Wagon fans have certainly had their ups and downs, going from oodles of options a couple of decades ago to very few choices up until recently. There’s now a mild renaissance in performance wagons, with the new BMW M5 Touring and the Mercedes-AMG E53 Wagon.
While those entries are all welcome, wagons continue to depart our market. For example, Volvo recently killed the V60 Cross Country, which was its last wagon available in the US. In addition, Porsche announced the end of the Taycan Cross Turismo and Sport Turismo in the country.
The situation makes the introduction of the next-generation Audi A6 Allroad for America an even more joyous occasion. Let’s see how it compares to its only other competitor in the luxury space, the Mercedes-Benz E 450 All-Terrain.
We currently only have European specifications for the A6 Allroad, so things like powertrains and pricing for America are not yet final, and we are making educated guesses in this article about these uncertainties. The Allroad also won’t be available to purchase in the US until sometime in 2027.
Exterior Differences
2027 Audi A6 AllroadAudi
The allroad has grown considerably wider for its new generation, likely so it can share its body with the upcoming RS6 Avant. Combined with the longer body of the new Avant it’s based on, the Audi ends up being bigger in every dimension than the Mercedes. It’s 2.6 inches longer and nearly 4.0 inches wider. American-market interior dimensions are incomplete, but the larger size could make the A6 allroad slightly more spacious than the E-Class All-Terrain.
2026 Mercedes-Benz E450 4MATIC All-Terrain front 3/4Mercedes-Benz USA
Audi A6 Allroad
Mercedes-Benz E 450 All-Terrain
Length
197.5 inches
194.9 inches
Width (w/o mirrors)
78.2 inches
74.4 inches
Height
58.2-59.4 inches
58.9 inches
Max ground clearance
7.3 inches
7.8 inches
Both cars have adaptive suspensions that adjust the ride height depending on the driving mode. At its tallest setting, the Mercedes offers up to 7.8 inches of ground clearance compared to about 7.3 inches in the Audi. Neither of these vehicles is a hardcore off-roader, with even a regular Subaru Outback having 8.7 inches of clearance, or 9.5 inches for the Wilderness grade.
One thing that’s less surprising is the Audi’s extra grip. Its extra width brings a wider track and larger wheels and tires. While the Mercedes sticks with either 19- or 20-inch wheels, both wearing 255-wide tires, the Audi’s 19- to 21-inch wheel options start at 265-wide and go up to 285s on the largest wheels. Depending on the circumstances, this may actually be less advantageous, like in snow, for example, but out on dry roads, the Audi should feel far more stable and capable as a result.
2027 Audi A6 AllroadAudi
Styling is subjective, of course, but both vehicles wear their respective brands’ current styling language well. Both have a handsome look in this writer’s eyes and are instantly recognizable as expensive luxury wagons. The Audi’s front fender vents, wider rear haunches, and sleeker headlights do make it the more aggressive and visually impressive of the two, though.
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Interior Differences
2027 Audi A6 AllroadAudi
The interiors of these two share the same dominating features: a big center touchscreen (14.4 inches in the Mercedes, 14.5 inches in the Audi), digital gauges (11.9 inches in the Audi, 12.3 inches in the Mercedes), and the option for a passenger touchscreen (10.9 inches in the Audi, 12.3 inches in the Mercedes). The bigger differences come in their interior designs.
The Mercedes uses more curves in its design, whether that’s the air vents that wrap around the top of the dashboard, or the curved edges on the center console. The Audi features more straight lines for a higher-tech feel. The high-tech feel even extends to the roof, where there’s a dimmable panoramic moonroof with a variety of patterns. In contrast, the Mercedes has a traditional panoramic moonroof with a motorized fabric cover.
For some, especially those in intensely sunny areas, the ability to fully block the sun could be a perk. For others, the Audi’s ability to still let in some daylight through the frosted glass roof could be a nice option to brighten the cabin without getting blasted by direct sunlight.
