Audi A6 allroad 2015 Review

Price is the major factor setting apart the Audi A6 allroad from its obvious off-road wagon rivals. When it comes to the folding stuff, the Audi is at least twice as expensive as the Subaru Outback and Volkswagen Passat Alltrack. Even the Volvo XC70 is nearly $50,000 cheaper than the Audi.

The A6 allroad thus seems to be a car ideally suited to a vet or country doctor who still visits patients – patients in some cases living in quite remote parts of the country. But it does beg the question: why the allroad, and not the cheaper Q7?

For some buyers, the A6 allroad will fill a niche not occupied by any other model in the Audi range – and it's a significant niche, given Mercedes-Benz may be following suit. The allroad is there for people who may need to tow a boat, transport a small – but growing – family and perhaps may need enough off-road ability for a hobby farm without seriously compromising on-road manners and driveability.

In this highly focused role, the A6 allroad works very well.

It all starts with a brilliantly refined diesel V6, which exhibits few obvious diesel traits, other than the low redline. In character it's a six-cylinder first, and then – a very distant second – a diesel.

Accessible torque is delivered with an immediate response to the right foot. The allroad pulls like a freight train right through to the 5000rpm redline. Yet fuel consumption is as low as 8.1L/100km on country roads at weekends. In week-day commutes (around 20km from a cold start) it has the potential to use as little as 10. Over a 50km country loop the A6 allroad averaged 9.6, according to the trip computer.

The V6 drives through a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission that comes with shift paddles for sequential shifting. Short of foot-flat acceleration, the transmission resists kicking down when operated manually. At the engine's redline, the transmission will shift up a gear without prompting from the driver. Combined, the transmission and engine make a very fine pair.

It's not always sweetness and light however; the S Tronic transmission is a bit abrupt engaging and disengaging a clutch at low speeds (in bumper to bumper traffic). And with the torque piped through an all-wheel drive system, the drivetrain can be felt binding with steering lock applied from a standing start.

In the Efficiency, Comfort or Auto modes available through the Audi Drive Select system, the allroad's engine sits at around 1400rpm with the speedo showing 100km/h. At that speed there is a slight rumble from the engine – but it's right at the very edge of hearing. Wind noise is more prevalent at that speed, and there's some (minimal) road noise, but the allroad is extremely quiet in most circumstances – even on coarse-chip bitumen surfaces.

Central to the A6 allroad's appeal is its driveability and primary safety traits. Steering has enough heft to it and provides some feedback when the Audi Drive Select system is set to Dynamic. It is precise, but not especially tactile. In other modes the steering is lighter, but there’s not a lot of difference in the overall level of assistance apparent through the wheel.

In Dynamic mode, the allroad is impressively stable and delivers outstanding cornering power for a multi-purpose car of this kind. It was hard to find the periphery of the allroad's grip, and ride comfort was still acceptable even set to Dynamic.

In Comfort mode the allroad was prone to roll more in corners, but 'more', relative to the flat handling in Dynamic mode, is still bearable. Ride comfort in Auto and Comfort modes received the seal of approval from family members.

One of the driver-assist/primary safety systems available in the A6 allroad is autonomous emergency braking (AEB), which won't distract the driver from the job at hand unless there's reasonable cause. Then, unlike systems sampled in another European brand, the Audi system won't induce a heart attack or stroke with audible and visual alarms.

The Audi just waits until the car has closed to within 20m of some idiot in a Mercedes executing a U-turn where he shouldn't before it suddenly jumps on the stoppers and wipes off speed dramatically. Only after that does it signal what has taken place with a message in the trip computer display that the system has activated. Frankly, and as far as systems like this go, the Audi's system is preferable. It only operates when it's actually required.

Out in the bush, the A6 allroad proved itself to be more than just a show pony. It was impressively adept off-road, climbing a 26-degree grade that was rocky and sandy with minimal trouble. The break-over angle was limited by the allroad’s wheelbase, but wheel articulation was outstanding for a car that should be more at home on the road than off the beaten track. Hill descent control was better – by a significant margin – than Land Rover’s in the Range Rover Evoque tested recently.

The allroad waded easily through a stretch of water across the track with a soft muddy base. Most four-wheel drives would have got through without any great difficulty, but it very likely would have brought two-wheel drives to a halt. That’s the beauty of the allroad; it has just that extra traction that owners may require once in a while. But it provides that added ability without conceding refinement.

One particular element of the A6 allroad that might be rejected by off-roaders is the Audi's space-saver spare, which resides under the boot floor. That means dragging any goods out of the boot to reach the spare and replace a flat tyre. Then you're faced with restocking the goods in the boot – around a muddy, brake dust-clad full-size alloy wheel that won't fit in the well for the spare.

Otherwise, the Audi's packaging was excellent. The $380 option of a luggage compartment divider – a 'load-securing kit' with tracks and tie-down anchorage points – can be adjusted to separate different items by sliding up and down the tracks in the rear. It's easy to use and can be readily removed altogether.

The rear seats fold down almost – but not quite – flat for longer goods to be carried between points A and B. There are finger-pull levers in the rear to flip the seats forward when loading through the tailgate.

There's abundant room for adults in the rear and they have face-level vents in the B pillars and the rear of the centre console. In the front the seats are well shaped, but not as cosseting as some. Interior fit and finish is up to Audi’s usual standards.

In the driver's seat, I found the pedals seem skewed to the right, not leaving much room for the accelerator between brake pedal on the left and kick panel on the right. Instruments and switchgear are fairly standard Audi design, which means they're generally easy to use, but with some ergonomic (left-hand drive design) foibles, such as the indicator stalk on the left of the steering column and the starter button over near the front-passenger's knee.

With so many different datapoints on display – many small and subtle – it’s not always straightforward finding the one you want immediately until you're more familiar with the set-up. The digital clock is one good example, despite its presence in two places: the bottom left corner of the trip computer display and the base of the infotainment screen.

Other than the niggles already mentioned, the acoustic guidance was really annoyingly loud while reversing, but the volume could be reduced through the MMI Settings menu. And speaking of MMI, the single-point controller spins the wrong way for scrolling up or down (anti-clockwise to scroll down).

All of these are what might be termed 'first-world problems', however. There's a lot to like about the A6 allroad, for the right type of buyer. About the only aspect that detracts from it as a fully-rounded car for the family remains its purchase price.

2015 Audi A6 allroad 3.0 TDI quattro pricing and specifications:
Price: $124,650 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 160kW/500Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 5.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 149g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP