2022 Audi A6 allroad

Believe it or not, station wagons continue to sell in the USA, although it is mostly the premium brands keeping the body style alive. The 2022 Audi A6 allroad is the larger of the two wagons from the automaker, with the ground clearance that many SUV lovers may appreciate. As with the rest of the A6 line, it comes equipped with a powerful 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 that develops 335 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque with mild hybrid assistance. Quattro all-wheel drive is standard for improved traction and some off-road capabilities, and the interior is hugely spacious and well-appointed. This all sounds great, but with strong competitors like the Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain and Volvo V90 Cross Country, is it enough to dominate this extremely niche segment?

We have to admit that the classic wagon shape with some sleek, modern elements is very attractive. Its slightly raised body height gives it a more rugged appearance. This works well with its enormous grille and aggressively shaped Matrix-design LED headlights, and the large 20-inch alloy wheels enhance this bold stance. A power panoramic sunroof is installed as standard, along with roof rails. The rear fascia is a bit more reserved, with concealed exhaust outlets, but the LED taillights are quite large. There is an available Black Optic package, which equips dark silver diamond-cut rims, black roof rails, Manhattan Gray contrast paint, and black trimming for the grille, window surrounds, and front and rear bumper inserts. The Prestige adds power soft-closing doors, HD Matrix-design LED headlights, and an animation effect for the LED taillights.

The dimensions of the A6 allroad put it at just a little shorter in length than the V90 Cross Country, another popular premium wagon. The Audi measures 194.9 inches in length and has a 115.2-inch wheelbase. Though it has 7.3 inches of ground clearance, it isn't a very tall car at 58.9 inches. With the side mirrors out, it stands 83.1 inches wide. The curb weight remains at the same 4,486 pounds it was last year. This is heavier than its Volvo rival.

Providing power for the 2022 A6 allroad is a 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder engine paired with a mild-hybrid system to produce up to 335 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission manages the gears and sends outputs to all four wheels. The larger A6 wagon is naturally heavier and slightly slower than its sedan sibling, but it still manages a very respectable 0-60 mph sprint time of 5.1 seconds. It can continue on to a top speed of 130 mph. The manufacturer makes no mention of towing capacity for the suave wagon,

This is more than enough oomph for a family station wagon, whether in town or on the highway. In fact, the readily available power from the V6 makes it adept at overtaking when already traveling at higher speeds. It's not without faults, though, and the auto 'box can sometimes shift imprudently when tackling an incline. If you're after even more power, you'll have to look at the V8-powered RS6 Avant.

Wagons handle more like sedans than their practical SUV competitors, which is one of the reasons we appreciate them. This means that the A6 allroad can be surprisingly enjoyable to drive. It instills a great deal of confidence with its heft and the traction of AWD, but the steering remains precise and responsive. What's more impressive is that none of this performance comes at the cost of comfort. The adaptive air suspension eats up road imperfections with ease.

The adjustable air suspension also allows you to slightly raise the wagon's ground clearance when you need to go off-road. However, this is not where the A6 allroad shines, despite the name. It is much more at home over snow or dirt on the tarmac than tackling larger rocks and uneven terrain. The entire package has an almost sports-sedan-like handling quality, which makes it a pleasure to drive.

Even before crossovers and SUVs exploded in popularity, wagons went out of style largely because of the increasing gas price during the oil crisis in the 70s, and when you look at the gas mileage figures of Audi A6 allroad, they aren't particularly impressive. The best you can expect across the city/highway/combined cycles is 21/28/23 mpg. The Volvo V90 Cross Country is more frugal at 22/29/25 mpg, but that's because it uses a smaller, less powerful motor. Luckily, Audi gives the wagon a large 19.3-gallon tank, which means it can travel 444 miles, when driven reasonably, before needing to refuel.

The interior of the A6 allroad is extremely accommodating, and ingress and egress are made all the easier with the wide-opening doors. Once inside, there is plenty of room for passengers to get comfortable. Those in the front get 38.3 inches of headroom and 41.3 inches of legroom, while rear-seat occupants get 39.5 inches of headroom and 37.4 inches of legroom. Leather upholstery ensures every position is optimally comfortable, while the front seats are heated and the driver's seat is power-adjustable as standard. They can be further upgraded with ventilation and massage functions, with the latter option only available to the top-spec model.

Sedans can't compete with station wagons when it comes to cargo capacity, with only SUVs managing to best them. Behind the rear seats, the Audi supplies an impressive 30 cubic feet, which is more than enough for grocery runs or even stowing several suitcases for a family vacation. Even the spacious Volvo V90 can't boast as much room, although the Mercedes All-Terrain Wagon does have a larger 35-cube cargo area. If you need to move even more cargo, the rear 40/20/40-split-folding seats in the A6 fold down to open up a truly cavernous load space.

Small-item storage is less impressive, as the center console only supplies a shallow storage bin. The glovebox is your only option if you want to store something larger, but the door pockets can handle water bottles or cellphones. There are two cupholders in the front and two more in the rear to keep everyone hydrated over longer trips.

Since the wagon starts at the Premium Plus trim level, the A6 allroad is well-equipped with comforts and convenience features. This means you get tri-zone automatic climate control, cruise control, a power-adjustable tilt/telescoping steering wheel, heated front seats with an eight-way power driver's seat, LED ambient lighting, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. Even Audi's virtual cockpit is included as standard, comprising a 12.3-inch digital cluster.

