Awesome A6
Audi has unleashed its latest saloon, which ispractically a work of art.
The seventh-generation Audi A6, which made its debut way back in 1968 — when it was called the 100 — is an absolute class act. Some prefer to call it the fourth generation, if you count from 1995.
The latest A6 has a very sporty stance due to its disproportionately low height, exaggerated bonnet, a sweeping roofline and a tornado line tracing the flanks — all classic Audi.
Light weight and intuitive technology gives it more bang for the buck compared with the Mercedes E Class and the BMW 5 Series.
A composite design, liberal use of aluminium and high-techology steel has reduced the weight of the car by up to 80 kgs compared with the sixth iteration, but it's 11 cms smaller. Not surprisingly, performance, mileage and riding comfort are topdraw.
The headlighting system is stuff of pure sci-fi fantasy. The A6 has an LED lights cluster — 24 white ones for daytime running, and a set of blue LEDs emit yellow — yes yellow — beams for turn signals. Uber cool. If that doesn't blow you away, there's also a dynamic cornering light, a static cornering light and variable headlight — essentially Xenon. A small video camera in the base of the interior mirror detects ambient light and of other vehicles. The system then adapts the A6's own headlights by swiveling the xenon modules. It's like automatic switching between low and high beams!
Interior
They are as lavishly appointed as they come, with all the bells & whistles. Rich leather and curves and angles bare the maker's a great eye for detail. The dash, with wraparound blades and woody trims look luxurious. The front seats can be adjusted ten ways. All seats have plenty of headroom, elbow room, legroom, and footroom — more than the previous iteration.
The head airbag system opens like a curtain extending from the A-pillar to the C-pillar, while side air bags and stiff lateral seats make it safer in case of side impact collision.
The A6 has a lot of sci-fi technology. Push the start-stop engine button, and a 6.5-inch LCD screen deploys from the centre of the dashboard, offering options of entertainment, navigation (disabled in India, sadly), and parking assist, among others. The multimedia interface and a plethora of info on the odo and tacho are user-friendly. The central console houses a rotary knob, like the BMW's iDrive, and there's the multimedia interface touchpad to the right of the gear lever, which can transform into an area containing six radio station buttons.
All the gizmos are arranged in an intuitive, easy-to-master way. For utility, there is a huge 530-litre boot with a massive 1050 mm mouth. If that's not enough, the rear seat can be folded 60:40.
Performance
The engine's super-smooth and super silent and very torquey. Audi claims it's economical too, because the 4-pot 2 litre diesel weighs in at just 1,575 kg compared with the 520d Bimmer's 1,695 kg.
The Audi A6 2.0 TDI and 2.8 FSI are outfitted with front-wheel drive as standard, while the 3.0 TFSI petrol, which we tested, and the 3.0 TDI are paired with permanent all-wheel quattro drive..
There's a hell of lot of power delivered in the TDI engine's midrange — you can cruise at 100 kms at just 1800 revs. The car literally glides over potholes and bumps, underscoring great body control. The electromechanical steering is very light and accurate. What stands out is the noise suppression that's perhaps the best seen in a car of its size. The engine's barely audible at 100 kmph.
The air suspension with electronically controlled damping kept the ride smooth on Mumbai's cratered roads. The suspension adjusts the car's height automatically based on driving speed and whims of the person at the wheel. In automatic mode, the body is lowered 20 millimeters once the A6 stays past 120 kmph for 30 seconds. Cool or what? Guess it's all about Vorsprung durch Technik.
Audi has unleashed its latest saloon, which ispractically a work of art.
The seventh-generation Audi A6, which made its debut way back in 1968 — when it was called the 100 — is an absolute class act. Some prefer to call it the fourth generation, if you count from 1995.
The latest A6 has a very sporty stance due to its disproportionately low height, exaggerated bonnet, a sweeping roofline and a tornado line tracing the flanks — all classic Audi.
Light weight and intuitive technology gives it more bang for the buck compared with the Mercedes E Class and the BMW 5 Series.
A composite design, liberal use of aluminium and high-techology steel has reduced the weight of the car by up to 80 kgs compared with the sixth iteration, but it's 11 cms smaller. Not surprisingly, performance, mileage and riding comfort are topdraw.
The headlighting system is stuff of pure sci-fi fantasy. The A6 has an LED lights cluster — 24 white ones for daytime running, and a set of blue LEDs emit yellow — yes yellow — beams for turn signals. Uber cool. If that doesn't blow you away, there's also a dynamic cornering light, a static cornering light and variable headlight — essentially Xenon. A small video camera in the base of the interior mirror detects ambient light and of other vehicles. The system then adapts the A6's own headlights by swiveling the xenon modules. It's like automatic switching between low and high beams!
Interior
They are as lavishly appointed as they come, with all the bells & whistles. Rich leather and curves and angles bare the maker's a great eye for detail. The dash, with wraparound blades and woody trims look luxurious. The front seats can be adjusted ten ways. All seats have plenty of headroom, elbow room, legroom, and footroom — more than the previous iteration.
The head airbag system opens like a curtain extending from the A-pillar to the C-pillar, while side air bags and stiff lateral seats make it safer in case of side impact collision.
The A6 has a lot of sci-fi technology. Push the start-stop engine button, and a 6.5-inch LCD screen deploys from the centre of the dashboard, offering options of entertainment, navigation (disabled in India, sadly), and parking assist, among others. The multimedia interface and a plethora of info on the odo and tacho are user-friendly. The central console houses a rotary knob, like the BMW's iDrive, and there's the multimedia interface touchpad to the right of the gear lever, which can transform into an area containing six radio station buttons.
All the gizmos are arranged in an intuitive, easy-to-master way. For utility, there is a huge 530-litre boot with a massive 1050 mm mouth. If that's not enough, the rear seat can be folded 60:40.
Performance
The engine's super-smooth and super silent and very torquey. Audi claims it's economical too, because the 4-pot 2 litre diesel weighs in at just 1,575 kg compared with the 520d Bimmer's 1,695 kg.
The Audi A6 2.0 TDI and 2.8 FSI are outfitted with front-wheel drive as standard, while the 3.0 TFSI petrol, which we tested, and the 3.0 TDI are paired with permanent all-wheel quattro drive..
There's a hell of lot of power delivered in the TDI engine's midrange — you can cruise at 100 kms at just 1800 revs. The car literally glides over potholes and bumps, underscoring great body control. The electromechanical steering is very light and accurate. What stands out is the noise suppression that's perhaps the best seen in a car of its size. The engine's barely audible at 100 kmph.
The air suspension with electronically controlled damping kept the ride smooth on Mumbai's cratered roads. The suspension adjusts the car's height automatically based on driving speed and whims of the person at the wheel. In automatic mode, the body is lowered 20 millimeters once the A6 stays past 120 kmph for 30 seconds. Cool or what? Guess it's all about Vorsprung durch Technik.
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