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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 highquality 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
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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
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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 .
This is a car that ’ s a cruiser not a bruiser .
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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 and all for around £ 35k , depending on specification .
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 , it 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 .
Written by Geoff Maxted www . drivewrite . co . uk
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