2014 Audi A6

2014 Audi A6 Reviews

Brilliance takes many forms in the Audi A6: the diesel-driven TDI, the supercharged A6, or the turbocharged S6 all stand out in ways the sedate body doesn’t quite match.

• Interior / Exterior »

German automakers are famed for their styling philosophy for sedans: one shape, three lengths. It can be a sore point for cars like the Audi A6, which looks a lot like its smaller A4 stablemate, while skipping the ultrafabulous curves of its A7 sibling.



The A6 is good-looking, don’t get us wrong. The sheetmetal’s nicely contoured, the details are crisp, the profile is handsome. It’s just a bit more ambivalent than those other Audis. With the A7, you get a styling statement; with the A4, you’re co-opting more expensive cars.
The A6 simply executes its global mission, to be the executive four-door that sells en masse, around the world. Still, it stings that its signature nose-to-ground grille is becoming a meme around the industry, for better or worse. Not only that, the A6’s signature sill line–the “tornado” line–has now been copied by automakers on cars as prosaic as a Hyundai Elantra.
The styling inside, though, remains singular. Audi succeeds in subduing the effect of many lines and textures better than any car company. The A6’s overarching shapes are pleasant, and the concave door trim panels and boatlike dash line are handsome in a vintage way (just like they are on the Jaguar XJ and the Nissan Maxima). And the center-stack area is canted very slightly toward the driver, though not at all in a way that limits space.
All that said, the A6 interior has dozens of pieces, panel joints, air vents, and metallic trim, which can add up to a busy look in some combinations, although a clear control layout helps with that. The A6’s instrument panel is slim and rather low, which means the optional navigation system’s LCD screen must flip incongruously out of the dash. And Audi’s signature red lighting doesn’t always work with some of the more exotic interior treatments, like its layered-oak look.

• Performance »

If you’re only into the A6 for the Audi nameplate, there’s a tepid base version for you. But if you’re seeking ultra-high economy or muscular performance, there are three other editions cued up, all with forced-induction engines.

The mostly passion-free standard Audi A6 pairs a continuously variable transmission with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 220 horsepower. It’s a combo rendered more sedate by the A6’s size and weight–even more so with the optional all-wheel drive, which at least adopts an eight-speed automatic instead of the CVT. It’s not slow, with 0-60 mph times in the 7.5-second range, but it’s a less convincing example of luxury in context here, especially with the CVT, which takes away some of what we love so much about the turbo four.

We’d be much more pleased to pay the premium up front for Audi’s excellent new turbodiesel 240-hp 3.0-liter six. Its powerband is much narrower, and there’s just a little more noise and vibration, but the payoffs are many. Performance through standard all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic is smart: 0-60 mph happens in about 5.5 seconds, thanks to 428 pound-feet of torque. Fuel economy is outrageous, at 24/38 mpg, or 29 mpg combined. The A6 TDI is better equipped, too, and isn’t caught in the features and size limbo that the base A6 can be, compared with a high-end A4.
The other flavors of the A6 are also strikingly fast performers that don’t sacrifice that much efficiency. The mid-line option is a gasoline-powered 3.0-liter V-6, with supercharging and direct injection. By the numbers, this V-6 blasts out 310 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque, all harnessed to the eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive with a rear torque bias of 40:60. Audi says it’s good for 0-60 mph times of 5.4 seconds, and the same governed top speed of 130 mph. It’s slightly more refined in feel than the TDI, but by so little it’s a difficult justification.
With either the supercharged or the TDI powertrain, the A6 is a joy to drive. It jumps off the line, tracks cleanly and without torque steer. The eight-speed automatic is a perfect fit, clipping off upshifts and downshifts with just an occasional part-throttle moment of confusion. And the transmission seems always fully prepared to make your choices with the steering-wheel paddle shifters just as seamless.
As for that base 2.0T/CVT powertrain, it’s confident enough; and while previous versions generated a drawn-out drone, this latest version instead seems to try more to mimic a conventional automatic transmission, albeit with slurred steps. A sport mode and steering-wheel paddle-shifters help, somewhat, although we much prefer the sharper eight-speed automatic transmission and quattro, a combination that’s smooth and surprisingly quick.
The Audi A6 battles it out for mid-size luxury buyers, but at times, the toughest fight comes from inside its own house. Of course, it’s competition for the brilliant new Cadillac CTS, along with the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class–but it’s also the slightly more dowdy alternative to the sexy Audi A7 hatchback, or even the smaller and more affordable Audi A4.

