2020 Audi A6 allroad Wagon

The A6 Allroad starts at an MSRP of $66,895 and it comes with a whole host of features and comforts. It is an all-new model for the 2020 model year based on the sedan sibling, the Audi A6. It competes against the likes of Volvo V90 Cross Country, Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon, and Jaguar XF Sportbrake. Let us see how it performs in this segment.

The A6 Allroad comes in two trims – Premium Plus and Prestige. The Premium Plus starts at $66,895 while the Prestige kicks off at $71,395. Both feature Quattro AWD and both the trims feature the same V6 engine. Looking cool not only on the outside but on the inside too, the A6 comes with a lot of standard features. There is room for an upgrade with the optional packages as well. It comes with a lot of standard features that include adaptive air suspension, heated front seats, digital gauge cluster, and so on.

What do we recommend?

We would recommend going with the Premium Plus. It features a lot of techs, such as the Audi virtual cockpit, MMI touch response with dual screens, 16-speaker premium Bang and Olufsen sound system, a 360-degree camera system, four-zone climate control, and a lot more. We would also add the Driver Assistance Package for $1,750; since the base model is not too heavy on safety features. Consider adding the Audi Side assist package for $500 too. That’s about it. If you want to spend more, of course, going with the Prestige is a great idea too.

The A6 Allroad is powered by a 3.0L turbocharged V6 that is capable of pumping out a meaty 335 horsepower and 396 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission and of course, it comes with the Quattro AWD system. The engine is fully capable of pulling this chunky wagon around. For both city and highway driving, it does not break a sweat. The transmission setup is also excellent and it provides smooth and seamless gear shifts. With that torque figure, power delivery is pretty instantaneous.

The German manages to sprint to 60 MPH from a standstill in just 5.1 seconds, which is a pretty impressive figure for a big wagon. It can race past the quarter-mile in 13.5 seconds, with the top speed being capped at 155 MPH. It’s still a far cry from its ludicrous RS6 Avant sibling and its mid-3-second run, but it is more than the desired performance from a station wagon. It feels very engaging to drive as well.

The wagons are all quite powerful. The E450 outputs the maximum power, while the A6 takes the second spot. The Jaguar has the lowest power output, but it still offers a pretty competitive 0-60 time. The Volvo is the one with the lowest price and it still impresses. The A6 and the E450 sit at the top of the acceleration charts with 5.1 seconds 0-60 mph timings and quarter-mile timings under 14 seconds If you pick the A6, performance will not be something that will give you a headache.

How does the 2020 Audi A6 Allroad handle?

The Allroad drives very well on all roads as well as no roads. The off-roading capacity of this German wagon is also very impressive. For regular city and highway driving, the A6 shines. The steering is precise, though the weight of the wagon is not very well hidden. However, it is more focused on being comfortable than being a beast to drive and does that well

The A6 features adaptive air suspension and can easily raise the ground clearance by 1.2 inches, which is what enables it to be taken off the beaten path. Thanks to the suspension, the ride inside is also quite comfortable for the occupants. It is not athletic, but it drives how a comfortable wagon would. This is pretty much what customers expect of it and hence, we feel it has been done right.

2020 Audi A6 Allroad Braking performance

The A6 Allroad features 4-wheel disc brakes with regenerative braking. The front brake rotors are 14.8 inches in diameter and the rear brake rotors are 13 inches in diameter. A big vehicle needs big brakes and this wagon offers just that. With a linear pedal and good feedback, the brakes are very confidence-inspiring. These show-stoppers do not frown even when pushed to the limit and make sure the 4486 lbs wagon comes to a stop within a reasonable distance. 

The wagons all come fitted with very powerful brakes. The Audi comes with the biggest set of stoppers, but the Merc impresses the most, coming to a halt within the shortest distance of 108 feet from 60 mph. The Volvo V90 and Jaguar also have results that are very impressive. Though the XF should have done better considering how light it is, we feel that performance is not its strong suit.

The engine at the heart of the A6 is not too thirsty for fuel and neither is it too friendly on your pocket. In fact, what it offers at this price point is very fair and just. The EPA estimates it at 20 MPG for the city, 26 MPG for the highway, and 22 MPG for combined driving. Both the trims offer the same fuel economy as there are no mechanical differences. The fuel tank capacity is around 19.3 gallons and hence, it allows you to have a total range of 386/501/424 miles for city/highway/combined driving. We would comment that it is a pretty nice figure.

The fuel economy numbers are pretty comparable, but the Volvo V90 and Jaguar XF offer slightly better figures. The Mercedes comes with the largest fuel tank at 21.1 gallons, but it is the Jaguar that gets the highest range due to its better fuel efficiency. The V90 suffers due to its smaller fuel tank capacity. Overall, we would say this is the department of the Jaguar.

Of course. Audi’s interiors are always a delight to be in. The A6 Allroad is unmistakably modern and extremely well-refined. With lots of tech and premium materials, the wagon looks and feels very opulent. The dash is characterized by sleek lines and contours. The interior features gorgeous leather on the seats with a leatherette upholstered dashboard. The 20th Anniversary Edition gets Valcona leather upholstery, but you can add the Luxury package to get it in your non-anniversary edition too. 

