XC70 vs. A6 Avant

[Psychwarlord]

We had already purchased the XC70 (my wife had to have it!) before I test drove a 2004 A6 wagon, which had been on my agenda. I was very impressed with the Audi, and thought the car was much sportier and gripped the road better than the XC. For a moment, I was really upset that my wife wanted to get the XC without testing the Audi, which we both agreed was on our list, but she made up her mind after one test drive of the XC. The new car was really for her to carry our baby around in, and I think the Volvo heft and safety appeal (plus the dealer is just a few miles away) swayed her.

On the other hand, the Audi was about the same size as our Passat. In fact, I drove an Allroad 6-speed and felt our Passat 5-speed wagon had a very similar feel to it. Plus the Passat gets 30 mpg and the Allroad gets 22 or so.

The A6 had a beautiful interior and handled very nicely with the added attraction of standard rear side window shades.

But the XC is wider and the seats are really much more comfortable. The rear windows are tinted already and window shades are optional. The Volvo is really built more heavily than the Audi and has more front seat room and cargo space. I think the rear seat leg space of the Volvo is smaller though.

All in all, we are happy with our purchase (although the car still pulls to the right). I would say the Audi is more refined, and the Volvo is more comfortable and provides a greater sense of safety and protection.

[XCharlie]

Hi,

I had the same problem. Would it be the A6 all-road or the XC70. On this moment, I have my XC70 for 7 months and I didn't regret a moment!

XCharlie

[dlr97]

I agree that an A6Q will grip a smooth hard surface road better than an XC70, but perhaps not if there is 8" of snow on that road.

In my opinion Audi doesn't make a comparible car to the XC70. The Allroad is in a different price class (comparably equipped), and the normal A6Q does not have the ground clearance necessary for deep snow and very bad road surfaces. For this reason I didn't even look at an A6 when I was shopping last spring.

It seems to me the more appropriate comparisons are between:

Audi A6Q auto V6 vs. Volvo V70 AWD auto turbo 5.

Audi Allroad 6-speed manual vs. Volvo V70R 6-speed manual.

Cheers,
Dave

[XCharlie]

A few months ago there was a small film on the forum. They compared a few models Bmw X5, Audi A6 Allroad, Lexus, ... and the XC70. The winner was, not what I expected, the A6 all-road.
The test was on a ski-pist! The XC70 as good as the X5 on snow, the Lexus was really bad and the A6 all-road kept on going....

You really can compare the XC70 with the A6 All-road. It's a little bit more expensive, but if you take them both full option it isn't that much. Especially not on this moment, because they make special deals on the all-road. They have allready a new A6 2005, not an all-road (for the end of 2006) but models are changing and they need to do something to keep it attractif.

Try to find it, it was fun to watch.

XCharlie

[Morvran]

I didn't look at them when I was shopping for a wagon, but I have a friend who owns one (all-road). I don't really like Audi, but I do like his All-road. It's very smooth and luxurious feeling...but I actually don't like the interior as much as the XC70.

Just for kicks I went and built one online today and I think I'd actually prefer it's plaid-style cloth seats to the leather ones. But for the price my "bottom" line 2.7 all-road came to ($44k), well that was the difference between me buying an XC70 and a V70R. XC70 for $31k or all-road 2.7 for roughly $40k, and factor in the Volvo safety factor...I'll take the XC70 hands down. Now that 300hp version, if I had the cash, would make me think twice for sure.

[vtie]

Originally Posted by XCharlie

They have allready a new A6 2005, not an all-road (for the end of 2006)

If my information is correct, there will never be a real A6 allroad replacement, but rather a dedicated, new Audi SUV (Q7) based on the Touareg/Cayenne platform. It's too bad that those crossover wagons seem to be replaced more and more by bulky SUV models. At least I hope that Volvo will keep producing the XC70 for a long time.

[dlr97]

Originally Posted by XCharlie

A few months ago there was a small film on the forum. They compared a few models Bmw X5, Audi A6 Allroad, Lexus, ... and the XC70. The winner was, not what I expected, the A6 all-road.
The test was on a ski-pist! The XC70 as good as the X5 on snow, the Lexus was really bad and the A6 all-road kept on going....

A few years ago there was a comparison test (I think it was Road & Track) of a number of AWD wagons including the last generation V70XC and the Audi Allroad. It took place on an ice covered lake and snowy roads. Winner was the XC. The writer stated, and I agree, that OEM tire choice was the main difference in performance between the cars. That is the major flaw in most comparison tests - tire type is not usually equalized.

[TrueBlue]

This one? (see the second post) I took a copy of the movie, but don't know if it is the one, 'cos it doesn't open... Anyway there's a reasonable discussion going. If you search on allroad quattro you'll see a wide discussion