Compare the2024 Audi A6 AllroadVS 2024 Acura RDX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
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 Acura RDX 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 RDX doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the A6 Allroad and RDX 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 RDX’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 A6 Allroad has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The RDX doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The A6 Allroad Prestige has standard backup collision prevention system that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The RDX doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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 RDX doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the A6 Allroad and RDX offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the A6 Allroad with Rear Cross-Traffic Assist also has Automatic Brake Activation (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The RDX’s Rear Cross Traffic Monitor doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the A6 Allroad and the RDX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available blind spot warning systems.

The Audi A6 Allroad weighs 428 to 472 pounds more than the Acura RDX. 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 Acura RDX:

	A6 Allroad	RDX
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	197	300
Leg Forces (l/r)	292/435 lbs.	328/464 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Leg Forces (l/r)	263/331 lbs.	362/441 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 Acura RDX:

	A6 Allroad	RDX
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	52 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	395	486
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	514 lbs.	704 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 6.1% less likely to roll over than the RDX, which received a four-star rating.

Warranty

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

There are over 12 percent more Audi dealers than there are Acura dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the A6 Allroad’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Acura With 12 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Audi higher than Acura.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 2 places higher in reliability than Acura.

Engine

The A6 Allroad’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 63 more horsepower (335 vs. 272) and 89 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 280) than the RDX’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi A6 Allroad is faster than the Acura RDX:

	A6 Allroad	RDX
Zero to 60 MPH	5.1 sec	7.1 sec
Quarter Mile	13.7 sec	15.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	102.8 MPH	90.7 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

		MPG
A6 Allroad
	3.0 turbo V6 Hybrid	22 city/30 hwy
RDX
	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy
	A-Spec 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the A6 Allroad’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The RDX doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The A6 Allroad has 2.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the RDX (19.3 vs. 17.1 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 RDX doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual 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 RDX doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	A6 Allroad	RDX
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	12.2 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 RDX are solid, not vented.

The A6 Allroad stops much shorter than the RDX:

	A6 Allroad	RDX
70 to 0 MPH	172 feet	180 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the A6 Allroad has larger tires than the RDX (245/45R20 vs. 235/55R19).

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 RDX’s standard 55 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 RDX.

Suspension and Handling

The front and rear suspension of the A6 Allroad uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the RDX, 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 RDX doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the A6 Allroad’s wheelbase is 6.9 inches longer than on the RDX (115.2 inches vs. 108.3 inches).

The A6 Allroad Prestige handles at .82 G’s, while the RDX 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 1.2 seconds quicker than the RDX (26.5 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Passenger Space

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

Servicing Ease

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

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the RDX, 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 RDX’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the A6 Allroad to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The RDX doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

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 RDX 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 RDX doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

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 RDX has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

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 RDX.

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 RDX.

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 RDX.

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 RDX doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

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