The new Audi A6 went on sale here recently, and I had the opportunity last week to give one a full Irish week-long test writes Padraic Deane. This is what I found.
With serious competitors in this segment such as the new BMW 5-Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class (to name just two ), I was anxious to see how the new seventh generation A6 acquitted itself against such rivals.
As with the 5-Series and the E-Class, the biggest selling versions of the new A6 will be the diesels, with the four-cylinder 177 bhp 2.0 TDi the major volume model. And so we selected it with a manual gearbox. This entry-level model retails for €43,300 on-the-road, which is about similar to the 5-Series and a couple of grand over the entry level E-Class.
The new A6 has been redesigned from the ground up with the benefit of the brand’s most advanced weight saving construction techniques, engine efficiency measures, chassis developments and in-car technological innovations.
Standard equipment on the new A6 includes metallic paint, 17' 10 spoke alloy wheels, climate control, driver information centre on a 7' colour screen, front and rear parking sensors, exterior chrome package, AudiDrive Select, leather upholstry, Audi Bluetooth interface and an electric lunber support.
My test car had a further €10,218 of extras. This included the following bigger priced items: MMI Navigation (€2,239 ), Xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, electrically adjustable seats with drivers memory (€1,343 ), special Metallic paint - Planton Black pearl effect (€1,316 ), 4 zone climate control (€901 ) and 18' 5 V spoke design alloy wheels (€830 ).
I found that the standard specification is quiet good so I could happily have done without any of the above extras. However, in this segment many buyers like a automatic transmission, but this option isn't currently available with the 2.0 diesel models on the Audi price list. The Multitronic gearbox can be specified if opting for the 3.0 litre V6 diesel versions.
Another essential now in this class is to qualify for Band B CO2 emissions with your entry level diesel model and at 129g/km, the A6 does this with lots to spare, delivering €156 p/a road tax. In this ballpark, it also perform well with a 0 to 100Km/h (62mph ) in 8.7 seconds, but it trails the 5-Series with a time of 7.2 seconds. That said, the new A6 is a good performer, and you have the option of moving up to the 3.0 V6s which are noticeably quicker, as you would expect.
On the other side of the balance sheet, the new A6 returns up to a very credible 57.6mpg for a combined cycle.
The new A6 is a very spacious car. No complaints about headroom or legroom anywhere in the A6. The luggage compartment is also large with split/folding rear seatbacks as standard.
The Euro NCAP hasn’t performed crash-tests of the new A6 yet, but expect a five-star overall rating when it does. It is very well specified with standard active and passive safety features.
The all-new A6 2.0 litre TDi performed well over the course of the week long test. It is very roomy, oozes quality throughout, and is a really nice car to drive.
But you really want to know how it compares with the 5-Series and E-Class, don't you? Well it isn't quite as dynamic a looker or driver as the Beemer and it doesn't carry as much classic elegance or prestige as the Merc, but it has a combination of qualities that puts it in the front row in this class. It is loaded with technology substance and packs a 'reserved' style, which really means you need to check it out for yourself.
