Audi A6 review

Well, so far we’ve only driven the new C9-gen A6 in Avant form with the diesel engine, so as a quick disclaimer it’s that body shape and powertrain that we’ll be focussing on here. We’ll update this review as we try other variations, including the upcoming plug-in hybrids.

Okay, so how’s the diesel engine?

In truth, it’s a little grumblier than you might expect from a diesel in a big German exec, and when the A6 Avant is fully loaded with people and their worldly belongings, the little 2.0-litre turbo has to work hard for not too much reward.

Audi quotes a 0-62mph sprint of 7.0 seconds for the diesel vs 8.3s for the petrol, but even the quicker of the two feels like it could do with more grunt, and it’s not helped by an occasionally sluggish seven-speed auto gearbox. We miss big six-cylinders with superhuman torque.

Is it efficient, though?

Audi claims 53.3mpg for the Sport and S Line trims, or 50.4mpg for the big-wheeled Edition 1 that we drove. The 48-volt mild-hybrid system (that Audi calls MHEV Plus) deploys a 1.7kWh battery and two electric motors. One acts as a starter generator and one sits on the back of the gearbox, so the engine can switch off when the car is coasting or running at low speeds in town or traffic.

It’s an impressive system that allows the A6 to run on electric power more often than you might imagine, and when required the diesel engine kicks in without delay. There’s regenerative braking too to get juice back into the small battery, but brake feel is still decent despite the presence of new brake-by-wire tech.

In the Q5, Audi offers this mild-hybrid system with the petrol engine, so we’re not entirely sure why it’s diesel-only in the A6.

Anyway, on a 200-mile jaunt that included both motorway and town driving, we saw just over 40mpg in the diesel A6 Avant. Not bad, but not groundbreaking either.

Is it comfortable? 

Well, we can tell you that on the A6’s optional air suspension it’s excellent at dealing with large bumps in the road even with 21in Audi Sport wheels specced, and it stays flat through corners too. However, that’s a £1,755 option even on the top-spec Edition 1 trim, and it’s only available on the quattro all-wheel drive diesel, so you’re likely to be buying an A6 with the standard springs or the sports suspension upgrade. We’ll update on those as soon as we’ve had a chance to test them.

Anything else I need to know?

All-wheel steering is an option and is hugely beneficial for low-speed manoeuvrability, but on a flowing road the A6’s steering doesn’t offer a huge amount of feel or feedback even in its sportier modes. This is a big Audi though, and that’s often been the case in the past. The BMW 5 Series is the best car in this class to drive.