Home News Reviews Audi A6 3.0 TDI Quattro S line S tronic Review

Audi A6 3.0 TDI Quattro S line S tronic Review

When you buy a nice car, it’s understandable that you’d be happy to spend a few bob more to make it even nicer. Specifying those extra little touches that can add to the quality of life behind the wheel or that bit safer makes a lot of sense, but some manufacturers offer a blinding choice which means the final bill for the add-ons can be more than many people spend on a complete car.

Audi are renowned for their extensive range of models and trim levels to go with them, which is comprehensive to say the least. But here’s the thing. The marque, which is the elite of the VAG stable above Volkswagen, Seat and Skoda, has some fine, well-built cars with price tags to match but I doubt if many are actually sold at those figures.

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That’s because the standard spec, while very good, doesn’t include many of the things which we have come to expect as standard in our upmarket sets of wheels. Audi would say this is to give the customer freedom of choice in how they personalise their car with their own comfort, driver aids or safety preferences. They have a good point and at least they go beyond what their fellow German competitors BMW used to do, which is supply a car without even a radio as a standard fitment.

The result is that the base price is kept at an attractive level and then the buyer is free to top up at will – or at least according to the capacity of his or her cheque book.

Take the Audi A6 3 litre TDI Quattro S Line test car. Its list price is just over £43,000 which is not to be sniffed at, yet once all the extras are added, the final price tag is £63,165….including the £130 road fund licence, £55 first registration fee and £590 for delivery, number plates and half a tank of fuel. I would have thought at that price they could at least fill the tank to the brim.

The rest of the £20,000 of extras cover a vast range of toys which certainly make life inside the cabin very comfortable….but it’s also where Audi make a healthy profit. Most expensive is the £2,000 adaptive air suspension followed by the night vision assistant (£1,750); the excellent technology pack with navigation plus, 7” colour display and Audi connect and phone box (£1,625); aluminium, beaufort black inlays (£1,550) and the best bits of all, the stunningly huge 20” dark grey alloys at £1,500.

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There’s £1,000 for the superb BOSE surround sound system, £1,310 for the advanced parking pack and £1,240 for the very useful head-up display. The cheapest option at a mere £250 is the bit that displays the speed limit on that big central screen.

All of that is good but there’s also a charge of £550 for ambient lighting, £390 for privacy glass, £335 for leather covered door armrests and £515 for heated, electrically adjustable door mirrors, all of which can come as standard in many considerably cheaper cars on the market.

Having said all that, I loved my time with the car. It oozed technology, it was extremely comfortable and the 3 litre diesel pushed out some very useful power while the Quattro transmission kept it stuck to the road. The S line spec brought stiffer sports suspension which added to the performance but made the ride a bit harsh on some road surfaces while potholes had to be avoided at all costs.

This latest version of the A6 is undoubtedly the best ever for comfort, performance and efficiency and while its overall exterior design may not be the most exciting to look at – apart from the huge alloys – it has leapt well ahead of its rival 5 Series from BMW and can easily be mistaken for its big brother the A8. The xenon and LED lighting is first class and dramatic even in daytime running.

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The car was superbly agile yet well-behaved on the open road thanks to the combination of the extensive use of aluminium in its structure and the state-of-the-art four wheel drive.

The 2 litre diesel engine is regarded as the most efficient but the 3 litre turbocharged V6 in the test car returned tons of grunt channelled through the silky smooth S tronic auto gearbox.

The latest version is slightly shorter than the previous model but at the same time it’s wider and feels spacious inside with stacks of space for a full load of sizeable adults.

I covered several hundred miles in a variety of conditions, including a lot of city streets and as a result came nowhere near the claimed economy of 54mpg, averaging instead only mid-30s.

But I loved the car – its performance, comfort and confidence. Everything you’d expect from a big Audi …… but at a price.

CAR: Audi A6 3.0 TDI Quattro S line S tronic

PRICE: £43,090 (£63,165 as tested)

POWER: 3.0 V6 diesel  272 PS  TORQUE: 580 Nm

PERFORMANCE: Top speed 155 mph (governed)  0-62 mph 5.5 secs

MPG: 54 mpg combined

CO2 EMISSIONS: 138 g/km

TT Rating:

TT Rating 4

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Journalist, broadcaster, former Regional Journalist of the Year of the Guild of Motoring Writers and overall motoring enthusiast.