New Audi A6 – All you need to know

For those who have the means to afford them and don’t want to be seen in anything less, mid-size luxury sedans are usually the “go-to” vehicles to pick within this vast industry. Among the several worthy contenders, one of the newest in Malaysia is without a doubt the all-new Audi A6. Known internally as the C8, this latest A6 sedan has just entered the Malay market and starts from RM 589,900 (without options, of course).

And while some global markets also get the new A6 in its station wagon form (Avant), that option isn’t yet available for buyers in this region. The fifth generation of the Audi A6 is by far the best iteration of the German marque’s popular mid-size luxury barge and now comes with a host of ultra-modern technologies, comfort features, safety gadgets, exciting design and improved driving dynamics.

While the luxury sedan segment might not be for everyone, especially after the advent of the luxury SUV, these class of cars never go out of fashion and are thus at the forefront for most buyers in this space. In countries such as Malaysia, the new Audi A6 sedan goes up against the likes of the BMW 5-Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and Jaguar XF. However,

the fact is that the Ingolstadt based luxury carmaker doesn’t really occupy a sizeable market share in Malaysia. But having said that, the brand has been trying to keep their product line-up up-to-date and relevant - this new A6 is a part of that very strategy. As of now, there’s only one variant of the all-new A6 sedan that’s officially sold in Malaysia, known as the 3.0 TFSI Quattro. All that said, here are some of the most important things that you must know about the latest Audi A6.

Exterior design

Unlike some of the other luxury automakers, Audi doesn’t do flashy, in-your-face kind of designs when it comes to their cars. Yes, the all-new A6 certainly manages to draw attention towards itself when parked next to its predecessor, but it’s still styled to be more discreet yet appear modern and contemporary in certain aspects. The most apparent changes in the new A6’s exterior come when it’s viewed from the front and rear.

For example, the front end is dominated by Audi’s latest design of the ‘Singleframe’ grille with multiple horizontal lines, sophisticated headlamps with sharp-looking LED elements, sleek bonnet with pronounced creases, and a sporty bumper with large faux vent design. The rear of the new A6 looks sporty, too, with its protruding boot-lid spoiler effect, wraparound LED tail lamps accompanied by a large chrome strip, and a rather busy bumper with fake exhaust and vent designs.

Viewed side-on, this new Audi A6 looks like almost any other big Audi luxo-barge, but that doesn’t mean it’s short on either restrained style nor absolute presence. The new model measures 4,939 mm in length, 1,886 mm in width, 1,457 mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,924 mm. Meanwhile, overall boot space is a reasonable 530 litres. The side profile highlights the A6’s massive 20-inch alloy wheels, subtle yet svelte body lines, mildly flared fenders, and a smoothly sloped roofline.

Interior

The interior of the new Audi A6 is a complete revelation when compared to the older model -- it looks ultra-modern, contemporary and stunningly sophisticated. Among all the wood, metal accents, premium leather and soft-touch surfaces, the three high-definition displays (instrument panel, primary head unit and HVAC & seat control screen) steal the show.

The signature layout of the dashboard with its sharp angles, sleek lines and eye-pleasing styling looks really posh and expensive. The cabin of the new A6 is also spacious and can (relatively) easily accommodate five adults, and the large windows do a great job of allowing natural light into this space to make it feel nice and airy. As always, Audi’s build quality and fit-and-finish are fantastic; while the excellent insulation means there’s barely any outside noise permeating into the cabin.

Equipment and features

The new Audi A6 is currently only sold in one trim level, though it comes really packed with tonnes and tonnes of equipment as standard -- you can add more by ticking more boxes at the dealership, of course. Some of the most notable of the new A6’s features includes all-wheel steering, adaptive air suspension, automatic Matrix LED headlamps,

dynamic turn signals, soft-closing doors, push-button engine start, power-operated front seats with memory, quad-zone climate control, ambient lighting, Audi Virtual Cockpit, electronic parking brake, 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, power-operated rear sunshade, 10.1-inch touch-infotainment head unit with Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, and a head-up display to name a few.

Audi has also packed its latest A6 with six airbags (front, sides and curtain), all-round parking sensors with surround-view cameras, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) and Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Hill Hold Assist (HHA), Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Traction Control System (TCS), Lane Change Assistant (LCA) with Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) with Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), and a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) among others.

Engine and performance

The Audi A6 specs sheet tells that it is sold in Malaysia in (for now) only one trim option - 3.0 TFSI Quattro. This means under the bonnet, there’s a 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine (assisted by a 48-volt mild-hybrid system) that chucks out 335 hp and up to 500 Nm of torque -- the latter is available from as low as 1,370 rpm all the way up to 4,500 rpm.

This silky smooth motor is paired to an S-tronic 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and Quattro all-wheel-drive (AWD) system. As for its performance, the V6 engine has enough guts to allow the 1.8-tonne A6 to sprint from 0-100 kmph in just 5.1 seconds, while pushing it to an electronically-restricted top speed of 250 kmph. Meanwhile, Audi claims that the new A6 is capable of returning over 13 kmpl on a combined cycle.

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