OVERVIEW
It’s not easy being a wagon lover these days.
With every passing year, the selection is dwindling. The last of the affordable wagons, the Volkswagen Golf Wagon, is set to abandon the North American market, leaving only luxury nameplates in this niche. Mercedes-Benz and Audi continue to offer wagons in two sizes in Canada, and Volvo is down to just the V60, which also takes over as the most affordable wagon in Canada starting at $43,900. Volvo complements that offering with the slightly raised V60 Cross Country to appeal to the slightly more rugged-road, crossover crowd. Mercedes-Benz offers multiple powertrains in both its C- and E-Class wagons, sticking with the traditional wagon blueprint right up to the bonkers 603-hp AMG E 63 S that hits 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds.
Audi, on the other hand, has fully crossed over and offers mostly Allroad versions of its A4 and A6 wagons, but finally steps up to challenge the E 63 for fast wagon aficionados with the 2021 RS 6 Avant, its 591-hp V8 propelling it to 100 in 3.6 seconds.
Of course, land missiles like the E 63 and RS 6 are a rare sight thanks to a steep price of entry and very dedicated mission, but Audi’s Allroad models aim to broaden the appeal of their wagons to capture the interest of crossover shoppers with slightly more rough-road capability than conventional wagons. This finally brings us to the subject of this review, the larger of Audi’s two Allroad offerings, the A6 Allroad.
Based on the A6 sedan (and Avant wagon in Europe), it starts at $75,200 in Canada for the Progressiv model (the 2021 base model climbs to $76,100) and jumps to $83,200 for the Technik model ($83,400 for 2021), which adds a few key features like head-up display, ventilated front seats, rear window sunshades, a Bang & Olufsen Premium 3D Sound System, 360-degree cameras and sensors for parking assistance, Audi’s Virtual Cockpit Plus and larger 10.6-inch MMI touchscreen display, and 20-inch wheels. This tester was also equipped with the super-comfy Comfort seats with massaging option that have been taken off the options list for 2021, and the other package on our tester was the full Driver Assistant Package, which adds traffic sign recognition, active lane assist, predictive efficiency assist, traffic congestion assist to the standard adaptive cruise.
The powertrain in the A6 Allroad is a 3.0L turbocharged V6 with Audi’s 48-volt mild hybrid system tacked on, providing some extra electric boost and efficiency. That’s routed through Audi’s seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission with standard Quattro all-wheel drive. System output is 335 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, with the torque available early and capable of delivering 5.2-second sprints to 100 km/h. But being the responsible sibling, the A6 Allroad demonstrates decent fuel consumption if you prioritize efficiency, and it is rated at 11.8 L/100 km in the city and 9.1 on the highway, where its Quattro Ultra all-wheel drive is able to disconnect the rear wheels and save some drag on the driveline. I’m typically no saint when it comes to fuel consumption, often landing at the city rating in my test drives, but after 2,000 kilometres in the A6 Allroad, the trip computer showed 9.9 L/100 km, no doubt helped by Clayton’s long cruise to check off another Ontario lighthouse tour off his list. At one point on his trip, he was tracking at 7.2 L/100 km for his highway driving, so Audi’s efforts to reduce consumption are living up to their billing in real world situations. In contrast, the Audi Q7 with the same powertrain is rated at 13.4L/100 kilometres city and 10.4 highway.
The heart and soul of the A6 Allroad is its ability to rise from fairly standard, sedan-like ground clearance of 139 millimetres (about 14 centimetres, or 5.5 inches) up to a maximum of 184 mm (about 7.2 inches), though that fully raised height (Offroad mode) is only available at speeds up to 35 km/h. The more common raised ground clearance is in Allroad mode, which is 30 mm above standard, or 169 mm (6.7 inches), which can be used at speeds up to 80 km/h. We saw little need for this feature in the suburbs of the GTA, but Clayton’s lighthouse visit took him off paved roads and this setting made sure there was no risk to the undercarriage and provided a smooth ride on rough roads.
But the most common setting during our two months with the A6 Allroad was Dynamic, which lowers the car 10 mm to a ground-hugging 129 mm (5.1 inches) and drops another 5 mm at highway speeds above 120 km/h for improved aerodynamics. Dynamic mode isn’t just about ride height, however, as it also makes steering quicker and suspension firmer, and the transmission can be pushed into S mode for quicker downshifts and higher revs as you’re accelerating. Dynamic mode quickly became my default, the lowered air suspension giving it a suitable ground-hugging feel, and the firmer steering and sharper throttle response unlocking as much power and responsiveness as I wanted. The transmission’s sport mode was a step too far, though, holding gears a bit too long and taking the engine aggressiveness note into obnoxious territory.
