Audi A6 Allroad quattro estate (2012-2019)

The Audi A6 Allroad is a jack-of-all-trades. For some, the appeal of the four rings on the front will be enough to tempt people behind the wheel, but the A6 Allroad is actually a very accomplished car with a wide breadth of abilities. It's based on the regular Audi A6 Avant which is already an impressive car.

The A6 Allroad is one of the more expensive off-road estate cars on the road, as the Volvo XC70, VW Passat Alltrack and Skoda Octavia Scout are all cheaper, but the A6 offers style, practicality, upmarket comfort and a great range of engines to offset its higher price.

For some buyers, a normal estate car will be enough, or they need a full on off-roader, as the A6 Allroad can’t follow the likes of a Land Rover Discovery up a mountain, but it’s got more grip than the standard A6 Avant and adjustable suspension makes it more practical.

The A6 Allroad is suitably rugged for those wanting something a bit more beefy, though. The car has a slightly raised ride height, extended wheelarches and sills and a bit of protection under the front and rear bumpers. This can be swapped for body-coloured paint on some models, suggesting the extra touches are merely cosmetic and show that the car is unlikely to be regularly attempting some rocky inclines.

This extra ride height hasn’t come at a detriment to the way the car handles, though. It’s a little bit softer than the A6 Avant and rolls a little more in corners, but it’s a very comfortable car to spend time in.

There’s an engine to suit all tastes, and they’re all powerful, modern and efficient. Of particular note is the most powerful 316bhp diesel, which uses a pair of turbochargers to help it go from 0-62mph in just 5.5 seconds. It also makes quite a distinctive noise for a diesel car.

The weakest point about the A6 Allroad is its price. While its refined, comfortable and powerful and provides plenty of space for the family, the range kicks off at more than £45,000 and tops out at more than £55,000 for the most powerful model in the more expensive of the two trims. That’s even before you dip into the options list, which can quickly escalate the price by thousands.

This makes the Allroad one of the most expensive 4x4 estates on the market, so if you don’t need the extra ride height and rugged looks, we’d recommend the regular A6 Avant with Audi’s brilliant Quattro four-wheel drive system.

The Audi A6 range finished 34th out of the 75 cars ranked in our 2017 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey of cars currently on sale in the UK.