Compare the2023 Audi A6 AllroadVS 2023 BMW X3

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi A6 Allroad have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW X3 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Audi A6 Allroad are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X3 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the A6 Allroad and X3 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A6 Allroad has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The X3’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the A6 Allroad. But it costs extra on the X3.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the A6 Allroad Prestige helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The X3 doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the A6 Allroad and the X3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi A6 Allroad is safer than the BMW X3:

	A6 Allroad	X3
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	262 lbs.	275 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	45 G’s
Hip Force	716 lbs.	794 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	13 inches
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	514 lbs.	624 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the A6 Allroad, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 8.2% to 8.3% less likely to roll over than the X3, which received a four-star rating.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the A6 Allroad its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 89 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The X3 has not been fully tested, yet.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the A6 Allroad’s reliability 22 points higher than the X3.

Engine

The A6 Allroad’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 87 more horsepower (335 vs. 248) and 111 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 258) than the X3 s/xDrive30i’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi A6 Allroad is faster than the X3 s/xDrive30i 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

	A6 Allroad	X3
Zero to 60 MPH	5.1 sec	6.7 sec
Quarter Mile	13.7 sec	15.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	102.8 MPH	91.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the A6 Allroad gets better mileage than the X3:

			MPG
A6 Allroad
	AWD	3.0 turbo V6 Hybrid	21 city/30 hwy
X3
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
		3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	21 city/26 hwy

The A6 Allroad has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the X3 (19.3 vs. 17.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

The A6 Allroad offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The X3 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the A6 Allroad’s brake rotors are larger than those on the X3:

	A6 Allroad	X3	X3 M40i
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	13 inches	13.7 inches

The A6 Allroad stops shorter than the X3:

	A6 Allroad	X3
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The A6 Allroad’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the X3’s standard 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the A6 Allroad has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the X3.

Suspension and Handling

The front and rear suspension of the A6 Allroad uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the X3, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The A6 Allroad has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The A6 Allroad’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The X3 doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the A6 Allroad’s wheelbase is 2.4 inches longer than on the X3 (115.2 inches vs. 112.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the A6 Allroad is 1.3 inches wider in the front than the average track on the X3.

The A6 Allroad Prestige handles at .82 G’s, while the X3 xDrive30i pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The A6 Allroad Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the X3 xDrive30i (26.5 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

Chassis

The A6 Allroad is 7.1 inches shorter in height than the X3, making the A6 Allroad much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

The design of the Audi A6 Allroad amounts to more than styling. The A6 Allroad has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .29 Cd. That is lower than the X3 (.32 to .35) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the A6 Allroad get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

The A6 Allroad has 1 inch more front legroom, .2 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 1 inch more rear legroom and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the X3.

Cargo Capacity

The A6 Allroad has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the X3 with its rear seat up (30 vs. 28.7 cubic feet). The A6 Allroad has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the X3 with its rear seat folded (63.8 vs. 62.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the A6 Allroad easier. The A6 Allroad’s trunk lift-over height is 27 inches, while the X3’s liftover is 28.5 inches.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the X3, the A6 Allroad Prestige offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, outside mirror angle and climate settings and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The A6 Allroad’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The X3 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A6 Allroad has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The X3 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The A6 Allroad has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the X3.

The A6 Allroad Prestige offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the X3.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Audi A6 Allroad has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the X3.

The A6 Allroad Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Park Assist Plus will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The X3’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Audi A6 Allroad and the BMW X3, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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