Audi A6 Saloon Test

Audi have the talent to create a new model that is entirely new, yet can be virtually undisguisable from the model it replaces. Add to this the similarity between the siblings and one could be forgiven for thinking they are having a four-ringed groundhog moment.

That aside, this new Audi A6 is all the car you’ll ever need, a car built to forensic levels of attention, a car that will take you and four passengers, in sublime comfort, to any destination of your choice. Aspirationally, this is a car that should be on the wish-list of everyone with a motoring pulse, a place where serenity and subtle competence deliver an everyday drive of the highest quality. Yep, I liked it.

With our streets now occupied by SUV’s of varying sizes, the arrival of a new, large saloon could easily fail to register. This is where the new A6 works wonderfully, in this visual void where its qualities can be enjoyed with as much smugness as you can manufacture. It houses you within an interior that is nigh-on faultless, while it can cover kilometres in almost silent stealth, its acoustic glass providing serenity to all within.

In the world of the executive saloon, this new A6 has elevated the high bar to another notch. This is a must-drive for anyone seeking to buy in this segment. Brilliant.

From the instant you open the door this new A6 lets you know your choice was top notch. The seats are excellent, the driving position accommodating my six-foot-plus frame with ease, with room at my back for another me. The materials, leather, fabric and metals, are married together to form a wonderful ambience that you’d never get fed up off.

Every touch to a control rewards with the feeling of crafted, well-thought out solidity. Visually it is a joy for the eyes, from the large centre screen, the lower control panel for the climate control, to the driver’s console, where the Virtual Cockpit in my test car deserves a round of applause every time you sit facing it. The quality is everywhere, back and front, with entertainment and connectivity available at the call of your voice.

Road Work

Much can be said about how a car handles, with mentions of oversteer, understeer, too soft, too hard, level of involvement and other matters relating to the driving tactility of the car under review.

Now I doubt if the new owner of this A6 will head to their favourite mountain pass for a lash, pitching it into some squirrely corners with alacrity. Nah, methinks the new owner will be a tad more reserved, with little to prove, other than their genius, their choice of the A6 representing the understated, but super-refined, good taste.

Not that the A6 is some sort of wanderly wagon. Far from it. With its 204bhp and 400Nm of torque, it can leave asphalt in its mirror in huge tracts, demanding little of the driver other than soft hands on the steering and an eye on the speedo as its disrespect for numbers is just below its well-bred surface.

Through the city, over the multitude of surface changes and the now prolific presence of tram tracks, the A6 shoed no adverse reaction – the conversation in my car uninterrupted throughout. Hit the open road and with its sound-proofed acoustic glass, the A6 could attract Trappist monks to its sanctuary.

And so ……make a list. Include the A6. Drive the list over the same roads if possible. Buy the A6. Simple. 

AUDI A6 STANDARD EQUIPMENT

• 4-way electrically adjustable lumbar support
• 7-speed S-tronic gearbox
• 19" 5-twin spoke alloy wheels
• 24 litre AdBlue tank
• 12-volt mild hybrid system
• 73 litre fuel tank
• Anti-theft alarm system
• Audi Active Lane Assist
• Audi connect, 3 year’s subscription
• Audi emergency call & breakdown assist
• Audi Pre Sense City
• Audi Smartphone Interface
• Audi sound system
• Chrome-plated trims for exhaust tailpipe
• Chrome Exterior Pack
• Deluxe air conditioning
• Exterior mirrors electrically folding/adjustable & heated
• First-aid kit with warning triangle
• Front & rear floor mats
• Front, rear and side airbags
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Front sports seats with embossed S logo
• Glove compartment cooling system
• Headlining in black cloth
• Heated front seats
• Illuminated vanity mirrors
• ISOFIX child seat mounting 
• Leather multi-functional steering wheel - 3 spoke
• Matrix LED headlights
• LED interior ambient lighting
• LED rear lights with dynamic indicators
• Leather/Alcantara upholstery
• MMI Navigation with MMI Touch Response
• Platinum grey front spoiler lip and diffuser insert
• S Line sports suspension
• Start/Stop-function with recuperation
• Tool kit
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Upper inlays in matt brushed aluminium

OPTIONS

• Floret Silver, metallic (€1,438)
• Spare wheel (€259)
• Tool kit & jack (€14)
• 20" Alloy Wheels (€1,294)
• Tech Pack (€2,957)