At Home on All Roads and Tracks: Audi A6 allroad quattro

Source: Audi AG

Design

The exterior design of the new A6 allroad quattro is closely related to the styling of the Audi A6 Avant; it has the same expressive design language. It is marked by timeless elegance and emotional sportiness, thus consistently continuing the design evolution typical for the brand. Its distinctive look is created by the dynamic styling, the stimulating treatment of surfaces and the gentle lines of the almost coupe-like silhouette.

At the same time, the striking off-road styling elements blend harmoniously into the overall picture. The underride protection made of stainless steel highlights the robust nature of the vehicle. The designers have slightly modified the prominent single-frame grille for use here; the licence plate holder now appears to float in mid-air. Other design features include chrome-plated strips on the vertical grille bars, the newly designed bumpers – in a contrasting colour as standard or optionally matt-painted in the colour of the vehicle – and the larger exterior mirrors that provide a particularly wide field of vision. The new A6 allroad quattro is optionally available with the “adaptive light” dynamic cornering light, with xenon plus headlights and daytime running lights.

Aesthetic lines: strong shoulders, low windows

In profile the body looks elongated; the dynamic rise of the strong shoulder line, the low window strip and the gently sloping roof create this impression. Sturdy door strips, made of aluminium on request, accentuate the dynamic line in the lower area of the flanks. The roof rails, also of aluminium, rest on four supports.

The sill panelling protects from gravel impact and conveys an impression of muscular power, as do the flared wheel arches.

These are painted in a contrasting colour or optionally in the colour of the vehicle and, depending on the engine, house 17-inch wheels or – standard on the 4.2 FSI – 18-inch wheels in three special designs. The tyres are slightly larger in diameter than those on the A6 Avant.

At the rear, the A6 allroad quattro can be recognised by an underride protection made of stainless steel, large exhaust tailpipes and an aluminium-look trim strip in the area of the bumper. Eleven stylish colours underline the expressive design. Three of these are new – Polar Blue, Condor Grey and Lava Grey. The rear lights, in conjunction with the xenon plus headlights, incorporate an LED unit for the brake lights and taillights.

The interior ambience too, with fine lines and elegant forms and colours, offers the highest quality and harmonious aesthetics. The first indication of this is provided by the new door entry strip made of aluminium. Four interior colours are available to choose from – paranut brown and cardamom beige being new – and can be combined with five seat fabrics and five decorative inlays. The new inlays are the standard material, Aluminium Axial, and the optional Californian Vavona wood assam grey (standard on the 4.2 FSI). The standard seat fabrics combine elements of material and leatherette. Sports seats in conjunction with Valcona leather feature a two-colour design.

Body and interior

The new Audi A6 allroad quattro boasts some impressive measurements but is clearly smaller than the Audi Q7 performance SUV. It has a length of 4,934 millimetres, a width of 1,862 mm and, depending on the setting of the standard adaptive air suspension, a height of 1,459 to 1,519 mm. The last figure exceeds the A6 Avant by up to 64 mm; all other measurements are identical. Compared with its predecessor, the new A6 allroad quattro is longer by 124 mm, wider by 10 mm and has a wheelbase lengthened by 76 mm.

The Audi A6 allroad quattro will be produced exclusively with the Avant body, which offers the driver and four passengers generous roominess. The load area – which can be extended from 565 to 1,660 litres of storage space by folding the asymmetrically divided backrests in two easy movements – incorporates two rails, to which four lashing eyes can be attached; a tensioning strap, telescopic rod and bicycle rack may also be fitted. The A6 allroad quattro is purposely aimed at sports enthusiasts who often wish to transport sports equipment in their spare time. Its adaptive air suspension also functions as a self-levelling suspension, permitting high payloads. An automatically opening and closing tailgate is available. Particularly long items can easily be accommodated thanks to the load-through hatch including ski bag. The towing bracket with a mechanically swivelling ball joint coupling is simple to operate.

Rigid and safe: the body

The body of the A6 allroad quattro features the same high rigidity as the Audi A6 Avant. It is a composite construction with a high proportion of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel panels and light-weight aluminium components which reduce weight primarily at the front end. A combination of precisely matched sections protects passengers in the event of an accident. As well as the two front airbags, the vehicle is equipped as standard with side airbags at the front (optionally at the rear too) and the head airbag system sideguard. Audi backguard reduces the consequences of a rear-end collision.

The interior of the new Audi A6 allroad quattro is distinguished by its luxurious finish and excellent functionality. At the heart of the operating concept is the MMI terminal, which the driver can use to configure numerous convenience functions that can then be viewed on a monitor. The operating unit is situated on the centre tunnel – a solution that still outmatches anything the competition has to offer, as numerous tests in the trade press have confirmed.

The basic version of the MMI system is a standard item and can be upgraded in two stages. The Audi A6 allroad quattro comes as standard with deluxe automatic air conditioning with air recirculation and a pollen filter as well as sun sensors. The temperature can be controlled separately for driver and front passenger.

The electromechanical parking brake on the Audi A6 allroad quattro offers considerable functional advantages compared with conventional technology. An automatic function makes driving off on gradients easier. It features the emergency braking function required by law.

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