Review: Audi A6

The new A6 saloon benefits from many of the refinements and innovations of the premium German car maker’s acclaimed latest A8 luxury flagship so it comes crammed with high tech features, writes Trish Whelan. It’s also a stunning looking car, and slightly larger than its predecessor which means a bit more inside space. 

With its beautifully proportioned new body and taut surfaces, sharp edges and smart horizontal lines, it really looks the part when viewed from every angle. 

Think long bonnet, long wheelbase, short overhangs and an aggressive looking front end with eagle eyed lights and a really big radiator grille that could gobble you up whole. The car is also low slung, so you sit low down and feel the whole experience of the drive. This also aids visibility. At the rear, the wide, flat twin exhausts are a really striking feature. 

The interior is perhaps best-in-class and that’s really saying something as the competition is BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The horizontal line of the dash gives a good sense of space in the cabin and there’s good room even in the rear, though the tunnel limits leg room for the middle seat occupant. Fit and finish are superb but I found the black-panel trim, while it looks great, shows up your fingerprints very clearly. 

The central console is angled towards the driver, which I liked but what really took my fancy were the three colourful screen displays - the excellent infotainment system via the upper 8.8-inch display (or a 10.1-inch where the optional MMI navigation plus upgrade is specified). The Google maps on the sat nav system are a joy to behold and show almost every detail of the surrounding area, even what you can’t normally see like behind buildings in the locality. You can also have this shown large, or small, in the instrument panel between the dials which is a really useful feature. This is part of a €3,000 pack which also includes a good big rear view camera (optional but which I would strongly recommend). 

The lower 8.6-inch screen looks after the range of assistance systems and comfort functions such as air con. I still prefer normal controls for this. 

The driver can also talk to the car as it processes questions and commands with onboard stored data and in conjunction with MMI navigation plus. 

On the road, good soundproofing ensures a quiet cabin with very little noise coming through. It’s pure comfort all the way. 

A good sized boot offers 530 litres of luggage capacity but some space is taken up by the mild-hybrid system’s batteries beneath the floor. However, you will easily accommodate a full set of golf clubs etc. and with the rear seats down, you can have a long flat floor.  

Buyers can choose from two SE or S Line trims. Audi claim the A6 is the best equipped car in the segment and they have a strong foundation to that claim. New key standard features include LED headlamps, the mild hybrid engines, Lane Assist, Pre Sense front, Audi Connect, leather interior and smart phone interface.

My S Line had specific front and rear bumpers, Matrix LED headlamps, 19-inch alloys, heated seats in front and a sports suspension that wasn’t too hard on the road. Other key features were the smooth 7-speed S-tronic automatic gearbox, a 24 litre AdBlue tank, 73 litre fuel tank, 3 years’ subscription to Audi Connect, Emergency call & breakdown assist, Audi sound system, a chrome exterior pack, six airbags, front and rear parking sensors, and the MMI Navigation with MMI Touch Response. 

Both petrol and diesel units are available, all with mild-hybrid technology. 

My review car was the saloon version in the top grade, and powered by a 4-cylinder 2.0TDI 204hp quattro S-tronic with automatic transmission, and with front-wheel-drive. It returns around 4.7 L/100kms and has an annual road tax of €200. The efficiency of this engine will certainly appeal to business users. There is plenty of power under the bonnet, more than any customer would need in everyday driving and even beyond. The car coasts at speeds of between 54km/h and 159kmh in the interest of fuel economy. 

While the A6 range starts from €50,800, the S Line is from €55,000. Options of €4,618 took the price of my car as tested to €59,618.

They included the exterior Vesuvius grey paint (€1,422.35), a spare wheel (€256.41), a very good Tech Pack at €2,924.82, Audi phonebox with wireless charging and Audi’s virtual cockpit dash. 

Sure it’s quite costly but any buyer looking for a high end new Audi won’t be deterred by the cost.