ROADTEST AUDI A6 2.0 TDI SE:Audi's new A6 seems determined to put in a serious challenge to BMW's big-selling 5 Series
IF YOU THINK Ireland has become a pauper, you might want to consider the sales of premium family saloons before you abandon all hope.
The Celtic Tiger years saw models like the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4 become common on our roads. In Dublin it was the norm to see a convoy of premium models queuing at suburban traffic lights – and not a one under three years of age.
The age of austerity might have arrived, but it has coincided with a dramatic change in pricing brought on by the introduction of emissions-based taxation.
That, combined with a demand from motoring bosses for greater volume and market share from their premium brands has thrown up some rather surreal sales statistics.
Take the sales of the BMW 5 Series. In the first three months of this year the luxury German model was the 10th-best-selling car in Ireland, with 1,302 sold.
To put that in perspective, it outsold the Toyota Yaris, the Skoda Octavia and even the Renault Clio and was only 177 sales short of matching the VW Passat. Clearly not everyone is living hand to mouth in recessionary Ireland.
And that’s where the A6 comes in. The bosses at Audi’s hometown of Ingolstadt are not going to let BMW run away with the premium market. And with this class of car now outselling many superminis, the A6 is arguably as important to the four-ringed brand as its supposed volume models, like the A3 and the A4.
The first notable feature about the new A6 is its styling. We never really rated its predecessor. It was something of a halfway house, neither as sporty as its Bavarian rival nor as prestigious as the E-Class, while the bulbous rear-end made it look slightly frumpy.
In contrast, the new nose gives the car a slightly menacing look, but the overall effect is far more impressive than with any of the previous generations. Another boon that it’s not simply a larger version of the A4, though to appreciate that you really need to see it in the metal. It’s also better looking than the firm’s new flagship A8.
Comparisons with the A8 don’t end there, for the interior is at a standard we’ve come to expect from this company. Audi has been steadily earning a reputation for the highest-quality interiors in the premium segment, and the new A6 maintains that lead. The quality of the switchgear surpasses all its German rivals’ and has a lot less bling than the Jaguar, for example. It’s subtle, measured and ultimately premium.
Up front is a range of revised and updated engines, the most important of which is the one we tested for most of the week: an updated 2-litre TDI diesel that’s based on the established power train well known in the Audi range but with a few tricks up its sleeve. For a start power output has been increased to 177bhp, but the real boon for Irish buyers is that it drops 10g/km in emissions, pushing its motor tax down to the second-lowest bracket, with a bill of just €156, the same as its equivalent BMW rival.
It’s a sweet, smooth power train that mixes comfort with ample power when you kick down on the throttle. Though not quite as powerful on paper as its BMW counterpart, it never feels the slightest bit tardy. It’s at its best in the mid-rev range, and plenty of power is on tap for overtaking. One gripe we would have is the engine noise from cold – not quite as sound-proofed as we would have hoped for – but it’s only really noticeable when outside the car and doesn’t intrude into the cabin.
The lower emissions are not simply down to engine developments, however. Much of this is directly related to weight-saving measures, particularly the large-scale use of aluminium. Once reserved for the A8, it’s now the metal of choice for the A6’s doors, bonnet, boot lid and wings, along with key underpinnings. The result is a sizeable drop in weight, thereby cutting emissions and fuel consumption.
It also helps with the car’s dynamics and should offer a sportier drive. However, the over-riding impression we got from the new A6 was one of comfort.
The handling characteristics are sharp, but its ethos seems to be about covering kilometres without asking much from the motorist. It can kick down and turn tight into corners, but arguably its strongest trait is getting you across country without leaving you feeling you’ve put in too much effort.
Although we were testing the manual version, an automatic with a CVT multitronic transmission, due in the next few months, will likely form the bulk of Irish sales. People here expect automatic in a car this size, though I would still suggest the manual version is not to be disregarded that easily. Admittedly, I have never been a fan of the multitronic transmission, so that might influence our view on the matter.
FOR THOSE WHO want more dynamic driving, the answer comes with the 3-litre TDi diesel quattro automatic with 245bhp on tap, which we also tested. A much sharper proposition, this engine seems to get the most out of the chassis engineering. The price – €56,000 – seems a sizeable jump from that for the 2-litre version, but it does have the extra power and the four-wheel-drive system. Go back four years and that sort of money would barely get you a 140bhp 2-litre A6.
Of course no review of a big Audi these days is complete without a few words about its gizmos. The firm’s engineers seem to be vying with Apple for the latest in tech wizardry, and, eager to show off the latest wares, the 3-litre test car came laden with €46,500 of options added.
No, it’s not a typo: €46,500 of options on a €56,000 car. This was not so much a car as a mobile electronics store. For example, the Bang Olufsen audio system alone will set you back an eye-watering €9,000.
Features purloined from the flagship A8 range from night vision and heads-up display to the touch pad that lets you trace letters and numbers with your fingertip. Like most infotainment features these days, suffice it to say you won’t miss most of them if you don’t have them. Frankly, for €46,000 I’d want a second A6 to be parked at the back of the house.
The most impressive feature was that it was riding on gorgeous 10-spoke 20in alloys, yet even on the potholed roads of Ireland we never felt the need to scroll the phone number of a chiropractor on the touch pad.
The A6 faces a stiff challenge trying to loosen the 5 Series’s grip on the market. It will also have to see off the E-Class Mercedes, Jaguar’s XF and a long-awaited replacement for the Lexus GS. Yet the A6 is perhaps the best-placed challenger, and for those looking for comfort and refinement it’s got the edge on its Bavarian rival.
Factfile
Engine1,968cc four-cylinder front-wheel drive diesel putting out 177bhp and 380Nm of torque at 1,750rpm
0-100km/h8.7 secs
Emissions(motor tax) 129g/km (€156)
L/100km (mpg)urban - 6.0 (47.1); extra-urban - 4.4 (64.2); combined - 4.9 (57.6)
Specifications17in alloys; leather upholstery; heated front seats; climate control; ESP stability control; 7in driver information system; multifunctional leather steering wheel; front and rear park assistance; MMI stereo system; cruise control; leather upholstery; and Bluetooth connection. Options include MMI navigation (€2,399), four-zone climate control (€901), xenon headlights with LED running lights (€1,633) and metallic paint (€1,316)
Price€42,500 (test car €52,718)