The A6 and the hot spin-off S6 are handsome, sporty sedans, with sleekly contoured sheetmetal and tightly drawn details. For years, we’ve put Audi design on a pedestal, particularly the A6, only to have it knocked off two years ago by the mechanically similar, much less predictable A7 hatchback. That car is one of the few to earn a perfect 10 from our editors for styling; the A6’s more conventional lines earn it a more conventional score. The A6’s details still win, but truth be told, we’re not the biggest fans of Audi’s biggest grilles ever. The better news is that the cockpit of the A6 and S6 are clones of those in the A7 and S7, and that’s a relief: the rich materials are arranged perfectly in coordination with each other, and the plethora of cutlines never seems to get in the way of a good time.
The A6’s base drivetrain pairs a 220-horsepower, 2.0-liter four with either a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and front-wheel drive, or an eight-speed automatic and quattro all-wheel drive. The four isn’t slow, either; expect 0 to 60 mph times at about 7.5 seconds, up to a top speed of 130 mph. The CVT here does its best to pretend that it’s a conventional automatic–and even offers a sport mode, paddle-shifters, and simulated ratios–but we’d take the eight-speed automatic and quattro with the 2.0T any day. And for pure efficiency, we’d choose the excellent A6 TDI, with a 240-hp turbodiesel six and an eight-speed automatic, a 0-60 mph time of about 5.5 seconds, and an EPA rating of 24/38 mpg, or 29 mpg combined.

Higher up on the performance scale are the supercharged six and turbocharged eights. The 310-horsepower supercharged V-6 that’s offered in the A6 is paired with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission for a 0-60 mph time of 5.3 seconds. It’s a flexible, fairly muted powerplant–but it’s easily outstripped by the 420-horsepower turbocharged V-8 engine found in the S6. The S6’s seven-speed S tronic gearbox and performance upgrades ensure excitement is just a tap-shift away–and that 60 mph is just 4.5 seconds away.
No matter which version you choose, the A6 has good handling, in either front- or all-wheel drive; even though its all-wheel drive system is biased to the rear it still prefers nose-heavy understeer. Models with Audi’s Drive Select have better range and adaptability in their electric steering, throttle, transmission and even air-damper control, though steering feel isn’t particularly a strength. The S6 has the tautest responses, of course; with impressively strong brakes and the firmest Sport settings, it’s sweetly maneuverable in tight curves.

With its swept-back, more rear-biased sport-sedan look, the A6’s silhouette does rob some interior space. It feels somewhat smaller inside than some other mass-market cars in its size class, but front-seat space is excellent. Legroom can feel tight in back, and that middle space back there isn’t adult-sized. That also makes the four-seat A7 and its practical hatchback cargo area, again seem more appealing. Trunk space is obviously smaller than in the A7 hatchback, but at 14.1 cubic feet it’s even a bit small by luxury-sedan standards; the cargo floor is also quite high.

The A6 offers all the active-safety features you’ll find on its luxury peers from Mercedes-Benz and BMW–including front and rear parking sensors, a rearview camera, blind-spot monitors, a night-vision system, and a head-up display. It’s earned top five-star results from the federal government in crash-testing, as well as top ‘good’ ratings from the IIHS in all of the areas it’s been tested (although not yet the tough small overlap test).

The 2014 Audi A6 and S6 are very well-equipped at the base level, as luxury sedans. But it’s the options for the lineup that will really impress passengers. From Google Earth maps, to in-car wireless Internet access, to an innovative system that lets you trace out letters with your finger, this lineup goes above and beyond with tech options. The A6 also offers all the active-safety features you’ll find on its luxury peers from Mercedes-Benz and BMW–including front and rear parking sensors, a top-view camera, blind-spot monitors, a night-vision system, and a head-up display.
Photo Gallery: Audi Cars

Tweet