Compare the2023 Audi A6 AllroadVS 2023 BMW X6

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 X6 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 X6 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the A6 Allroad and X6 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 X6’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.

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 X6 doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the A6 Allroad and the X6 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, all wheel drive, 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.

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 X6 has not been tested, yet.

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 39 points higher than the X6.

The A6 Allroad’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 38 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 331) than the X6’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi A6 Allroad is faster than the BMW X6 6 cyl. hybrid gas:

On the EPA test cycle the A6 Allroad gets better mileage than the X6:

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi A6 Allroad higher (5 out of 10) than the BMW X6 (3). This means the A6 Allroad produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the X6 every 15,000 miles.

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 X6 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

For better stopping power the A6 Allroad’s standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the X6:

The A6 Allroad stops shorter than the X6:

The front and rear suspension of the A6 Allroad uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the X6, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

For better maneuverability, the A6 Allroad’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the X6’s (40 feet vs. 41.3 feet).

The Audi A6 Allroad may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 650 pounds less than the BMW X6.

The A6 Allroad is 7.4 inches shorter in height than the X6, 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 significantly lower than the X6 (.34 to .35) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the A6 Allroad get better fuel mileage.

The A6 Allroad has .9 inches more front legroom, 2 inches more rear headroom and 1.7 inches more rear legroom than the X6.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the A6 Allroad’s rear seats recline. The X6’s rear seats don’t recline.

The A6 Allroad has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the X6 with its rear seat up (30 vs. 27.4 cubic feet). The A6 Allroad has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the X6 with its rear seat folded (63.8 vs. 59.6 cubic feet).

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the A6 Allroad has a standard rear wiper. The X6 doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

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 X6 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 X6.

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 X6.

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 X6’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

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

The Audi A6/S6/RS 6 outsold the BMW X6 by 16% during the 2021 model year.