Translation Avant = wagon, Quattro = AWD and Allroad = on and off road, however you interpret it the A6 is damn nice car. By Cathy Parker.
Editor Sean – “I have too many cars to test – how would you like an Audi A6 Allroad for the weekend?" Publisher Cathy – “Oh go on, twist my arm – YES.” Pretty much a no-brainer – especially the first weekend of Level 2, when you could actually go somewhere and see people. It definitely deserved more than some round town driving so on Sunday we pointed the nose South towards Hamilton – but not via SH1 – oh no, it was via Tuakau, Pukekawa and Waignaro, so we could try the Audi out on some suitable roads. With some drizzly rain it was also a great opportunity to test the Quattro system and the driver comforts on a cold wet winter day.
First impression – great seats and seating position, the seats are firm and supportive and the leg room both front and rear is generous. Dual climate control and heated seats took care of the comfort factor along with not only the requisite Apple Car Play, but the wireless version so no need to plug a cable in each time you got in the car. Only slight quibble with the interior was the relative lack of storage space – the between seat console box is very shallow – mainly a wireless phone charger pad and the door pockets and glove box are less generous than some smaller cars. The controls and dash display though reflect the excellent German ergonomics we are used to from Audi, the climate controls have a second 8.6-inch multi-function screen below the 10.1- inch MMI touch display, plus you get the Audi virtual cockpit and a windscreen HUD display.
The boot is long and comes with a luggage cover, total load capacity is compromised a bit in terms of height due to the steeply sloping rear hatch.
The power unit is a 3.0-litre TDI V6 sporting an electric supercharger (powered by a mild hybrid 48V system), which combines with the exhaust turbocharger to deliver a constant 700 Nm of torque between 2,500 and 3,100 rpm along with 257kW of power. This results in a 0 to 100 km/h sprint in 5.2 seconds whilst the electric supercharger spools up in under 250 milliseconds.
Despite that we did feel response was a bit flat at lower (round town speeds), with some lag when you punched the accelerator but on the open road power delivery was virtually instantaneous. This is backed by an eight-speed automatic gearbox that is so good you really don’t even notice it.
The road we took was neither smooth or straight and the A6 Allroad acquitted itself with aplomb. For the first part we used the automatic suspension settings that smoothed out the bumps whilst still delivering excellent handling. A switch to the dynamic setting firmed up the ride (but not to an uncomfortable extent) and lifted the handling from great to superb, with sharp turn in and flat on rails cornering. It is also commendably quiet – no need to turn the audio system up as your speed increases. If you wish to venture off-road you have a 139mm ground clearance at standard ride height. The A6 can also haul a 2.5 ton trailer.
Whilst the pricing puts this firmly in the Executive segment it is worth a look if you want a spacious, comfortable and practical tourer.
Specifications:
Body type 5 Door SUV
Drive AWD
Engine type V6 Diesel super and turbocharged
Engine capacity 2967cc
Max power 257kW
Max torque 700Nm @ 2500-3100rpm
l/100km (Combined) TBC
C02 emissions TBC
Boot capacity 565 litres
ANCAP rating 5 Star
Price $139,400
