When a car maker is telling you about its new car, it’s customary for it to tell you about the most important features first.
So here we are with the new Audi A6: a 10.1in interface screen, another 8.6in digital display below and a 12.3in digital instrument panel too. Audi Connect, haptic response, head-up display. To follow: driver assistance systems: park pilot, tour assist, efficiency assist.
In the end, though, there it is: the suspension. All-wheel steering to combine “the agility of a sports car with the manoeuvrability of a compact car”. This is an increasingly popular technology, and given there are dynamically deft cars in the segment, in the rear-drive BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, with arguably more superior weight distribution and chassis balance, that sounds like a pretty reasonable idea if Audi is serious about giving the A6 the dynamics to compete with the best cars in the class.
That there’s also quite a lot of aluminium in the suspension is probably a good idea, too, because it’ll reduce the unsprung mass and improve the ride. Which will be particularly handy if you’ve specified 21in wheels on 255/35 tyres.
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All cheats together?
Wow, Bradley Wiggins is suddenly looking like the perfect sponsor for VW products, in their worst nightmare perhaps?
Non-issue
Having owned an A6 Avant and an now an S6, I must say the issue of handling is simply not a problem. I have owned 2 BMW saloons, and despite their supposed handling prowess, in everyday driving I never found this of great importance. Nowadays it seems many motoring journalists have a preoccupation with car handling, rather than ride quality, refinement and general ease of use. For this class of car, high speed cornering ability, steering feedback etc are seldom paramount for most buyers. As for journalists craving power oversteer and the highest levels of cornering ability, plus the frequent praise for a car’s ability to “drift”, how relevant are these factors for a prospective A6 buyer?
I’m sure the handling of new A6 will meet the expectations of it’s target audience.
Seems unnecessary 5Wheels.
Seems unnecessary 5Wheels.
I agree with Wallmercat, it’s a bland and dull design. Although BMW ‘refine’ models design with each generation and Mercedes take the Russian Doll approach, Audi do both, meaning every model looks the same for the past five years.
Still, it’s nice to have differing opinions isn’t it?