Confident front
As a plug-in hybrid, the Audi A6 is the dynamic alternative to the A8.
The average managing director in Germany is male, 52 years old, earns 178,000 euros a year – and prefers to drive an Audi A6. Hardly any car in the premium class meets the taste of company car drivers so well. The Audi A6 exudes what one expects from executives: reliability, but also dynamism.
For many, the A8 seems too dignified and dignified, the A6 is seen as the somewhat fresher alternative – and on the autobahn also as the more comfortable. For a long time, the diesel ruled in the class that guzzled kilometers. Thousands of company cars that speed along Germany’s autobahn every day tell this story. But since the diesel scandal at Volkswagen, the public debates about particulate matter and nitrogen oxides at the latest, there has been an image problem that even companies that value a greener external image do not want to bring into their fleets.
The semi-electric drive is worthwhile in two ways: on the one hand, state purchase premiums flow, on the other hand, the monetary benefit from the company car driver himself only has to be taxed at half the rate (i.e. 0.5 percent). Managers who leaf through the company car catalog take a furtive look at the semi-electric plug-in hybrids – and the A6 has two variants to offer.
The A6 Sedan TFSI e quattro is available with a combined 299 hp and the slightly more powerful (and more expensive) A6 55 TFSI e quattro with 367 hp. Both variants have two hearts beating inside: a four-cylinder petrol engine with 252 hp and an electric motor with 143 hp. The different power results from the control of the drive. We are testing the slightly weaker variant, which is only available as a sedan.
At 58,779 euros, the base price is still humane – especially because you can still deduct a purchase premium of 5625 euros. But with all the built-in extras, the test car ends up at 86,244 euros and thus already well into the automotive luxury class.
Sporty rear
The Audi A6 50 e quattro is only available as a sedan.
Dynamic assistants
Driving aids recognize speed limits even before the next bend.
In the company car paradise of Düsseldorf, a gray sedan like the Audi A6 is as inconspicuous as a VW Golf. He still attracts looks, which is mainly due to the E on the Ingolstadt license plate. Quite a few suspect a factory car on a test drive. Or ask yourself why this Audi is also allowed to use the environmental lane.
Externally, the hybrid A6 can hardly be distinguished from its pure combustion relationship – if you disregard the additional loading flap. The design is as dynamic as it is pleasing: not too conservative, not too ostentatious. The Audi A6 is so precisely processed that electrical pioneer Elon Musk can be a little jealous.
When it comes to gaps and appearance, Audi won’t be too quick to lead a challenger. Only the trunk is relatively small with 360 liters – especially when you compare it with the combustion engine. The trunk lid does not work fully automatically, but has to be closed by hand. I would have expected more from a car in this price range.
In the interior, the premium claim is easily met. Everything you see and touch is of high quality. Aluminum, black leather and wood decor determine the mix of materials. Everything is controlled by a few, but useful buttons and two touch displays. The black leather seats are incredibly comfortable and heatable and can even massage the driver if desired. For comfort seats and massage function, however, a total of 4000 euros is due.
Those who prefer to be driven have plenty of legroom on the back seat. He or she can also set the heating himself and charge the smartphone via the USB port.
The multimedia system works largely intuitively. The Bang & Olufsen system is okay, but you have heard better things in the premium segment, especially with the bass it is a bit weak. But if you want to impress bystanders with loud music, you won’t opt for an A6 anyway.
High quality interior
The decor in the Audi A6 can compete with the luxury class.
look into my eyes
The designers have fully exploited the potential of LED technology.
The complete digitization of the interior only becomes a nuisance on one occasion. When I shut down the radio to talk, it can’t be undone. With no push of a button or manual trick. In the end, only the oldest IT trick in the world helps: switch it off, start over. In the upper class, such little software twists shouldn’t occur.
In terms of driving experience, the A6 meets all requirements. The Audi pulls up effortlessly with its automatic. It accelerates from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in 6.2 seconds, and the electric motor noticeably helps in sport mode – and you can feel the combined output of 299 hp. Left on its own, the electric motor delivers 143 hp and accelerates to a maximum of 135 kilometers per hour. If you are traveling faster, the petrol engine is barely noticeable.