The front seats are 8-way power-adjustable and heated with 4-way power lumbar and driver seat memory. A heated leather-wrapped steering wheel enhances the luxury as well. Being a wagon, the specialty of the Allroad is the cargo space. With 30 cubic feet of cargo space behind the seats, the A6 can handle lots of luggage and suitcases for a long family vacation. For shorter trips, it would more than suffice. The 40/20/40 split rear seats can be folded to expand more cargo storage. The in-cabin storage solutions are also very well-crafted.

The Mercedes is the only one with three rows, although the third row is highly impractical. Even with three rows, it still offers more standard cargo capacity than the A6 which is a bit surprising. The Jaguar also surpasses the A6 in terms of cargo, but the V90 completely falls apart with its limited storage. It is a slight let-down considering that this is one of the reasons people look for a car in this body style. Some interior features include –

• 8-way power-adjustable heated seats w/ driver memory
• 4-way power lumbar support
• Optional Valcona leather upholstery
• Leather-wrapped heated steering wheel
• Four-zone climate control
• Power soft-close doors

What’s there to keep you entertained?

The A6 features the MMI Touch Response system with two screens. The upper, 10.1” touchscreen is responsible for handling infotainment duties, whereas the lower, 8.6” touchscreen is responsible for handling the climate control duties. Furthermore, you also get a 12.3” Audi virtual cockpit LCD digital instrument cluster. The setup seems futuristic and quite cool, but it can easily overwhelm the driver and can be too distracting at first. The system is very responsive and quite intuitive. The music is blasted to you via a magnificent 16-speaker Bang and Olufsen sound system as standard. Highlights of the infotainment system –

• 10.1” upper screen and 8.6” lower screen MMI touch response
• 12.3” Audi virtual cockpit
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• MMI Nav Plus
• Wireless charging
• SiriusXM Radio
• 16-speaker Bang and Olufsen sound system

The A6 Allroad is inherently beautiful. Graced with style, panache, and opulence, the design is enough to make anybody yearn for it. It is large and spacious, but also does not compromise on modernity and style, and can also be impressive at parties. The front fascia features the matrix-design LED headlights that look extremely cool and their sharp and angular cuts make them all the more beautiful. The classic Audi-style front grille is laden with chrome and the four rings sit perfectly at the center. From the side, the Allroad has that wagon-styled extended roofline and the extended rear end in a “shooting brake” style. The rear end is also gorgeous with the matrix-design LED taillights and a sturdy exterior appearance. A single stainless-steel exhaust finishes the job. 

The Allroad rides on 20” 10-spoke-V-design wheels. Gone are the days when wagons used to look ugly and boring. All of these wagons look very beautiful with the modern design slapped onto them. That being said, the Jaguar has the lowest ground clearance and probably appears the sportiest among them even though this compromises its off-road capabilities. Some exterior features include –

• Single stainless-steel exhaust
• Multi-link front suspension w/ air springs
• Multi-link rear suspension w/ air springs
• 20” 10-spoke-V-design wheels
• Power heated auto-dimming side mirrors
• Auto-high beam LED matrix-design headlights
• Matrix-design LED taillights

Unfortunately, NHTSA did not rate the 2020 Audi A6 Allroad. But fortunately, IIHS did. The IIHS absolutely loved what the A6 had to offer, as the wagon received “Good” in all of the categories it was tested in. Every single one. This easily allowed it to achieve the “Top Safety Pick+” for 2020. Hence, even without the NHTSA’s ratings, we know how extremely safe the German wagon is. The Premium Plus comes with some standard driver assistance features, but the Prestige further adds more standard driver assistance features. We would recommend adding the Driver Assistance package, which would add more features for your convenience. Some of the safety features in the 2020 Audi A6 Allroad are:

• Front and rear parking sensors
• Audi pre sense front
• Top view 360-degree camera system
• Front collision mitigation
• Traffic jam assist and turn assist
• Traffic sign recognition
• Audi active lane assist w/ emergency assist
• Intersection assist

2020 Audi A6 Allroad vs 2020 Volvo V90 Cross Country

The Swedish manufacturers are known for crafting beautiful and luxurious vehicles, always undercutting the German rivals in price, but also not being able to compete on the highest level. The V90 Cross Country is not as practical as the A6 and it is also not comparable in terms of performance. However, it does offer an opulent interior with loads of safety features. The big advantage the Cross Country has is that it’s priced quite low.

2020 Audi A6 Allroad vs 2020 Mercedes-Benz E450 Wagon

The E450 wagon comes with three rows, albeit the third row is not really practical. It offers identical power and performance and goes toe-to-toe with the A6 on almost all fronts. The Audi has a more modern and stylistic approach, while the E450 just appears classy. The E-class wagon is more practical and dare we say, a little more opulent. This makes it a slightly better pick..

2020 Audi A6 Allroad vs 2020 Jaguar XF Sportbrake

The Jaguar XF is probably the one with the sportiest demeanor in the entire range. The wagon is luxurious, opulent, and offers good tech. However, it suffers from not having too many standard safety features. Performance-wise too, it is not as quick as the Allroad, but it does have better fuel economy and practicality. It looks absolutely gorgeous as well.

If you are in need of a station wagon in this era, and can’t afford the fire-breathing RS6 Avant, then its younger sibling is here for you. Gorgeous, stylish, and healthy on performance, the 2020 Audi A6 Allroad has all the bells and whistles you could ask for in a modern wagon. Not many of these are left, and so, you could consider getting one and the German wagon is a near-perfect choice. The base price is a bit steep but it is one luxurious wagon that is truly worth getting.