Audi A6 History
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The Audi A6 is a mid-size luxury sedan offered in the U.S. since the mid-1990s. Before it adopted its current name, the car wore the tarnished Audi 5000 badge (tarnished by unsubstantiated claims of unintended acceleration) and also was known as the Audi 100 / Audi 200 for a short time. Though it's typically front-wheel drive, with all-wheel drive available, the Audi A6 competes against the likes of the rear-drive Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the BMW 5-Series, the Infiniti M37 and M56, and the Lexus GS.
The first American-market A6 arrived in showrooms as a 1995 model. In that generation, the A6 name merely moved to the existing Audi 100 chassis with a light facelift. A more distinct new A6 arrived in the 1998 model year, both in sedan and Avant wagon forms. Again offered with a choice of four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines, the A6 also had front-wheel drive, available quattro all-wheel drive, and a choice of manual and automatic transmissions--along with new features like stability control, side airbags and a navigation system.
For the third-generation Audi A6, which arrived in the U.S. as a 2005 model, Audi went for a more dramatic exterior style. An upswept "tornado" line across its lower sills gave the new A6 a more pronounced wedge shape, while up front its deep, chrome-framed grill lent it instant distinction. Inside, the A6's cockpit became a little more plasticky and busy, with LCD screens for navigation and all sorts of new tech features. An MMI controller used a roller wheel to navigation through the LCD screen's GPS, audio and climate functions. As for performance, the usual pairing of four-cylinder turbo engines and V-6 powerplants came with options for Tiptronic automatic transmissions (the standard gearbox on some models was a continuously variable transmission); quattro all-wheel drive; and later, a V-8 edition came solely with quattro and the automatic. An Avant wagon joined the range in 2006, and an S6 sport-sedan with a Lamborghini-derived V-10 engine invigorated the range in 2007. Then, in 2009, the A6 swapped its staid V-6 engine for a supercharged six, picking up a mild cosmetic refresh at the same time for its mid-life update.
In the final years of the third generation, the Audi A6 was sold in both sedan and wagon body styles, with an amazingly quick and tenacious performer in the form of the S6. Priced somewhat lower than the usual German competition pitted this A6 against the likes of the Volvo S80, Lincoln MKS and Acura RL--at least, in terms of price, if not image. Its light driving feel and the still-fresh exterior shape complemented its supercharging, direct injection, curtain airbags, and new versions of the MMI controller, helping the A6 maintain its "otherness" when compared with the Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5-Series.
A new Audi A6 went on sale for the 2012 model year. Offered only as a sedan so far, the A6 splits its drivetrains into two clear offerings. A base 211-horsepower, turbocharged four-cylinder is paired with a continuously variable transmission and front-wheel drive, while the 310-hp supercharged V-6 version gets quattro all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission with available paddle shifters. There's no contest as to which we prefer: the four-cylinder CVTs in Audi's past have been fuel-economy specials, while this A6 with the six-cylinder is a spectacular straight-line performer, with taut ride control and light steering, admittedly with little feedback.
The A6 now offers tech features galore, from in-car wireless Internet service to navigation with Google Earth mapping. It's all cutting-edge, but all of the features we want can be found on the much more attractive Audi A7, a mechanical clone with a sexy hatchback body and a V-6-only marketing position.
Diesel and hybrid versions of the new A6 are expected sometime in 2012 or 2013, with an S6 sedan confirmed for some global markets, but not yet for the U.S.