The Audi also rolls comfortably over bumpy roads; thanks to insulated windows, you only see as much of the outside world as necessary. Since it is so easy to underestimate the speed in the interior, you should always keep an eye on the speedometer in order not to receive an unwanted souvenir photo from a district authority. Fortunately, thanks to the head-up display, that’s easy.
Reliable assistants, poor range
The adaptive cruise control also makes driving on the motorway easier. However, you should always keep an eye on what is happening here. Because the assistant recognizes street signs and – unlike many human counterparts – adheres very carefully to the traffic regulations. When it slows down from the set 160 kilometers per hour to 80 on a construction site, an A6 driver quickly becomes acquainted with the man behind the lights flasher.
Of course, the Audi can also do it quickly – just as you would expect from a German manufacturer. The top speed of 250 kilometers per hour is unlikely to be achieved on the road in any country except Germany. At these speeds on the autobahn, the electric motor is not used to save money, but rather to pull past even faster in the left lane. Audi calls it Boost – and that’s how it can be seen on the digital display behind the steering wheel. You know the principle from Formula 1.
According to the data sheet, the electric range is 57 kilometers. I can only dream of it during the test drive in December. It’s cold and dark. When the heating is switched on, the Audi shows me only 39 kilometers even when fully charged. And they are used up quickly.
Safe on the move
Thanks to an armada of sensors and networked systems, the Audi is up to date when it comes to security.
Managing director’s darling
The A6 is one of the top dogs in the upper middle class.
Even in the 14-day test, I quickly lose the desire to hang the Audi on the cable. Not just for convenience: it is also not financially worthwhile. A full charge of the battery, which has a capacity of 14.1 kWh hours, costs around 5.38 euros at the public charging stations – but is only enough for about 40 kilometers. The Audi would have to swallow more than ten liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers to make it cheaper to drive electrically.
At high speeds of over 150 kilometers per hour, two-digit consumption values are easily possible. But anyone who drives fast with the A6 has to drive on petrol anyway. Because then the battery drains faster than you can say “Paris climate agreement”. But even a trip on the motorway with a completely empty battery and absolutely irrational sprints ends up with around eleven liters. Nobody makes the detour to the charging station for this. Especially not executives for whom time is short.
Standard consumption cannot be achieved
Audi then attached the loading flap to the most impractical point on a car: the rear left. If you want to plug in a charging cable here, you have to park in the opposite direction of travel, back up to your own garage or pull the long cable over streets and driveways that are dirty in autumn. It’s good that a disinfectant is always on board in Corona times.
After all, the charge goes faster than many other plug-in hybrids. At an AC charging station, the A6 with 7.6 kW draws itself back to 80 percent in an hour and a half. A full charge takes over six hours at a normal socket. Anyone who owns a garage can always use electric power, at least for short distances.
The official consumption can usually be safely forgotten under real conditions. If you actually use 1.9 liters of petrol or less, you should consider whether the A6 is the right car at all. Because on the short-haul route there would be much better electric alternatives, for example the Audi e-tron.
Overall, however, the Audi A6 scores with everything you would expect from German premium manufacturers. The processing is flawless. An armada of sensors ensures a safe journey. And if you want, you can take it easy. After this test, I am even less surprised that Germany’s managing directors have access to this.
Technical specifications
Luxury limousine
Length: 4.93 meters
Width: 1.88 meters, with exterior mirrors: 2.02 meters
Height: 1.45 meters
Wheelbase: 2.92 meters
Empty weight: 2010 kilograms
Boot space: 360 liters
Engines: four-cylinder petrol engine + electric motor
Max. Power combined: 185 + 105 kW (252 + 143 PS)
Max. Torque: 370 Nm at 1,600 to 4,500 revolutions
Acceleration 0 – 100 km / h: 6.2 seconds
Top speed: 250 km / h
Top speed electric: 135 km / h
Consumption (according to WLTP): 2.0 to 1.3 liters of petrol per 100 km
CO2 emissions: 46 to 39 grams per kilometer
Electric range: 46 to 58 kilometers
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