When the opportunity arises to spend some time with a prestige Audi, you don’t say no. The car in question this time is the smooth Audi A6. It is a large and luxurious four door saloon that should appeal to both families and business users alike.
The A6 range comes in three body types, Saloon, Avant and AllRoad and combines practicality and style to suit both urban and rural environments. The looks can best be described as executive; nothing outrageous is allowed to mar those sleek lines.
The saloon car featured here arrived in S-Line trim which adds lowered, stiffer suspension and bigger wheels and is the better for it. The vehicle offers a truly comfortable five-seat interior with leather as standard. As might be expected for this brand, the car is loaded with useful technology, making it ideal as an everyday driver.
On The Inside
If there is one area where Audi excels it is the quality of its interiors and the A6 saloon does not disappoint. Every switch and adjustment is thought through and gives the impression that the car is built to last. Prestige is an overused word, but it applies in this case.
It could be argued that with the sports suspension and the larger wheels the A6 is not as comfortable as with the standard set-up especially over the bumps and potholes of the UK, but the ride is far from unbearable and is fine on faster roads and motorways. People who prefer a bit of verve with their driving should stick to the S-Line anyway. Overall the A6 is very refined and possibly one of the quietest cars in its class.
Every A6 comes with Audi’s impressive MMI system with a central screen controlled by a command dial between the front seats. The standard screen size is 6.5”, but you can pay extra to upgrade to an 8” display.
Where it’s slightly behind BMW’s system is ease of use. Otherwise, the MMI system is one of the best available and works well.
The A6’s infotainment equipment list is comprehensive. Every version gets navigation (on screen or on the driver dashboard), DAB radio, Bluetooth, USB and aux connections. It’s simple to stream music and our tested vehicle came with a Bang & Olufsen set-up for great audio.
Power
The tested car had the 1.8L 187bhp TFSI petrol engine that emits 130g/km on emissions. There’s a faster 2.0L that comes with quattro four-wheel-drive as standard. Otherwise there’s a choice of three 2.0L or 3.0L diesel engines plus a powerful bi-turbo (8-speed) version. Drive is through either a six-speed manual or the seven-speed S-Tronic automatic, which is as ever the one you want.
The 1.8L had more than enough power and the engine suits the car well. There’s not a great deal of fuel mileage advantage to be had out of the bigger diesels so we would choose to stick with this light and responsive engine.
On The Road
This is a car that’s a cruiser not a bruiser. It handles well, again thanks to the sports suspension, but not as well as, say, the equivalent BMW. Most buyers probably won’t care much about this because the Audi interior beats the other German prestige rivals on quality and finish.
The Future
Buying this car now makes absolute sense as it is due to be superseded by a revised model later this year, introduced at the Geneva Motor Show, that will have a few cosmetic exterior changes and pretty much the same cabin but with some high-tech upgrades including a larger screen. It will though cost considerably more.
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