Audi S6 Avant 2019 Price
On motorway commutes, the ride experience hits all the usual adjectives for an Audi: quiet, refined, perhaps a little aloof. And with a range and economy on a tank that makes 600 miles within reach, there's little reason to leave your cocoon of comfort for a wet and windy forecourt too often. Epic journeys should be devoured.
But it's on A-roads, and even pockmarked British B-roads, where the S6 offers the most and moves the game on from the A6. The adaptive air suspension probably plays its part – an option included on our test car, but apparently unavailable on UK models (yes, we know...). But the combination of quattro four-wheel drive grip and feel, well-weighted electromechanical steering and that well of bottomless torque makes a single-lane trip an adventure to be relished.
Audis are supposed to be a little vague on road placement, aren't they? Well, not any more, on this evidence. And you'll soon forget you're pulling a whale-tail: its accuracy in corners and ability to get through them without a hint of fuss belies its girth and heft.
Driver modes are subtle – at least they are until you click through the touchscreen to Dynamic. Then something interesting happens. The V6 begins to burble.
At first, we checked our mirrors and blindspots for an old four-stroke motorcycle – but no, the thrum was apparently from within. Such is the air of detachment in Audi cabins, the soundtrack is detached from the physical experience that's being communicated through your hands and backside. Strange, but far from unpleasant – and even slightly comical, because the audio doesn't really match anything else about this sophisticated engineering wonder. It's a tad try-hard, perhaps.
Flap the paddles to pretend you're in control, by all means, but the eight-speed tiptronic transmission soon steps back in – subtly, without you noticing most of the time. As much as the use of the paddles is engaging, with this amount of torque it doesn't really matter which gear you are in and the automated selection is mostly seamless anyway. In essence, the transmission gives you what you need (apart from that step-off reticence).
Options included on our test car included various packs: Tour (£1950), City (£1375) and Parking assistance (£700), all of which are expensive but probably justifiable when you're dealing in this rarefied air – and we'd recommend the Bang & Olufsen sound system every time (£800).
Should I buy one?
Modern Audis tend to be Marmite for car lovers. Spend a decent amount of time in one of its executive saloons or wagons, and generally they are hard to fault In terms of technical competence and comfort. The problem, if you like driving, is that old icy lack of engagement. It's so common it's become something of a cliché.
But the S6 goes a fair way towards addressing that stereotype, without losing its premium-class poise and stepping into more obviously brutal RS territory. The car treads a fine line well.
If you travel regularly over significant distances, but want a surplus of bang for your 60,000 bucks, the S6 could be your answer.
Audi S6 TDI specification
Where Surrey Price ££60,750 On sale August Engine V6, 2967cc, diesel, turbocharged Power 344bhp at 3850rpm Torque 516lb ft at 2500-3100rpm Gearbox 8-spd tiptronic/automatic Kerb weight 2020kg Top speed 155mph (limited) 0-62mph 5.1sec Fuel economy 35.8mpg CO2 171g/km, 37% RivalsBMW 5 Series Touring, Mercedes- Benz E-Class Estate, Jaguar XF Sportbrake
Source: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/audi/s6/first-drives/audi-s6-avant-tdi-2019-uk-review