2024 Mercedes-Benz E450 4MaticMercedes-Benz
The other luxuries available are very comparable, with both offering massaging seats with quilting and ventilation, for example. The Mercedes may have the advantage when it comes to stereos, one-upping Audi’s Bang & Olufsen 3D surround-sound stereo with a Burmester 4D stereo featuring physical bass resonators in the seats that let you feel your music like never before.
Back-seat occupants will likely enjoy the allroad more, thanks to its quad-zone climate control, compared to the Mercedes, which has no rear climate controls. And while we don’t have measurements for the new one, even the smaller last-generation Allroad had about 1.3 inches more rear legroom than the Mercedes, so that gap would only widen with the new one, making the Audi the better choice for taller folks or those with large car seats for children. The same goes for the rear hatch, with the Audi’s extra length likely providing greater hauling capacity.
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Powertrain Differences
2026 Mercedes-Benz E450 4MATIC All-Terrain driving front 3/4Mercedes-Benz USA
This is where the comparison gets a bit more murky, since we don’t know exactly what Audi intends to offer in America. In Europe, the new allroad has two powertrains available: one is a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 that makes 295 hp and 428 lb-ft of torque, but it’s basically guaranteed to stay exclusive to Europe.
The other is a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder plug-in hybrid with 362 hp, 369 lb-ft of torque, and a 20.7 kWh battery for a claimed electric range of 57 miles on the generous WLTP test cycle. It’s possible that we get this powertrain since the new RS 5 is coming to our shores with plug-in hybrid power. But other than that one, Audi pulled its other previously available plug-in hybrid from America, the Q5 PHEV, last year with the arrival of the new generation, leaving them with no others currently.
2027 Audi A6 AllroadAudi
For lower certification costs and greater appeal to American buyers, there’s a chance that the US-market allroad uses the same setup as the regular A6 already offers here. It consists of a non-hybrid, gas-powered 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 that makes 362 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. This powertrain would make sense too, because the specs are so similar to those of the Mercedes.
Audi A6
Mercedes-Benz E 450 All-Terrain
Engine
3.0-liter Turbocharged V6
3.0-liter Turbocharged Inline-6
Horsepower
362 hp
375 hp
Torque
406 lb-ft
369 lb-ft
Transmission
7-speed dual-clutch automatic
9-speed automatic
The E450 All-Terrain also runs a 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine, although its inline configuration has mild hybrid assist. It produces 375 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, giving it a slight horsepower advantage, but a torque disadvantage compared to the likely Audi setup. For the kinds of people who buy these two, these slight power differences shouldn’t matter, and both should deliver similar performance in a straight line.
Which One Should You Buy?
2026 Mercedes-Benz E450 4MATIC All-Terrain rear 3/4Mercedes-Benz USA
While both are great choices, some clear differentiators could put one ahead of the other. First, the obvious one is that if you need to make a purchase this year, your only option is the Mercedes. The Audi is not arriving in America until a yet-to-be-specified time in 2027. Plus, the All-Terrain has been around for several years, so there are used examples for folks looking to pay a little less.
The Mercedes offers a more immersive stereo experience and slightly more ground clearance. It’s also the only one we have pricing for right now. It starts at $78,300 plus $1,350 for destination and delivery.
The last generation of the A6 allroad started at $70,500 before its $1,295 destination fee. Audi’s prices usually come in slightly under comparable Mercedes offerings. Expect the new allroad to cost more but still to undercut the E-Class All-Terrain’s MSRP.
2027 Audi A6 AllroadAudi
The allroad also has the potential to save you some gas money if it does end up bringing over its European plug-in hybrid setup, though people buying these probably don’t care too much about that. For those willing to wait who want the most space possible, the Audi’s extra size and space will be nice perks they’ll enjoy regardless of what’s under the hood.
The rest of the differences will be subjective matters, but regardless of which one you pick, you’ll have the satisfaction of having something different and far more rare than the usual Mercedes and Audi SUVs that the majority of luxury buyers go for.
Sources: Audi, Mercedes-Benz
