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Audi A6 Saloon Review

The Audi A6 is a popular model of the German brand that oozes luxury, premium and comfort.

Starting price:
From £33,160

From £33,160
Pros:
  • Luxurious interior
  • Large Driver’s Information System screen
  • Temperature control for rear seat passengers
Cons:
  • Side skirts date exterior design
  • Lunar Silver leather interior gets dirty quickly
  • Can be a struggle to find a comfortable driving position
More On This Car
Take one for a spin or order a brochure
Request a Audi A6 brochure
Request a Audi A6 test drive

Introduction

The Audi A6 is the executive car that has been around for nearly twenty five years, it’s available in three variants; a saloon, an estate Avant version and an even more practical estate the Allroad, and is currently into its fourth generation. We spent a week with the A6 saloon featuring Audi’s 2.0-litre TDI Ultra engine.

On The Road

Performance

Audi have their fuel efficient Ultra added to the lineup so the 2.0-litre TDI ultra engine, as well as being kind on fuel efficiency, also produces 190PS. It accelerates swiftly aided by the 7-speed S tronic transmission, feeling effortless as it shifts through the gears, for those wanting to control the 400Nm of torque available, then steering wheel-mounted paddles will have you engaged more with the engine output. This engine variant is also available as a 6-speed manual.

The inline four-cylinder diesel engine has a top speed of 144mph and gets from 0-62mph in just 8.2 seconds and if you’re looking for a car that eats up the motorway miles with ease then the A6 matches performance with comfort. Another diesel option is a 3.0-litre BiTDI quattro which has a hefty 320PS.

There is a 1.8-litre TFSI petrol engine with 190PS and a 2.0-litre TFSI quattro with 252PS.

Ride Handling

The A6 saloon in S Line trim comes with a sports suspension so is lowered by 20mm, but there’s no need to worry if you’re expecting a stiff ride as it’s fairly comfortable as springs and dampers have been finely tuned for more direct contact and there is plenty of grip available. If you want to maximise comfort then Dynamic Suspension can be added as an option.

With the Audi Drive Select system available to change the driving experience to suit your needs you can get all sporty with the car, to setting it really comfortably or efficiently.

Steering feedback is not always as responsive as you’d expect on the front-wheel drive and it can feel slightly laboured at times if you’re heading into a tight bend.

Styling

What you can guarantee with an Audi is the high levels of refinement, despite it being a diesel it is really quiet. There is hardly any road or wind noise in the well insulated cabin thanks to acoustic glazing on the windscreen and front windows, so it feels a very relaxed and serene drive when you waft along on the motorway.

In The Car

Behind the Wheel

S-Line trim brings Valcona leather into the cabin, with the added detailing of embossed S line logos in the front, sport seat backrests. Although the seats include electric 4-way lumbar support it can be difficult to find a comfortable driving position.

Visibility is good though despite the A6 saloon being nearly five metres long with no hidden blind spots and parking it up is easy too.

The 8-inch display screen which sits at the top of the centre rack can be hidden away at the touch of a button so feels less intrusive like some rivals which can’t be moved.

The MMI Touchpad is a clever feature that lets you input destinations for the HDD-based navigation through the use of handwriting, so you can avoid scrolling with the button or getting annoyed because it doesn’t pick up your voice with the speed dialogue setting.

Helpful for the driver is the 7-inchDriver’s Information System which sits between the instrument dials, the colour display is clear, informative and provides plenty of key information such as media, fuel economy figures and navigation.

Space & Practicality

There is plenty of space in the front and back, three adults will struggle in the rear as the middle seat relies on you to sit against the arm rest which is really hard for your back and you can’t be on the heavy side to squeeze into the space either.

Boot capacity is 530-litres, larger than a BMW 5 Series and more than ample to get your weekly shop in or plenty of suitcases for a trip away. If it needs to be increased then the rear seats are split-folding.

Ownership

Running Costs

The Audi A6 is priced from £33,160 which is competitive in its segment, but it’s rivals such as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the Jaguar XF which are just starting to edge ahead with their looks and onboard technology.

Low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions is what Audi want to achieve with their Ultra range of engines. With CO2 figures ranging from 109g/km on the 2.0-litre TDI ultra to 159g/km on the 3.0-litre BiTDI quattro costs won’t be too crazy.
Official combined fuel figures vary from 64 to 67mpg acording to tyre size, but we did only manage 49.9mpg in the real world with a mixture of motorway and city driving, which we expected it to be higher. Even a freewheeling function to save fuel didn’t bump up the number.

Quality & Reliability

Like a few of its rivals Audi producehigh quality interiors, a mixture of matt brushed aluminium, plastics and leather compliment each other to bring a touch of class to the cabin. The additional door sill trims featuring an S line logo add to the well thought out spec. There are no fiddly plastic bits, everything feels done to a high standard which is what you come to associate with the manufacturer.

Although not the most fun to drive the A6 has a great reputation when it comes to reliability, searching through the car adverts a lot of them have racked up the mileage and are still going with no major issues.

Safety & Security

It’s easy to see why the A6 scored five stars in the Euro NCAP ratings as it comes with six airbags, Isofix and driving assistance systems such as Audi Side Assist which alerts you to other cars in your blind spot, Active Lane Assist which keeps the car in its lane, a tyre pressure loss indicator and hill hold assist.

A First Aid kit is hidden in the rear armrest and an anti-theft alarm comes as standard.

More photos and video of the Audi A6 saloon can be found on our Instagram page: https://instagram.com/motoringcouk/

More On This Car
Take one for a spin or order a brochure
Request a Audi A6 brochure
Request a Audi A6 test drive
By Olivia Gauch
Jan 03, 2018

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