Of course, a big car like this has a significant weight penalty, so its two tonnes of mass worked against it in corners, especially the big V6 up front pushing it to understeer and the comfort-oriented all-season Continental Procontact tires (P235/55R18) squealing in protest rather early. Sporty it may be, but a sports wagon, not quite.
Still, the A6 Allroad’s dynamic prowess is far greater than most any crossover, and it comes close to matching its crossover cousins for practicality. Rear cargo space is listed at 565 L, which doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a wide, spacious cargo bay, and the 40/20/40 split-folding rear seat provide maximum flexibility. Skiers will be especially happy, because with the centre section folded the A6 Allroad handled a 10-foot piece of lumber, so it can certainly handle any length of skis, though a ski bag would be ideal to keep the interior dry and safe.
The A6 Allroad is also extremely spacious for passengers, and although I do prefer SUVs for their higher seating and ease of entry, some people (my wife, for one) might prefer the low entry point compared to too-tall SUVs. This vehicle is tall for a car, so it was a great compromise for our drastically different heights (5’10” vs. 5’0″). Memory seats are an essential for us, and the A6 Allroad had that covered too.
Once inside, headroom, legroom, and shoulder room are all generous, the seats beautifully contoured and bolstered, and in the second row as well, offering comfortable seating for four and adequate space to squeeze in a fifth passenger even between a pair of child seats. Child seat anchors have removable covers and are recessed, which can make for some difficulty installing the clickable latches. For those out of child or booster seats, the leather is gorgeous and the two outboard seats are heated, and rear seat occupants have their own climate controls and the centre armrest offers some pop-out cupholders. Of course, my kids’ favourite feature, as usual, was selecting the colour of the interior mood lighting and the sunshades.
Up front, the seats are covered with more of that gorgeous leather — as are the armrests and dash — and have a multitude of adjustments in addition to the already excellent shape and support. The Individual Contour Seat package took it up a notch with ventilation and massaging feature, but the only flaw with the massaging feature is that is buried in a sub-menu, so I often forgot to activate it.
Once happily ensconced in the superb seats, the driving position is excellent, with the heads-up display presenting crucial driving info like speed, adaptive cruise settings, navigation directions (though only if using the Audi system, not any smartphone apps) and even speed limits. The gauge cluster was Audi’s Virtual Cockpit, which can scroll through various information and be set up to mimic a more traditional gauge cluster or have the information take over, like a full map or audio info, and you can control it all from the wheels and buttons on the steering wheel.
In the centre console, you can control some of those same infotainment functions via touchscreen, plus you have all the vehicle settings like the Dynamic or Off-road settings, plus interior lighting, safety systems and more. A second screen below the main MMI controls the heating and ventilation, plus some additional in-car basics like heads-up display settings and some customizable shortcuts. Even after two months, I was still exploring all the little changes you can make to personalize the A6 Allroad to your habits, and I found the haptic feedback buzz to be an effective confirmation when using either touchscreen. And speaking of habits, if you prefer to control your vehicle remotely, the Audi offers an App that allows you to pair and access some of the car’s systems (or help you find it in a giant parking lot if you’ve forgotten where you parked it), and allows you to access some compatible apps on the car’s screens.
As mentioned above, our A6 Allroad was equipped with another major technology suite, the Driver Assistant Package, which is a big plus for technophiles that enjoy the car taking over more driving functions and adding another layer of safety. The A6 Allroad does come equipped with standard adaptive cruise, but traffic congestion assist means that it can come to a complete stop and resume if it’s only for a second or two. It also uses active lane assist to take a more active role in steering the car and keeping it centred in your lane while crawling in heavy traffic or even when taking curves. The package also adds traffic sign recognition that picks up mainly speed limits and predictive efficiency assist, which is especially useful on long stints with cruise control active.
While most companies have adopted the crossover formula of SUV ride height with unibody construction, all-wheel drive, and stubby hatchback bodies, Audi covers both that popular segment (with the Q3, Q5 and Q7) and also offer a pair of Allroad wagons that stick closer the car end of the crossover spectrum. The A6 Allroad is the larger and more premium of the pair, with an elegant longroof wagon body style that uses advanced air suspension when a bit more ground clearance is necessary, but offers a more controlled, car-like ride most of the time and far better driving dynamics than most crossovers.
It’s an expensive proposition, though, starting at over $75K for a five-seat crossover, so its audience is limited from a budget perspective, but for those in the market for a luxury crossover, the A6 Allroad offers an amazing range of benefits, from its practicality and capability with plenty of cargo and passenger space to its impeccable quality and superb driving dynamics with industry leading user-friendly technology. While part of me mourns the loss of Audi’s traditional Avant wagons in our market, functionally the Allroad offers everything I would want from a wagon (except perhaps a manual transmission) while only adding capability and keeping the segment alive.
