The 2020 Audi A6 Allroad, Did You Realize It's On Sale Now?

It’s an occasion worthy of a future “Rare Rides” label when the North American market is graced with a new large wagon. Only a few of the breed are for sale presently, and that quantity has remained largely unchanged since the late 1990s.

Audi is selling two new ones this year, but they don’t seem to be on anyone’s mind. Not even the wagon-loving car journalists.

The reporting on the RS 6 Avant (announced first) and A6 allroad seemed to come and go quickly. American video reviews are few and far between; most you’ll find are from Europe. TTAC only reported on it once in 2019, and that was before the model was fully confirmed. But now it’s here, and it’s really something.

The substantially larger and more expensive sibling of the A4-sourced allroad, the A6 allroad debuted for 2020, and is also for sale as a 2021. Two trims are available, the “base” Premium Plus which starts at $65,900, and the Prestige which commands at least $71,400. A Bang & Olufsen 3D stereo is standard, as is the company’s 360-degree top-view camera system. Prestige is required for niceties like a head-up display, different HD LED headlamps, interior ambient lighting that is color selectable, and four zones of climate control.

Both trims have the same technical specs, headlined by a 3.0-liter TFSI engine that develops a nice 335 horsepower and 369 torques. No slouch, allroad reaches 60 in 5.1 seconds and will travel to an oddly limited 130 mph top speed. Acceleration is made possible via the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. An adaptive air suspension is standard, and includes a high-riding off-road mode. Like other allroad entries, it comes with crossover-y cladding around the bottom of the vehicle. But unlike previous allroads, for $1,000 Audi will color match all the cladding. But that option’s only available on select exterior hues. Blue, green, red, and brown are all accounted for, among other standard black and white tones. Tan or black interiors are available, but the US misses out on the browns and greens available in continental Europe.

Dimensionally it’s 74.9 inches wide, 194.9 inches long, and 58.9 inches high; almost identical to the Mercedes E-Class wagon. It weighs 4,486 pounds, so the fuel economy is expectedly middling: 20 city, 26 highway, and 22 combined on premium fuel.

Limited in its availability, there are 111 new A6 allroads for sale across the nation, and they range in price from $65,229 to $84,315. For comparison to another scant vehicle, there are 109 new Toyota Land Cruisers for sale right now. A more common vehicle, 143 Aston Martin DB11s are for sale.

We’re left with questions. Is Audi not marketing their new wagon or making it (or its hot sibling) available to news outlets in the US? Is its lack of publicity partially a result of the complete poop show that is the year 2020? Is there any point in advertising a large wagon to the American public? And with this low level of awareness, how long can such a wagon offering really last?

Perhaps only that last question will receive a definitive answer in time. I’ll tell you one thing though, the A6 allroad goes to the top of my used shopping list in roughly four years’ time.

[Images: Audi]