Audi A6 allroad

Our verdict

The Audi A6 Allroad is possibly the most universal-use machine on the road today – drive this and then try to justify a Range Rover.

Comfort

Stick the Allroad in ‘comfort' mode and it's pretty much as good as it gets. Audi build quality means there's little noise and loads of space for five folk, plus saddles and bottles of horse wax.

Performance

With a 3.2-litre V6 or 4.2-litre petrol under the bonnet you'll say a lot about what you think of the environment - but the V8 hits 62mph in 6.3 seconds and on to a limited 155mph. More realistic to go for either the 2.7 or 3.0-litre oil-burners. With 230bhp the 3.0-litre is quick, and the torque is more grunty for off-road plodding.

Cool

The cachet is there, it's just a bit grown-up. Think very rich farmers, or people who want to be very rich farmers.

Quality

As with all current Audis, the general quality is very high. They seem to have nailed this car-building business.

Handling

Air suspension can be raised, lowered, stiffened and softened all at the touch of a button. It doesn't feel as composed as a ‘normal' Avant on the Tarmac, but it's fine, and you get the off-road ability thrown in for free. Well, not for free, but you get the idea.

Practicality

The Allroad offers the same amount of space as an A6 Avant. Which is a lot. And because this car can cover lots of bases as an SUV/car hybrid, it's possibly one of the most useful things in production.

Running costs

Fuel economy isn't great across the range (especially the big petrol variants) but residuals are rock solid. Not cheap, but preferable to the horrid Q7 mothership.