2020 Audi A6 allroad Road Trip. Vesuvius Grey Metallic with black leather interior and wood inlays. Premium Plus with Executive and Driver Assistance Packages.
Background: I’m a 50 something married father with two dogs. Kids are mostly out of the house. Currently living in Denver with a cabin up in the mountains outside of Buena Vista, CO. I bought my first Audi in ’90 and have had numerous Audi’s since. I’ve also had a Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Subaru Outback, Acura’s and some others. Always seem to come back to Audi.
Car just prior to buying the allroad was a 2016 S6. Loved that car but always had to be concerned about conditions getting to the cabin. I’ve also always been a sucker for a nice station wagon.
Road Trip: My wife and I decided to just load up the car and head out for a week. No real plans or destinations set with the exception of one night in a cabin on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Early on a Saturday morning we headed out towards Santa FE. Then up into the mountains of Arizona. Off to Scottsdale, the Grand Canyon, Gunnison, CO and home on the following Friday.
Most days saw 4 – 6 hours of drive time. Mostly highway with some incredible mountain roads in Arizona.
Typical gas mileage on the trip was 30 MPG. Overall since ownership I am averaging 26 MPG.
Overall impression: After extended time in the car I still love it. The ride is comfortable in most Drive Select modes. Power from the engine is more than enough for passing, cruising and having fun. Seats were more comfortable than I thought they were going to be just after daily driving around town. They were more supportive than I expected. After coming from the sport seats in the S6 I feel like they could have more side support, however, after the road trip it wasn’t a concern or something I felt was lacking from the seats.
Significant room in the car which isn’t surprising given its size. We loaded up the back with enough gear to cover hiking in winter (Arizona mountains/Grand Canyon), hiking in the summer (Scottsdale), poolside, night out, etc. There was plenty of enough space to take even more gear and that was with the rear seats up.
Driving: As I said, the car rides great. Smooth on almost all road surfaces. Spirited when you want it to be. We stayed at what is billed as the “highest lodge in Arizona”. I believe it was approximately 9,000 feet up. The area had received snow the night and morning prior to our arrival. The lodge is located on a road with signage that clearly states roads will not be plowed on weekends. On the drive up there were definitely some snowy and icy patches but nothing significant. Upon departure the following morning it was a different story. Heading down the opposite side of the mountain was one of the curviest roads I’ve ever been on. And the road was covered in snow and ice for the better part of the drive. Some tracks from one or two cars that had been through prior, but otherwise we were cutting our own path. The allroad handled great. Very little if any wheel spin. It felt sure footed no matter the road condition or how many S curves we went through. When the roads were dry you can through the car into curves knowing it’s going to come through the other side unscathed.
Driver Assistance Features:
Adaptive Cruise Control. While I’m a big fan of adaptive cruise control, the system on the 2020 allroad is far from my favorite. I feel like the car is too quick to slow down for a vehicle in front and too slow to accelerate once the path is clear. Additionally, some of the features are completely useless. One such feature is the ability to use the car’s sign recognition to automatically adjust the speed set. This would be a cool feature if it worked. However, incorrect sign recognition and other issues can cause the car to think the speed limit drops from 65 to 45 and it doesn’t coast down it brakes. Hard. Not only is it annoying but it can also be dangerous.
Lane Keep Assist. This feature I think works better in the Audi than any car I’ve ever driven. It’s fantastic. At times I felt like I was fighting the function until I just realized to let it do its thing. It really does keep the car centered in the lane no matter the twists and turns.
Park Assist. Well, this is a sensitive feature. It seems to start beeping and warning long before you are near objects. It’s possible there is a way to adjust the sensitivity for the warnings, but I honestly haven’t spent the time yet to figure it out.
Cameras. I enjoy all of the camera options the Audi has. My 2016 also had a number of cameras and the front, rear and 360 cameras are a feature I wouldn’t want to be without on any car.
Exterior. I think the car looks great. Every time I see it or wash it, I love it. I just think the larger size over the A4 allroad really makes a difference. The air suspension is an added benefit because when you are around town you can lower it to give it a bit more of an aggressive stance but still have the capability to get to the trailheads off the beaten path.
Interior. Again, I think the allroad looks great. The leather and wood accents, the lighting. It is a very elegant looking car yet functional enough to not be out of place on the trails.
Technology. I like the touchscreen for sure but dang I’m going to sound like my wife when I say it’s a bit too much at times. The car feels like you need to have a computer science degree to run things. Case and point. The adaptive cruise control features. I can’t for the life of me find how to set/adjust them. The feature to use the sign recognition for example. Last time I had to pull out the owners manual to figure it out. When my wife drove, it defaulted to being on for her profile. I couldn’t figure out how to turn it off. Probably not that complicated but it’s buried deep in a menu option somewhere.
The tech doesn’t always work either. The wireless apple carplay is touchy. Sometimes it connects right away no problem, other times it won’t connect at all no matter what I try. When it works, I love it. When it doesn’t I want to drive the car over a cliff.
Overall: I would buy the car again. Is it as much fun as my S6? No but that’s not the point of the car. It has some zip for sure but it’s not a beast. However, I think it is much better looking and much more functional for what I want. It’s nice to drive a car that has a ton of room, drives great, has good clearance and isn’t an SUV. I was considering the SQ5 but really didn’t see myself driving that SUV every day.
Future: I really need to get a clear bra and protect the paint. I should have done it before the road trip but just didn’t have the time to get the car in. I’d love some cross rails and a carrier for the roof. I think it makes the car just look better plus the functionality for bikes, etc. would be great. I actually like the wheels more than I thought but certainly could stand an upgrade there. Most likely that will happen when I buy a set of winter tires and I’ll swap the current wheels for the winter set-up and upgrade for the non-winter tires. Most of all though I would love a way to be able to set the car in its lowest ride height. Currently the car lowers only when driving 65 MPH (or around that) or above. It would be nice to be able to always have the car lowered when just tooling around town.
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