However, upgrading to the Prestige further unlocks LED contour interior lighting, a power-adjustable front passenger seat, quad-zone climate control, front-seat ventilation, and heated rear seats, an. The safety suite on the base model comprises Audi pre sense front, pre sense basic, lane departure warning, and a top-view camera. Upgrading to the top trim adds a head-up display, traffic sign recognition, and pre sense rear. Side assist can be added to the base model, while the top-end model gets access to night vision assist.

At the center of the dashboard are two large screens. The upper 10.1-inch display controls all the infotainment, while the lower 8.6-inch display is used to manage in-cabin functions. The infotainment suite comprises HD Radio, wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto, Bluetooth functionality, and SiriusXM with a three-month trial. A 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system comes standard with a 15-channel amplifier; however, an even more impressive B&O 3D Advanced sound system is available on the Prestige trim.

Though there is no official reliability rating for the A6 allroad from J.D. Power, the model has not yet been recalled for 2022. However, four recalls for the 2021 model show that it is not without its troubles. These recalls were issued for a seat belt locking refractor malfunction, rear axle lock nuts that may break, an incorrectly deploying passenger airbag, and faulty side-impact crash sensors for the front doors.

Nevertheless, Audi offers a standard four-year//50,000-mile basic warranty on all new purchases, with the powertrain being covered for the same time period and distance. The hybrid components get a longer eight-year/100,000-mile plan, while roadside assistance is offered for four years regardless of mileage.

Any safety review of the Audi A6 allroad returns impeccable results. The NHTSA awarded it a five-star overall rating, with only the front passenger-side crash test scoring less than perfectly with four stars. The IIHS is equally generous with a rating of Good in every category and a Top Safety Pick+ award in 2021.

There are numerous airbags as standard to protect all passengers, including side airbags for both seating rows along with ABS brakes, EBD, and stability and traction control. More advanced features include forward collision warning, a top-view camera, parking sensors, and lane departure warning. The top trim expands upon this with rear collision avoidance, active lane assist, a head-up display, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control with traffic jam and turn assist.

There aren't all that many station wagons left in the US against which to compare the Audi A6 allroad, but even if there were, we are sure it would blow most of them out of the water. Equipped with a potent V6, it can keep up with much flashier sedans and crossovers, and it doesn't sacrifice any of the joy of driving in order to ensure its practicality.

Inside, it is beautifully appointed with luxury materials and loads of standard creature comforts. Our one real gripe might be that the standard safety suite is a little behind the times, especially for the base model. Most cars, even at a much lower price bracket, offer more without expecting you to pay extra for it. Its safety ratings are ultimately top-notch, and ride comfort is velvety smooth, even over semi-rough terrain. Even if it weren't as impressive as it is, the A6 allroad would warrant some attention just for being one of the few surviving wagons. The fact that it is also a genuinely enjoyable, practical, and luxurious vehicle is just icing on the cake.

While there may be some affordable station wagons left out there, the Audi A6 allroad is not one of them. Since it comes so well-equipped with a powerful V6 and loads of luxury features, the starting price of $66,900 isn't unreasonable, though. But, to unlock all it has to offer, you'll need to spend over $70k, since the Prestige starts at $72,400 before options. The Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain goes on sale for a similar price, but the Volvo V90 Cross Country is considerably less expensive. The price of the 2022 Audi A6 allroad is MSRP and does not include the $1,045 destination fee.

The Prestige is a rather expensive upgrade over the base model of the A6 allroad, and you get no extra performance from the V6 for your trouble. That said, all the extra features it comes equipped with may be worth the expense. Heated and ventilated power-adjustable front seats, quad-zone climate control, and additional driver-assistance tech like rear cross-traffic alert are appealing enough on their own. However, the head-up display is the real MVP of the upgrade. If you want to go all out, the more sumptuous Valcona/Milano leather with front-seat massage functions is quite alluring, too, but the upgraded B&O sound system is not so much better than the standard system to warrant the premium of nearly $5,000.

Like the A6, the E-Class All-Terrain makes use of a powerful six-cylinder engine with hybrid assistance. The Mercedes has more horsepower at 362 hp, but equal torque, and is actually a smidge slower than the Audi to 60 mph. Both share similar fuel economy figures and starting purchase prices. However, the E-Class has a larger tank, so it can travel further between refills. The differences are more pronounced inside the cabin. The All-Terrain is capable of housing up to seven occupants, though the jump seats in the trunk are very cramped. The overall quality of the cabin is higher, too, and Mercedes-Benz installs all the latest safety and infotainment tech. This bias towards comfort extends to the suspension, which delivers an even more cushioned ride than the A6 allroad's. However, the latter is more capable in terms of handling. Since station wagons don't really shine as sports cars, we feel that the E-Class All-Terrain is the more accomplished option.

The V90 Cross Country has long been a staple in the station wagon classification. In fact, the automaker has put all its eggs in one basket by discontinuing every other style of V90. It's not quite as powerful as the Audi, with only 295 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque from its four-cylinder, but it has better fuel economy, managing 22/29/25 mpg. It has an equally excellent safety rating and comes outfitted with a fair number of standard driver assists. Inside, it is luxuriously appointed, with sufficient space for people, though the trunk is not as large as the A6 allroad's. It's significantly cheaper, so we would suggest it if your budget is tight. However, while we feel the Audi will attract more attention, it doesn't discount the Volvo's brilliance. Either would be a good choice here.