Compare the2024 Subaru OutbackVS 2023 Audi A6 Allroad

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Outback are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The A6 Allroad doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Outback has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The A6 Allroad doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Outback’s optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The A6 Allroad doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Outback and the A6 Allroad have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

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

	Outback	A6 Allroad
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	158	197
Neck Injury Risk	26%	30%
Neck Stress	281 lbs.	322 lbs.
Neck Compression	57 lbs.	64 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	230/249 lbs.	292/435 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	241	354
Neck Stress	147 lbs.	228 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	98 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	161/137 lbs.	263/331 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 Subaru Outback is safer than the Audi A6 Allroad:

	Outback	A6 Allroad
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	28	135
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	101 lbs.	174 lbs.
Hip Force	247 lbs.	262 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	116	135
Hip Force	635 lbs.	716 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	146	395

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

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Outback its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 30 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The A6 Allroad has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the Outback 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the A6 Allroad. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the A6 Allroad ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 2 times as many Subaru dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Outback’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 36 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Audi With 6 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Audi.

Engine

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Outback lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The A6 Allroad doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Outback 2.5i gets better fuel mileage than the A6 Allroad (26 city/32 hwy vs. 21 city/30 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Outback uses regular unleaded gasoline. The A6 Allroad requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Outback higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Audi A6 Allroad (5). This means the Outback produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the A6 Allroad every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Outback has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The A6 Allroad doesn’t offer a CVT.

Tires and Wheels

The Outback Wilderness/Onyx XT has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the A6 Allroad; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which has mileage and speed limitations, or roadside assistance and a tow-truck.

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the Outback’s turning circle is 3.9 feet tighter than the A6 Allroad’s (36.1 feet vs. 40 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Outback has a 2.6 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the A6 Allroad Premium Plus (8.7 vs. 6.1 inches), allowing the Outback to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Outback Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is 2.2 inches higher than on the A6 Allroad Prestige (9.5 vs. 7.3 inches).

Chassis

The Subaru Outback may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 550 to 850 pounds less than the Audi A6 Allroad.

The Outback Wilderness is 3.6 inches shorter than the A6 Allroad, making the Outback easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Outback 2.5i uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The A6 Allroad doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Outback has 8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the A6 Allroad (109 vs. 101).

The Outback has 1.8 inches more front headroom, 1.5 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front shoulder room, 2.1 inches more rear legroom and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the A6 Allroad.

Cargo Capacity

The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the A6 Allroad with its rear seat up (32.6 vs. 30 cubic feet). The Outback has a much larger trunk with its rear seat folded than the A6 Allroad with its rear seat folded (75.6 vs. 63.8 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Outback’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Outback Base). The A6 Allroad doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Outback’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The A6 Allroad’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Outback has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the A6 Allroad only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Outback has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The A6 Allroad doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Recommendations

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

The Subaru Outback outsold the Audi A6/S6/RS 6 by almost 25 to one during 2022.