Just after we first saw the U.S.-spec 2013 Audi A4 Allroad at the Detroit auto show, the company’s German mothership announced the one-size-up third-generation A6 Allroad. Unlike its smaller sibling, however, it won’t be sold here.
What exactly are we missing? At its heart, an opportunity to drop a lot of coin on a wagon stuffed with most of what makes the latest A6 sedan—which made our 10Best list this year—so good. That includes available all-LED headlamps; touchpad-equipped MMI with a power-retractable eight-inch screen, Google Earth, and mobile hotspot services; and elegant cabin trim. Compared with the standard A6, the new Allroad rides 2.4 inches higher and features the usual Allroad garb, including flared fenders, front and rear stainless-steel skid plates, and shiny vertical grille slats. The exhaust finishers are flattened, wheels are available in 18-, 19-, and 20-inch sizes, and a new “Java Braun” exterior color is unique to the Allroad. (Brown wagon? Yes, please.) As with the A4 Allroad, the fenders of the A6 Allroad can be ordered in a contrasting color or be painted to match the body. The cabin is set apart with its all-black dashboard and carpets, as well as aluminum trim emblazoned with the word “Allroad.”
Beneath the skin, the A6 Allroad can host any of four V-6 powertrains; choices include one supercharged 3.0-liter gasoline-burner with 310 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque and three 3.0-liter diesels ranging in output from 204 hp and 332 lb-ft to 313 hp and 479 lb-ft.
The most significant mechanical distinction between the Allroad and other A6 Avants, however, involves the adaptive air suspension, which lowers the car by 0.6 inch at speed and can lift it by 1.4 inches at the touch of a button when the going gets a little tougher. We doubt many of the Allroad’s swanky buyers will do much serious off-roading with their luxurious haulers; if so, they might have been better off investigating what they could get for their €54,600 (the base price for the A6 Allroad in Germany) or more at the Land Rover dealer. We’d just like Americans to have the opportunity to make that decision at all.
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