For 2016 audi has updated its A6 midsize sedan with some styling changes
some powertrain upgrades and a few changes to the electronics as well let's
take a closer look
now one of the changes to the front end is the grill which couldn't go any
deeper had to get a little bit wider and that's what they did this used to be a
really bold looking design
now it just kind of fits in they also redesigned the headlights and the LED
daytime running lights around back they redesigned the tail lights made the rear
and look a little bit broader and now all the trim levels have trapezoidal
tailpipes
it is as before kind of an understated but handsome design
it also looks a lot like the other audi cars that might be a good thing in some
ways but it's also kind of a bad thing
the powertrain news is good news
the base engine which was a turbocharged two-liter four cylinder is again a
turbocharged two-liter four-cylinder but it's been changed it gets 32 horsepower
more than it did before for 252 horsepower
now you can step up from that to the three-point OT which is what we have
here
it has a supercharged three liter 6 cylinder
it is up 23 horsepower and now has 333 horsepower
now the TDI clean diesel engine hasn't changed at all and as less horsepower
than the four cylinder but a lot more torque in fact out he says and 0 to 60
it's quicker we like the power trains available for the a6 we found with this
one that the transmission doesn't really have any hesitation which is good it
never seems like it's hunting for a gear and with the standard all-wheel drive
no traction is ever lost it just goes the steering is a little more
disappointing
not a lot of feedback kind of Numb even when you adjust the assist level using
some of the controls
it's not a huge deal but i have to be clear we're obligated to talk about the
finer aspects of the driving and I think the average person could get in this car
and never think twice about things like steering feel they're more likely to
think about the ride quality and in that regard I was a little disappointed in
this car as equipped
because it has the optional sport suspension and 20-inch wheels and that
makes the ride firmer than I'd like it to be especially in what is otherwise a
very comfortable car
there are some driving modes that audi handles quite well
they let you set your individual preference that way you can just jump to
your individual mode instead of relying on the predetermined modes that they
have for you one thing that disappointed me was the car used to have a button
just out here that you could hit and change your driving mode your drive
select mode now it's only on the display here you have to hit the car button
first bring it up on the menu
this is actually a bit of a disappointment comes out he's pretty
good at giving you buttons that you can hit when you need them
without going into the menus one example if you don't like the blind spot monitor
the buttons right here you just reach up
smack it same thing for the head-up display which you know if your spouse
likes it and you don't
the buttons are right here on the side just hit it once and it's off this also
lets you change the brightness and the height and actually goes really high
the interior quality and the a6 is quite good
there's no leather-clad dashboard or anything like that at least not base but
the quality is still good one
I think exception is we kind of wish the windowsill as it were
we're not so hard which they have padded a little bit more now even though most
of their controls make some sense to me
there's one that's a real puzzler and that is you can hit both the heated feet
and the cold seat
turn them both i'm at the same time that has to be a german thing
bears noting that leather seats are standard in the a6 that's very uncommon
among luxury vehicles especially the German so that's a positive one of the
big changes for 2016
just a aside from a couple you know chrome strips here and there on the
interior is improvements to the multimedia interface system the MMI
which is technically an option but good luck finding a car dealership that
doesn't have it
one of the things it does is adds faster processors so I was never
super slow to begin with but knowledge you know right on the money
same thing for the Supplemental display between the gauges
they also added 4g LTE capability which among other things gives you google maps
actual you know pictures that come in really quickly and zoom really quickly
along with the hidden changes in the electronics one very welcome change is
the a6 now has USB ports used to be just a connector for Apple devices here in
the back seat
I'm six feet tall and I have enough headroom and legroom is also pretty good
with the seat ahead of me all the way back
my knees are raised a little more than I'd like and i have to say for a midsize
car I kind of expected more space back here
but if you compare the dimensions this is actually more legroom than you get in
the 5-series the e-class and the cts the a6 has a slight advantage over its
competitors with 14.1 cubic feet of trunk volume of the BMW has 14 the Caddy
13.7 and the e class 12.9 even more important
there's a split folding back seat that lets you extend the space into the cabin
and that's standard here as it is in the BMW now with a price starting about
forty-seven thousand dollars for the base a six
it's actually a pretty good deal it is more expensive than the Cadillac but
cheaper than the two German competitors the changes for 2016 really keep it a
nice well rounded up to date car
I definitely would consider it if I were shopping but you might want to think
twice about that sports suspension make sure it's not too firm for you