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Audi A6 Allroad 3.0 BiTDI driven

Driven June 2012

Wills and Kate will be delighted. Audi has launched an all-new Allroad with the new twin-turbo 3.0-litre TDI - perfect for arriving at a subtly sponsored polo event. Not too bling, more than quick enough to whisk you away from the rabble and four-wheel drive should the going get sticky.

But we shouldn't be glib - this is a great car and the engine is the highlight. Zero to 100kph only takes 5.6 seconds thanks to 309bhp and 650Nm - this, in a near two tonne semi-SUV. But even the acceleration figure doesn't do justice to the effortless momentum it has or the total lack of turbo lag.

And it doesn't fall apart in the corners. A dynamic suspension setting lowers it by 15mm from normal (the total adjustment in off-road mode is 60mm), so it handles as nimbly as a standard A6 Avant, plus rides that bit better, too.

It is, of course, more expensive than the equivalent estate, and Audi doesn't fit small engines to the Allroad, either: you're limited to this bi-turbo, the normal 3.0 TDI or the 3.0 TFSI. To be honest the lesser-powered diesel is the perfect compromise. But royalty needs the best, and that is this bi-turbo.

Piers Ward