AUDI A6 REVIEW

List price from £30,985 Lease price from £312 The verdict 8

The Audi A6 is a classy and spacious saloon, but some rivals are better to drive

Audi has long set the standard for interior quality, and the latest A6 saloon shows it hasn't lost its touch in this area.

The A6 is also a practical choice, thanks to its spacious interior and huge boot, plus it promises affordable company car tax bills and the option of four-wheel drive.

Space

Loads of room for passengers and their luggage

You won’t struggle for space in the Audi A6 because leg and headroom are generous in both the front and rear. It will even seat three adult passengers across the rear in reasonable comfort.

True, the tops of the doors are quite high, so kids won't get a good view out. But you can plug in child seats quickly and easily, thanks to standard Isofix mounting points.

The rear seats fold down, too, which is handy if you need to increase the size of the boot. However, this shouldn't be necessary that often because it’s huge and well shaped.

Comfort

Even the softest suspension struggles with some bumps

If you avoid the flashy 19- and 20-inch wheels (the biggest available) and stick with the regular suspension, the A6 is a comfortable enough car most of the time. That said, it can still struggle to stay settled over the worst UK road surfaces.

The sportier-looking S-line models come with sports suspension, which makes them less forgiving, although Audi does still offer the regular set-up as a no-cost option.

Whichever you go for, the A6 is good at shutting out wind and road noise, plus all of the engines are quiet at a steady cruise.

You do have to work the 2.0-litre diesel a bit harder than the other engines to get up to speed in the first place, though.

Dashboard layout

Quite simple and very classy

The A6's instruments are easy to read at a glance, and you operate most of the car's functions by scrolling through well-ordered menus on a colour screen.

Sadly, the control system isn't as user-friendly as the one in the BMW 5-series because it takes a lot of familiarisation before you can tell the shortcut buttons apart without taking your eyes off the road.

More positively, the A6 feels classier inside than any other car available at this price; all of the buttons and control knobs have a slick action, and the general ambience is one of luxury and quality.

Easy to drive

Pretty easy, whichever engine you choose

Specify the A6 with a 3.0-litre diesel engine and an automatic gearbox and it makes building speed effortless.

In fact, even the cheapest, 2.0-litre diesel won't leave you feeling like you're struggling to keep up with traffic.

This engine comes with a manual gearbox that has a light and easy action; there’s no automatic alternative. Unfortunately, the pedals on manual A6s are offset to the right of the seat, which can cause discomfort when you're driving in town and regularly pumping the clutch.

This is also a problem in manual versions of the BMW 5-series and Mercedes E-class. However, changing lanes is slightly easier in the A6 than it is in these rivals because it offers a better rear view.

This also helps with parking, and while you can’t see exactly where the car ends, standard front and rear parking sensors mean this isn’t an issue.

Fun to drive

Safe and secure rather than fun

The A6 has many strengths, but fun isn't one of them because its steering feels vague and overly light at speed.

It’s a pity, because the A6 actually grips well in corners, and it's suspension does a good job of preventing excessive lean.

Choose a quattro four-wheel-drive version of the A6 and it feels very surefooted even in treacherous conditions. But compared with a BMW 5-series or a Jaguar XF, it's still rather dull and uninvolving to drive.

Reliability

Jaguar and Mercedes have better customer satisfaction records

The A6 might feel classier than its rivals, but it didn’t perform as well in the 2013 JD Power customer satisfaction survey, where it finished 68th out of 116 cars. The BMW 5-series was 43 places ahead, in 25th, while the Mercedes E-class came 13th and the Jaguar XF 3rd.

Like all these rivals, the A6 comes with a three-year warranty, but this limits you to 60,000 miles, whereas BMW and Mercedes cover you no matter how many miles you do.

Fuel economy

Frugal engines, but some rivals are even more efficient

The most popular engine is the 2.0-litre diesel, which returns an official average of 57.6mpg. That's comparable with the Jaguar XF 2.2, but nearly five mpg off what an equivalent BMW 5-series or Mercedes E-class manages.

Choose a 3.0-litre diesel A6 and you will be lucky to see the 53.3mpg that it achieves in official tests, while the most powerful diesel model - the Bi-turbo - is capable of 44.8mpg, but not if you make full use of its awesome performance.

You'll have to do minimal mileage for the 2.0-litre petrol to make sense.

Affordability

The 2.0-litre diesels make most financial sense

Most A6s end up in the hands of company car drivers, for whom the 2.0-litre diesel model is the most affordable choice. However, it still has higher CO2 emissions than the BMW 520d, so will cost more in company car tax.

The A6 is cheaper than the BMW to buy privately, though, and servicing, insurance and resale values are all competitive.

Safety

Very safe and stacks of kit

Like most of its rivals, the A6 earned the maximum five-star rating when it was crash tested by car safety specialists Euro NCAP.

It also scored better than the Jaguar XF and Mercedes E-class for adult and child occupant protection, although the BMW 5-series matched it for child safety and provided even greater protection for adults.

The one area where the A6 disappointed was pedestrian protection - all of its key rivals scored better here.

Six airbags are fitted, along with a stability control system that helps you regain control if the car goes into a skid.

Standard spec

Generous equipment levels on every version