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REVIEW Audi A6
Executive relief
The Audi A6 is the world’s biggest-selling mid-sized executive car. No radical departures for the new version, then...
Nat aut eosanda Ectium seditat fugitatur Ximori omnimus fjt, tur.
Vorsprung durch technic is an unlikely candidate for a phrase entering the lexicon, but Audi’s marketing tag line has to be the most common German phrase used by we foreign language-averse Brits. Being associated with a phrase used by Johnny Foreigner
doesn’t seem to have hurt Audi’s brand or sales figures, either: in the past decade, the company’s cars have been selling like hot cakes, rising 9.49% in 2010 to 99,828. In addition to cleverly filling a constant supply of niches in
the market, Audi has also relied on a triumvirate of models – the A4, A6 and A8 – that do the business year after year, with new iterations arriving every few years to push their segments on and respond to rivals such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Last year saw the latest A8 hit the market and 2011
is notable for the arrival of the new A6, which will take on the 2010-launched BMW 5 Series and the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class that hit the market in 2009. So does ‘vorsprung durch technic’ trump the ‘ultimate driving machine’ and the ‘best or nothing’? Audi has high hopes for the new A6, in both the retail and
fleet markets. The model is already the world’s biggest- selling mid-sized executive car, but UK buyers tend to prefer the BMW 5 Series.We Brits are nothing if not keen drivers, so the rear-drive Beemer tends to tickle our fancy more than the front-drive Audi. However, this new model certainly looks like a winner, thanks to a combination of a conservatively modern exterior design, a superbly appointed interior, the latest technology and very reasonable running costs. Add the brand’s undoubted cachet to the mix and this new A6 looks like a real contender. Starting from the outside, the design of this seventh- generation A6 is sleeker, slightly sharper and harder-looking than its predecessor. It’s not exactly a radical redesign, but everything has been tightened up to make it look more modern, even if it is still on the conservative side. That said, the body is innovative in its use of a steel-aluminium composite that lowers the car’s weight to such an extent that the base 2.0 TDI model tips the scales at just 1,575kg, making it the lightest car in the class. Inside, the usual Audi-quality interior is in evidence.
Leather is standard on both trim levels (SE and S line), there’s a very cool-looking, layered-wood veneer and the controls are all well positioned and easy to use. There’s no shortage of space inside the cabin either: all occupants, front and back, have lots of head- and legroom. All in all, the
driving | April / May 2011
interior is a very comfortable place in which to spend time, a feeling that is enhanced even further by all the high-tech kit that makes a trip in an A6 an even more pleasurable experience. For example, there’s the MMI system with iPod compatability, a hard drive for storing music, with the option of adding a TV tuner and/or DAB radio, plus Bluetooth phone system and voice control. Perhaps best of all is the option of an on-board WLAN hotspot, which means that passengers can surf the internet or send and receive emails using a laptop, smartphone or tablet such as the iPad. Download speeds are good (up to 7.2MB per second) and it all works flawlessly. On the road, the A6 is highly competent. The ride is compliant and very comfortable, even on the basic steel- sprung suspension (there’s also an air suspension option) with a well-controlled body. There is a difference between the SE and S line versions, the latter being slightly firmer, but you only really feel it when you encounter seriously bad surfaces, which can be a little jarring. The handling is equally impressive: it’s composed and precise, with plenty of grip (especially if you opt for a version with Audi’s renowned Quattro four-wheel drive). The steering is light and lacks the feel of a 5 Series though, so it’s not as involving – and as a result, not quite as much fun. Initially there are four engines to choose from (a hybrid
version is due later): a 296bhp 3.0 TFSI V6 petrol-engined range topper that offers the performance that the figures suggest; plus three diesels – a four-cylinder 2.0 TDI that produces 175bhp and will account for about 75% of sales, plus two 3.0 TDIs with different power ratings, 201bhp and 242bhp. The diesels are highly refined, especially the bigger V6s, and offer eyebrow-raising economy: the 2.0 TDI has an official fuel consumption figure of 57.6mpg and CO2 emissions of just 129g/km, which will make it even more appealing to fleet buyers. There’s also stacks of safety kit, including a new full-
colour head-up display that constantly displays the current speed limit, lane assist, a night vision assistant based on an infrared camera, adaptive cruise control, pre-sense system that is activated when it detects an unstable driving situation, plus park assist, which finds a space big enough for your car and then steers it into place. The new A6 is a serious package that will give its German
rivals a run for their money and sell by the bucket-load. Vorsprung durch technic will doubtless be a phrase we’re going to hear increasingly over the next few years.
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