ge5338742717409821096
ge4644964657888175643
ge5125171259349025907
ge5656702073021749751
ge4894055427430451993
Michael Taylor5 Sept 2014
NEWS

Audi facelifts A6

Can new engines and gearboxes keep Audi’s large car fresh enough to win the premium battle?

Audi has slashed the fuel consumption of some of its big-selling A6 models by more than 20 per cent thanks to a raft of new engines and transmissions.

Headlined by a TDI Ultra with just 4.2L/100km of combined fuel consumption, the A6 is also about to score a facelift to brighten its conservative styling.

With the death of the continuously variable transmission in the Multitronic models, Audi has introduced an all-new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, dubbed S-Tronic, to sit inside the front-drive A6 models, leaving the eight-speed automatic for the all-wheel drive quattro variants. Another all-new A6 gearbox, the six-speed manual, is unlikely to find its way to the Australian models.

With its key rivals (the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the BMW 5 Series) also in full cycle swing, Audi's standard European A6 range will arrive with three TFSI petrol engines, five turbo-diesels, plus the biturbo 4.0-litre V8 in both the S6 and the RS 6.

The bottom of the petrol engine range begins at 140kW and stretches to 245kW, while the upgraded diesel family begins at 110kW and moves up to 240kW.

The spread of Audi's Ultra badge for its most frugal models continues, with two A6 Ultra models. Powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder TDI, the most economical of them still has 110kW of power but manages 4.2L/100km on the NEDC cycle, which translates to just 109g/km of CO2 emissions. Audi also has a petrol-engined Ultra powered by a 1.8-litre TFSI turbo motor and consuming 5.7L/100km.

It isn't just a fuel-sipper engine though, because Audi even fits the Ultra models with fibreglass reinforced polymer springs to save 4.4kg over the standard steel units, helping pull the weight down to 1535kg.

But the freshen up has gathered in not just the bottom-end of the A6 range, but the top-end as well. The 3.0-litre turbocharged TFSI petrol motor has had a significant overhaul in both power and smoothness terms, as has the 3.0-litre TDI and the 3.0-litre biturbo diesel.

Now with 245kW, the 3.0-litre TFSI is claimed to be more economical than before and Audi insists its noise, vibration and harshness signatures are far lower, too.

The 3.0-litre TDI now comes with either 160kW or 200kW of power, while the standard biturbo version stretches up to 235kW. There's an even stronger version of the biturbo diesel, though, with a 240kW standard power output that can be briefly boosted up to 255kW for the special-edition Competition versions of the A6 3.0 TDI.

The highest performing diesels score the eight-speed automatic transmission while all others use the seven-speed dual-clutch unit, while Audi also makes the Sport differential optional on all quattro models with more than 200kW.

The S6 and RS6 models remain the hero cars, though, with the V8 in the S6 still producing 331kW of power to launch it to 100km/h in just 4.4 seconds, even though it uses 9.2L/100km on the NEDC cycle.

If you want to go faster, you still need an RS 6 Avant, with 412kW from what is essentially the same motor as the S6's cylinder-on-demand V8, and that' enough to sling past 100km/h in 3.9 seconds on its way to a 305km/h top speed.

The switchable Drive Select system, which enables drivers to chop between comfort, automatic and dynamic settings for the car, is standard, while there are two sport suspensions and an adaptive air suspension system as options.

The visual revisions centre around a freshen up of the single-frame Audi grille to bring it more into line with the TT's new family face, while the headlights, air inlets, bumpers, tail-lights and exhaust tips are all new.

The headlights adopt Audi's slick dynamic turn indicators, which grow in a line with each illumination, and both LED and Matrix LED headlights are optional.

The cabin of the refreshed A6 scores all of Audi's latest software, driven by the ultra-fast Tegra 30 graphics chip, which it needs to power the range-topping MMI navigation plus system for the retractable eight-inch screen.

While the A6 continues with safety systems like adaptive cruise, a blind-spot monitoring system and optional night-vision and head-up display, it now fits the pre-sense safety system as standard equipment.

Share this article
Written byMichael Taylor
See all articles
Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Stay up to dateBecome a carsales member and get the latest news, reviews and advice straight to your inbox.
Disclaimer
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.

If the price does not contain the notation that it is "Drive Away", the price may not include additional costs, such as stamp duty and other government charges.
Download the carsales app
    AppStoreDownloadGooglePlayDownload
    App Store and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.
    © CAR Group Ltd 1999-2024
    In the spirit of reconciliation we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.