Compare the2024 Audi A6 AllroadVS 2024 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 X6 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 X6’s Cross Traffic Warning doesn’t automatically brake.

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 and available blind spot warning systems.

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 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The X6 has not been tested, yet.

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

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 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 500 to 800 pounds less than the BMW X6.

The A6 Allroad is 7.9 inches shorter in height than the X6, making the A6 Allroad much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

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).

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 X6 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

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.

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