Audi A6 Saloon – Review
By Liam Bird, April 2026
“Do they still make those?”
That’s exactly the question I was asked when I told a colleague of mine that I was expecting the imminent delivery of a diesel Audi A6 saloon. I’m not entirely sure whether they were questioning whether Audi still made diesel engines, if they still made saloon cars, or indeed both. Nevertheless, I can understand why they asked.
In this current climate of myriad electrically powered look-alike SUVs (if it were not for their bonnet badges, would you really know the difference?) anyone could easily be forgiven for thinking that both the four-door saloon and the four-pot heavy oil engine were things very much of the past. Audi, however, clearly had other ideas…
The engineers at Ingolstadt had initially planned to replace the old A6 with a purely electric alternative. However, they soon realised – perhaps after looking at partner Porsche’s sales figures for the Taycan – not everyone wants, or perhaps can actually afford, a large battery-powered vehicle. Their solution was this: the new Audi A6. It’s available as either a non-electrically assisted 2.0-litre petrol or, in the guise we have here, a mild-hybrid 2.0-litre diesel which they’ve called mHEV+. A plug-in hybrid is also available. With a drag coefficient of 0.23, the new A6 Saloon achieves the lowest drag coefficient ever recorded by a series-production Audi model with a combustion engine.
“Ride comfort”
Beneath that slippery body sits Audi’s all-new Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) platform, which is the internal combustion engine-compliant counterpart of the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) underpinnings you’ll find underneath the A6 e-tron. The front and rear axles use a five-link design, largely made of aluminium. Two subframes – the front being rigidly mounted and the rear hydraulically mounted – connect the control arms to the body.
Three suspension setups are available for UK models: standard suspension, designed to be even more comfortable than its predecessor, is standard on Sport specification A6s. Then, somewhat confusingly, comes Sport suspension – do try to keep up at the back – which lowers the body by 20mm and is included with S line and Edition 1 specifications. The third choice is adaptive air suspension with electronically controlled damping, which can prioritise ride comfort or handling agility, and this is an optional extra on quattro-specified models.
Needless to say, Audi’s press demonstrator A6 came with all the bells and whistles, cushy air suspension and a clever quattro system included – not to mention a full gamut of touchscreens, head-up display, Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system, acoustic glazing, panoramic sunroof with switchable transparency, and… all-wheel steering.
“Easier to park”
Having not driven an A6 yet without such goodies, I’m in no position to comment on how a conventionally sprung, conventionally steered variant feels. What I can tell you, however, is that rear-wheel steering makes what is a five-metre, two-tonne business saloon feel far more agile than you expect. It also makes it significantly easier to park in tight spaces. The air suspension, on the other hand, gives the A6 a ride comfort sporty Audi saloons of old could only have dreamt of. Granted, the 21-inch rims fitted to the Launch Edition Plus A6 I sampled do still have an uncanny ability to seek out every pothole they can find and announce their presence with an immediate hefty thud, but when there are even the merest hints of smooth tarmac, the new A6 soon reveals itself to be, probably, one of the best-riding Audis I think I’ve ever driven.
What I’m not quite so enamoured with is the interior. Or should I say the dashboard? To be fair, the seats, the driving position and the overall build quality are all pretty good (note I didn’t say excellent).
As clear and informative as the A6’s all- digital dash is, it all feels a little generic. Why, for instance, as a driver, can I now not have a traditional two- dial speedo/rev-counter display? Does the passenger really need a touchscreen of their own? Why did anyone sign off those flimsy haptic switches that only serve to further blight the A6’s already questionable near-square steering wheel? Every time I brush them with the heel of my hand, the radio comes on.
“Clever and refined”
What once made Audi interiors feel so special – the clarity of the dials, the little red and white LEDs, the knurled knobs, the robust switchgear and the instantly intuitive ergonomics – is all so sadly missing. Were it not for the badging and the Audi font, you’d struggle to know quite which VAG Group product you were sat in. It’s all a bit sombre, all a bit grey.
That’s not to say that the A6’s cabin is in any way an unpleasant place to hoover up the miles. The A6 mHEV+ may not be particularly quick by certain German executive saloon standards. Nevertheless, what performance is available feels ample for the usual daily duties. And thanks in part to two electric motors that harvest energy when you slow down and then are on call to do all the work when you’re manoeuvring, high 40s mpg is easily attainable. Plus, you can recharge (or rather, refill) it in less than 10 minutes, and it will deliver well in excess of 500 miles of range.
Big, comfy, quiet, clever and refined, if perhaps a little overloaded with modern tech that in certain instances can make it feel as if Audi fitted it purely because Audi could, the new A6 is a very pleasant thing to spend time with.
It’s good to know they still make cars like this.
Audi A6 Saloon S line TDi quattro S-tronic 204PS mHEV+
Engine: 1,968cc 16V turbo-charged 4-cylinder diesel
Transmission: 7-speed S-tronic auto with manual mode. quattro all-wheel drive.
Power: 201 bhp @ 3,800 – 4,200 rpm
Torque: 295 lbft @ 1,750 – 3,750 rpm
0-62MPH: 6.9 Sec
Max Speed: 150 mph
CO2: 144g/km
CO2 Class: E-D
MPG: 51.4 (WLTP combined)
Price: From £50,560 OTR (as driven £67,325)
Liam Bird first stepped into automotive journalism in 2009, and since then has gone on to write motoring-related content for numerous titles. A former approved driving instructor – he also holds a motorcycle, and a HGV licence – Liam is a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers and, despite being born on the other side of the border, is treasurer of The Welsh Motoring Writers. He lives in the South Shropshire Marches with his partner Rebecca, her VW Up!, and his ever increasing collection of cars both large and small. When he’s not writing, more often than not, Liam can be found test-driving something worryingly expensive.
@bird_liam
