Two things strike you about the new A6 saloon. One, that Audi was right to show the wagon first; it is the much more interesting model to look at and almost certainly the one that a (non-business user) customer would choose to buy. Two, that its decision to rescind its naming strategy (that would have made this the A7) was also sensible. The car looks like an A6 through and through. Pity the poor showroom staff who would’ve been tasked with patiently explaining to every repeat buyer that this was actually the A7 and if they wanted a new A6 it must be battery-powered. The thought of many, if not most, customers turning on their heel and vacating the premises was, almost certainly, one of the root causes for the U-turn.
At any rate, the outcome has left the new version looking like a very easy bit of kit to understand. Even more so in the case of the saloon because, boot aside, it mirrors the estate in virtually every meaningful way. Certainly Audi’s bullet-pointed boasts are very familiar: first-rate drag coefficient (0.23 here); a claim staked for cutting-edge technology and great refinement; and a reminder that while the A6 isn’t an EV, it does have some (very) modest battery range courtesy of its mild-hybrid status. Most prominent of all is the idea of the car as a ‘classic business sedan’. Attempting to redesign the wheel has not done manufacturers many favours recently; better to kick it old school.
This is very much what you get. We’ll spare you an exhaustive description of the ‘sophisticated airflow concept’ that Audi has applied here; suffice it to say, it slips through the air more easily than any A6 before it - but looks just like an A6 while doing so. For those who like ticking option lists (i.e. business users), there is much to agonise over, including adaptive air suspension and all-wheel steering, and the alloy sizes go all the way from 18s to a forged 21-inch wheel. And if improbable inches are your thing, you’ll love the new interior which combines not only the 11.9- and 14.5-inch displays you’d expect, but also the prospect of an additional 10.9-inch touchscreen for your passenger.
Of course, much like the estate, the agony of choice ceases when you arrive at the engine bay. Initially, there will be a choice of two: a 2.0-litre diesel or a 2.0-litre petrol (there is also the now familiar 3.0-litre V6 with 367hp, though it’s likely to remain conspicuous for its absence in the UK for now). In terms of power from the four-cylinder units, Audi hasn’t even bothered distinguishing between the two; both output 204hp, though the oil burner enjoys a predictable advantage in peak torque. Additionally, you get up to 24hp from the generator, which means very slow speeds ought to occur silently courtesy of the 1.7kWh battery. Interestingly, the TFSI is front-drive only, where the diesel offers a choice of drivetrain - making the TDI quattro (for now), at 6.9 seconds to 62mph, the fastest A6 you can buy. Told you it was old school.
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