New Audi A6 Allroad 2026 review: Audi back to its best

Verdict

The Audi A6 Allroad serves up a surprisingly engaging driving experience and one that, despite all of its onboard tech, feels almost old school. A 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine suits its character perfectly, pulling it along effortlessly and providing a soundtrack that’s something of a change in today’s world of ever-increasing electrification. A competent chassis and powertrain, combined with real visual impact, suggest Audi has rediscovered some of its past form.

Audi may currently list eight different SUVs in its model range, but the company has never turned its back on the practical estate car, and now it’s bringing back one of the fan favourites for an all-new generation of the A6 Allroad.

The lifted Audi A6 Avant enters its fifth iteration, and this time it’s leaning more heavily into that rugged image. Wearing a wide-body design that undoubtedly hints at the next-generation RS 6, the new raised load-lugger is 110 millimetres wider than the regular A6 estate.

Sitting 34 millimetres taller than that A6 Avant, the Allroad also gets bespoke exterior styling, including a unique take on the vast ‘singleframe’ radiator grille, featuring stretched hexagons that emphasise height.

Liberal use of gloss black bodywork detailing helps set the A6 Allroad apart as well, although it’s sure to look tired and tarnished if owners were to use this car as intended — we can’t fathom why Audi didn’t simply stick to some good old-fashioned black or grey plastic for these details. Some of the brighter exterior colours available do create a more obvious and stark contrast against the Allroad elements of the exterior styling package, however.

Used - available now

2022 Audi

A6 Allroad

39,770 milesAutomaticPetrol3.0L

Cash £32,495

View A6 Allroad

2018 Audi

A6 Allroad

97,601 milesAutomaticDiesel3.0L

Cash £12,999

View A6 Allroad

2018 Audi

A6 Allroad

98,000 milesAutomaticDiesel3.0L

Cash £15,000

View A6 Allroad

2018 Audi

A6 Allroad

115,000 milesAutomaticDiesel3.0L

Cash £10,000

View A6 Allroad

A chunky rocker panel complements the exterior, as do the optional 21-inch alloy wheels. Base cars get 19-inch wheels as standard, with the option of 20-inch designs on Vorsprung specification. There are matrix-LED headlights, which look almost pinched between the bonnet and bulging bumper, while Vorsprung models gain Audi’s latest digital matrix-OLED lights. Owners can choose from eight lighting signatures to add a further layer of customisation.

This is the first time an A6 Allroad has been offered as a plug-in hybrid – though it’s not currently available in the UK – featuring a 22kWh battery placed beneath the rear seats and boot floor. This provides enough energy for up to 63 miles of electric driving; at the combustion end is a turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine resulting in a combined maximum output of 361bhp.

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Opposite that, and more in keeping with Allroads of the past, is the 3.0-litre V6 TDI that we’re driving here. There is some mild-hybrid tech to boost fuel efficiency, extend engine-off coasting and reduce turbo lag – including an electrically driven turbocharger – providing an extra 23bhp in the process. The brawny diesel generates up to 580Nm, though without the PHEV’s electric assistance, it is only a tenth of a second faster to crack the 0-62mph dash, taking 5.4 seconds.

That MHEV system in the diesel is better than earlier efforts, and for the most part is unlikely to bother even keener drivers. The engine promptly shuts off when coasting, letting the Audi freewheel for surprisingly long distances at times, before restarting smoothly. Only if you stab at the accelerator when coasting does the engine restart harshly.

It still feels more than potent enough and provides a driving experience that is more than the sum of its parts. In a world increasingly populated by vehicles that seek to control body movements and eliminate body roll, the Audi seems developed to allow for plenty of movement on the suspension.

The lifted stance is kept in check by adaptive air suspension that, in its most balanced setting, results in a car that can devour apexes and hoover up winding ribbons of tarmac, while still breathing and flowing with the road to offer decent long-distance comfort.

That Teutonic precision comes through in the steering, where virtually all elasticity has been removed from the standard-fit progressive steering setup. Engaging the dynamic setting firms everything up and reduces the ride height by 20mm (which also happens automatically at motorway speeds), resulting in a sharper driving experience.

Rear-wheel steering is a help at low speeds, turning up to five degrees in the opposite direction to the front wheels at up to 37mph, and moving in phase with the front by two degrees at speeds above that. This set-up serves to quicken how the car pivots around tighter corners and makes it even more rewarding to link up a series of bends on a more sinuous road.

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And when you do want to depart the tarmac, there are two dedicated off-road modes, raising the car by 15mm, with scope for a further 20mm for lower-speed cross-country terrain. The offroad+ drive mode allows more slip and locks the differential more readily, while increasing shift points in the seven-speed automatic transmission. Not that we expect many to actually take their Allroad off-road.

The interior, while nicely put together, is not as distinctive as the outside. The curved OLED dashboard comprises an 11.9-inch driver’s display and a 14.5-inch touchscreen for the infotainment. Both offer a variety of customisation options along with the expected wireless smartphone mirroring. While perfectly good to use, it’s a shame that virtually everything in the car has to be operated through the touchscreen.

Go for the Vorsprung version, and there’s also a 10.9-inch touchscreen in front of the passenger seat. Useful as it might be, this third display really does look like an afterthought in terms of design.

Material quality inside is to an expected premium standard, though the large swathe of gloss-black plastic on the centre console acts as a dust magnet and also scratches far too easily. Nonetheless, electrically adjustable seats and steering wheel provide a large scope of movement, so it’s easy to find a good driving position.

Those in the rear aren’t hard done by either, with decent levels of legroom and headroom. The presence of a transmission tunnel does mean the centre passenger gets the short straw, but it will fit three people in a bind.

A vast panoramic glass roof adds to the sense of space, while on a more practical level both of the outer rear seats and the front passenger seat are equipped with ISOFIX anchor points. A wide and low load aperture helps make it easy to fill the 466-litre boot, and there’s up to 1,497 litres when the 40:20:40 rear seats are folded.

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