Compare the2025 Audi A6 AllroadVS 2024 Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain Wagon

Both the A6 Allroad and E-Class All-Terrain Wagon 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 E-Class All-Terrain Wagon’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 E-Class All-Terrain Wagon doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

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 E-Class All-Terrain Wagon doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The A6 Allroad’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon.

Both the A6 Allroad and the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, around view monitors, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The A6 Allroad’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon’s (12 vs. 5 years).

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 10 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The A6 Allroad has 1.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon (19.3 vs. 17.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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 E-Class All-Terrain Wagon 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 E-Class All-Terrain Wagon doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the A6 Allroad’s brake rotors are larger than those on the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon:

For better traction, the A6 Allroad has larger tires than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon (245/45R20 vs. 225/45R19).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the A6 Allroad has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon.

The A6 Allroad has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

For greater off-road capability the A6 Allroad Premium Plus has a greater minimum ground clearance than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon (6.1 vs. 5.8 inches), allowing the A6 Allroad to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The A6 Allroad Prestige’s minimum ground clearance is 1.5 inches higher than on the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon (7.3 vs. 5.8 inches).

The A6 Allroad has .8 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more rear headroom and 1.3 inches more rear legroom than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the A6 Allroad’s rear seats recline. The E-Class All-Terrain Wagon’s rear seats don’t recline.

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. Heated windshield washer nozzles cost extra on the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon.

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 E-Class All-Terrain Wagon 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 E-Class All-Terrain Wagon.

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