Audi’s next allroad A6 wagon is set to land in around eight months with a new gen engine.

EARLY 2027 arrival, in V6 diesel - that’s the word from Audi New Zealand in respect to the new Q6 allroad, just unveiled internationally.

While the fifth generation of this off-road-themed station wagon is again based on the A6 Avant, it has a widened body to better bridges the gap between the regular road-themed wagon and the German firm's range of Q-branded SUVs.

The extra width is considerable; all up the allroad - yes, they prefer a small ‘a’ now - is 111mm wider than the standard A6, giving it a much meatier appearance, more akin to an RS model's design.

A distinctive dark finish for the side sills, wheelarch extensions and front and rear bumpers is employed to emphasis how much more of a lane-filler it is. Also there to accentuate the new look is a distinctive upright-hexagonal honeycomb motif used in the radiator grille and air vents.

In Europe, the dark appearance can be optionally changed by buyers that prefer a brighter, contrast finish. It’s not clear what the pathway will be here. Pricing and specifications aren’t set to be released for a while.

The allroad marries its extra girth with chunky off-road detailing, too, including underbody protection front and rear, and it of course more ground clearance than any other Audi A6.

It sits 34mm higher off the ground in its default driving setting, with a lot more available as it has variable ride height, though achieving adaptive air suspension.

Choose one of the two 'offroad' driving modes from the Audi drive select system and ground clearance is increased by a further 15mm, while there's another 20mm increase available at speeds of below 35kmh for particularly tricky terrain. Ride height, pitch and roll angles, plus the steering angle, can all be shown on the head-up display or on the central touchscreen.

At the other end of the scale, the air suspension reduces the ride height from the default setting by 20mm at speeds of over 120kmh, or if you've selected the 'dynamic' driving mode. This lowers the centre of gravity and reduces aerodynamic drag.

Air suspension also allows for automatic self-levelling of course, which is great when towing a big load, and the diesel is rated for up to 2500kg, some 400kg more than the equivalent A6 Avant can manage. As well as being all-wheel-drive, the car also has all-wheel-steer, though the rear wheel movement is of course only modest.

Audi NZ has set sights purely on the 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine with mild-hybrid tech; the same power plant incoming for the new Q7, but in different tune.

It features a belt alternator starter, 'powertrain generator' (electric motor) and an electrically driven compressor in place of a traditional turbocharger.

The engine produces 220kW and 580Nm of torque, with the electric delivering 18kW of additional power. In Q7 the outputs are 182kW and 500Nm and 223kW and 630Nm.

The allroad’s optimal fuel economy is 5.8-6.4 litres per 100km of fuel. A 0-100kmh time of 5.4 seconds is claimed. The only transmission choice is S tronic automatic.

The other powertrain cited for the car in Europe, but not being discussed for NZ, is a plug-in-hybrid setup called 'e-hybrid'.

This pairs a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine with a powerful electric motor for system maximums of 273kW and 500Nm. Its 0-100kmh time is 5.5 seconds. The high-voltage battery (25.9 kWh gross; 20.7 kWh net) enables up to 100 kilometres (combined, according to WLTP) of all-electric driving.The battery is AC charged at up to 11kW, a full charge taking about two and a half hours.

At one point Q6 allroad was quietly shelved by Audi NZ, with thinking then that the SUV models in all sizes provided better options for Kiwis.

But now there’s a change of heart with Audi NZ general manager Greg Leet offering thought that it’s an icon.

“We are proud to offer a wagon that delivers the space, versatility and confidence many buyers seek in an SUV, while retaining the refinement, performance and on-road dynamics that define Audi.”