Price: £46,505
Top speed: 139mph
0-62mph: 7.5 seconds
MPG: 50.4
CO2: 159g/km
It was 1am when we rolled off the M6 and into the services at Charnock Richard in Lancashire. We were heading north but had run out of juice – both us and the car – and £40 for a double in the Days Inn sounded if not romantic, then functional at least. But my wife was worried it was a motel not a hotel, and that therefore we’d “be murdered, like in America!” We headed to the check-in where the night manager looked like a young, blond Schwarzenegger. Next to him a trucker FaceTimed his wife, who then put their parrot on the screen for a goodnight kiss… It felt like we’d arrived on the set of Twin Peaks.
By dawn, the nocturnal weirdness had lifted and under a low winter sun we cracked on up to the blissful open roads of Dumfries in the safe embrace of Audi’s new A6 Allroad. As a car it is the diametric opposite of a David Lynch series. There are no unnerving moments, no unexpected twists, no surprise endings. This isn’t edge of the seat driving: it’s back of the sofa under a duvet with a mug of Ovaltine driving. It’s big, comfortable and so incredibly dependable. It could be a father figure to you, if you happen to be missing one.
It also hopes to be every car you’ll ever need. It’s a large estate that has the on-road smoothness of a premium saloon, but also the off-road roughness of a no-nonsense SUV. Over a long weekend I covered more than 1,000 miles in it – many of them with its perspicacious cruise control holding the fort. During one stretch I must have driven at least two hours without touching either the throttle or brake.
One reason it drives so well is the air suspension, which raises and lowers to suit conditions. This makes the A6 far nimbler than a car of its size has any right to be. The fact that it has lost 20% of its overall weight compared to the outgoing model also helps. This means the model I drove, which featured a 201bhp 3-litre engine, was still able to reach 62mph in 7.5 seconds and do just over 50 miles to the gallon. Audi claims these are best-in-class running costs.
The Allroad used to look quite beefy, with lumpy plastic wheel arches and huge bumpers. Now it looks a lot sleeker. To my eye that’s an improvement, but the horsey set might turn their noses up at it – the equestrian market is key for this model. Horse-mad or not, everyone will appreciate the huge boot and luxurious interior. Safety tech and driver aids are, as you would expect from Audi, well up to snuff. The Allroad is an SUV for people who don’t want to look like they’re driving an SUV. Maybe it is a surprise package after all.
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @MartinLove166
