the A6 Allroad to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds, based on Audi, and small paddle shifters allow you to dive deeper into the rev vary. It’s fast however not overwhelming to passengers, so it’s nonetheless loads of enjoyable for the driver even with the household sitting in judgment. For extra efficiency, contemplate the 2.9-liter turbocharged V-6 in the S6 that may tip 60 mph in 4.Four seconds. Or go all in with the 2021 RS6 Avant and its 591-hp 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8. The household may not come alongside for that $110,000 trip, on the highway or to the seller.
The chunky, leather-wrapped steering wheel feels good in the fingers, and the steering tightens up as the inputs ratchet up. The A6 Allroad handles gracefully, nimbly, and rather more like the A6 than the Q8, which has practically the similar 30.5 cubic toes of house behind the rear seats. My tester got here with rear-axle steering ($1,800) that shortens the turning radius at low speeds by barely turning the rear wheels in the other way of the fronts. It successfully shortens the automobile when parking or turning round. At larger speeds the rear wheels flip in the similar route as the entrance wheels for extra stability and smoother lane adjustments.
The engine’s delicate hybrid system acts as a extra subtle starter motor that smooths out the computerized cease/begin system and dietary supplements the engine underneath heavy hundreds. The A6 Allroad can coast from about 15 mph to a cease with out the engine working, and it may get well small bits of power to cost the 48-volt battery underneath the cargo flooring. It operates imperceptibly with no imposition on the driver, packaging, or trip high quality.
In Comfort mode, the trip is certainly that. Auto mode does a advantageous job of adjusting to the variables of freeway cruising, by switching between Dynamic and Comfort based mostly on inputs. Offroad mode lifts up 1.2 inches at speeds of as much as 21.7 mph, and Lift mode can add one other 0.6 inches to get to that 7.3-inch floor clearance when scrambling over rocks, however I didn’t have the alternative to check both.
2020 Audi A6 Allroad
2020 Audi A6 Allroad
2020 Audi A6 Allroad
2020 Audi A6 Allroad
Great tech
Most of my time was spent cruising on the freeway, the place the A6 Allroad’s wonderful expertise helped shoulder the load. It’s unlucky that you may’t get adaptive cruise management or lively lane management with out the Driver Assistance package deal that comes commonplace on the high Prestige trim, as a result of it makes any highway journey a lot simpler.
Audi’s 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is the greatest on the market. It enables you to zoom out and in on a Google Maps view that may span the breadth of the cluster. Or, the tachometer and speedometer will be resized to regular proportions, and the map can match between them. Or you may show audio controls in the cluster and go away navigation for the 10.1-inch touchscreen atop the heart stack. You can have it any method you need it, and despite the fact that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility come commonplace, Audi’s native MMI navigation is the exception that’s higher than the smartphone. For most of my drive, I saved wi-fi Apple CarPlay on the touchscreen for texts and used pure voice instructions for navigation in the cluster.
The touchscreen sits over one other 8.6-inch show for local weather controls. Haptic suggestions has had combined leads to the previous, however Audi’s model illuminates, clicks, and nearly pushes again like an actual button. But you might need to press the digital button for a bit longer than an actual button.
Audi public relations is aware of that with the $4,500 soar from Premium Plus to Prestige for $71,990, you would possibly as nicely decide up, and I’m glad they did.
It provides cooled entrance seats, a wonderful head-up show, and twin pane acoustic glass that retains the trip quiet even with a panoramic sunroof.
The 2020 A6 Allroad is about $2,000 greater than the roomier and bulkier Q7 three-row SUV, however in seems alone it’s value the upcharge. The air suspension and wonderful dealing with make it that significantly better. It’s a terrific freeway cruiser and day by day driver with the room of a crossover and the feel and look of a luxurious automobile. The Bentayga was implausible, however the A6 Allroad was lifelike sufficient for me to maintain coming again to.
Audi supplied us with a week-long mortgage of the 2020 Audi A6 Allroad to deliver you this firsthand drive.
