Compare the2023 Audi A6 AllroadVS 2023 Toyota Venza

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
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 Toyota Venza doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The A6 Allroad’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Venza doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the A6 Allroad and Venza 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 Venza’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.

The Audi A6 Allroad has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Venza doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the A6 Allroad’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Venza doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

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 Venza doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the A6 Allroad and the Venza have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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.

The Audi A6 Allroad weighs 573 to 639 pounds more than the Toyota Venza. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Audi A6 Allroad is safer than the Toyota Venza:

	A6 Allroad	Venza
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Leg Forces (l/r)	292/435 lbs.	400/388 lbs.

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

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 Toyota Venza:

	A6 Allroad	Venza
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	135	146
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	49 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
Hip Force	514 lbs.	835 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 6.6% less likely to roll over than the Venza, 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 front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the A6 Allroad its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 136 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Venza is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

Warranty

The A6 Allroad comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Venza’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The A6 Allroad’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Venza’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Engine

The A6 Allroad’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 116 more horsepower (335 vs. 219) than the Venza’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Audi A6 Allroad is faster than the Toyota Venza:

	A6 Allroad	Venza
Zero to 60 MPH	5.2 sec	7.6 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	13.3 sec	20.9 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	5.8 sec	7.9 sec
Quarter Mile	13.8 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	102 MPH	89 MPH
Top Speed	129 MPH	118 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

Both the A6 Allroad and Venza have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The A6 Allroad has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The A6 Allroad has 4.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Venza (19.3 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

The A6 Allroad’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Venza doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	A6 Allroad	Venza
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	11.1 inches

The A6 Allroad’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Venza are solid, not vented.

The A6 Allroad stops shorter than the Venza:

	A6 Allroad	Venza
70 to 0 MPH	172 feet	179 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	121 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the A6 Allroad has larger tires than the Venza (245/45R20 vs. 225/60R18).

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 Venza LE’s standard 60 series tires. The A6 Allroad’s tires are lower profile than the Venza XLE/Nightshade/Limited’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the A6 Allroad has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Venza LE. The Venza’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

Suspension and Handling

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

The A6 Allroad has a standard driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Venza’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

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 Venza doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The A6 Allroad has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Venza doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the A6 Allroad’s wheelbase is 9.3 inches longer than on the Venza (115.2 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the A6 Allroad is 1.8 inches wider in the front than on the Venza.

The A6 Allroad Prestige handles at .83 G’s, while the Venza Limited pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The A6 Allroad Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Venza Limited (26.5 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Chassis

The A6 Allroad is 7 inches shorter in height than the Venza, making the A6 Allroad much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Passenger Space

The A6 Allroad has 2.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Venza (101 vs. 98.3).

The A6 Allroad has .4 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front shoulder room and .5 inches more rear headroom than the Venza.

Cargo Capacity

The A6 Allroad has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Venza with its rear seat up (30 vs. 28.8 cubic feet). The A6 Allroad has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Venza with its rear seat folded (63.8 vs. 55.1 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the A6 Allroad’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Venza doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Servicing Ease

The A6 Allroad uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Venza uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The engine in the A6 Allroad is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Venza. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 17% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 20th.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Venza XLE/Nightshade/Limited, 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 rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Venza’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The A6 Allroad’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Venza’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

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 Venza doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the A6 Allroad to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Venza doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the A6 Allroad is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Venza’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The A6 Allroad’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Venza offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The A6 Allroad has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats are only available on the Venza XLE/Nightshade/Limited. The A6 Allroad also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Venza.

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 is only available on the Venza Limited.

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 Venza.

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 Venza doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

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

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