Auto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 81%

This market was once a no-brainer – BMW 5 Series with a 3-litre diesel engine and M Sport wheels please.

But now the executive saloon segment is heaving with the weight of ‘blue-sky’ thinkers like the stunning new Jaguar XF, the improved Mercedes-Benz E Class, the still excellent BMW 5 Series and this – the tweaked Audi A6.

Vijay Pattni spent a week with the 3-litre supercharged A6 – and came away surprised…

Looks | Looks Inside | Practicality | Ride and Handling | Performance
Running Costs | Reliability | Safety | Equipment | X-Factor

1. Looks

Like ‘Agents’ stalking the cyber world in The Matrix, the Audi A6 used to be one of those cars which added a sheen of corporate veneer to the environment – but you’d be hard pressed to remember what it looked like.

This new generation A6 has had a bit of a nip and tuck, and combined with our test car’s ‘S line’ spec, it looks superbly menacing. Big 19-inch wheels, a subtle body-kit and daytime running LED lights – as found on the R8 supercar – turn this executive barge into something Neo should definitely be running away from.

8/10

2. Looks inside

If ever you needed proof of the A6 target market, sneak a peek inside and feast your eyes on the dash and centre console – there are super-intelligent species not yet discovered by man who would be amazed at the gadgetry.

The layout is pleasing and the controls are within easy reach of the driver. Once you get your bearings, navigating through the controls becomes second nature, and although the cabin is bathed in plastic it looks techno-smart – just shy of becoming fussy. Our car’s S line sports seats gave the interior a funky sporting ambience too.

But Jaguar has recently shown there are no rules to interior cabin design with its XF, and it’s hard not to draw comparison without leaving the A6 short-changed.

8/10

3. Practicality

Up front the driver and passenger get plenty of headroom and impressive adjustability, while three adults will slot into the rear seats with ease.

The boot is cavernous and holds 546 litres, more than you get in the BMW 5 Series, and there is plenty of space for extraneous stuff inside, thanks to its deep side pockets and arm rest cubby.

8/10

4. Ride and Handling

Our test car came in S line trim, which gets Audi’s world-famous quattro four-wheel-drive system, sports suspension and optional 19-inch alloy wheels.

The quattro permanent four-wheel-drive system has been tweaked to give the Audi a more sporting feel – under hard driving conditions as much as 60 per cent of the A6’s power is sent to the rear wheels, echoing the RS4 small sports saloon.

And we found the A6 to grip superbly. Carry some speed into the bend and the quattro takes a millisecond to transfer the power and grip around the car’s wheels to get you around the corner with the least amount of fuss – and time and time again it worked flawlessly.

Thread the quattro A6 through a series of hard, fast corners and sweeping straights and it grips beautifully. It changes direction at speed with ease and the quattro never feels outgunned by ‘enthusiastic’ driving. The steering talks – but never chatters away – and adds a commendable un-electric heft, which feels satisfying, while body-roll is excellently contained.

If the Audi just shies away from full-on sporting prowess, it excels in ride comfort. The big four-wheel-drive A6 cruises comfortably over a variety of surfaces and doesn’t transfer every road nuance through the steering wheel, suspension or seat. Sure, the 19-inch alloy wheels contribute to a stiffer ride, but on the whole, the A6 is a joy to be driven around in.

Interior cabin noise is kept to a minimum too, partly thanks to the sheer weight of the fabric lining the car, and that steering feel lightens when you’re just pootling around town.

8/10

5. Performance

Lugging around 1.7-tonnes of corporate heft requires some serious firepower – and our test car’s 3-litre supercharged V6 engine was more than up to the task.

This engine replaces two outgoing Audi engines: the 3.2-litre V6 and 4.2-litre V8 petrol units.

The new 3-litre V6 engine has been supercharged, and now offers up nearly as much torque as the old 4.2-litre V8, with 310lb/ft of pulling power (against 324lb/ft for the V8).

And the urgency and refinement of the new supercharged engine is commendable. Floor the throttle from standstill and the engine’s 286bhp will power you from 0-62mph in just 5.9 seconds, before maxing out at a limited top speed of 155mph.

And it has some mid-range muscle too – overtaking is child’s play as the supercharger is at its peak pulling power after 2,500rpm. Ease off and cruise in the 3-litre A6 and the engine is refined and quiet – but makes an aggressive snarl when prodded.

Elsewhere in the petrol range, you can buy the entry-level 167bhp 2-litre turbocharged unit, the 2.8-litre V6 with 216bhp, and the range-topping S6 – complete with a Lamborghini-derived 5.2-litre V10 engine and 430bhp.

Audi is also trumpeting its diesel range, the new 2-litre TDIe engine being the most frugal – with emissions of 139g/km and a combined mpg figure of 53.3mpg, it provides pace (130bhp) and economy.

There is also the option of an 187bhp 2.7-litre and a 236bhp 3-litre TDI engine to choose from.

Don’t forget, this car’s chassis can also handle 572bhp in RS6 trim…

9/10

6. Running Costs

Buy an Audi A6 in S line spec and you’ll pay £37,130 – but our test car came with a host of options we reckon are essential, boosting the price to £44,040.

Audi claims a combined mpg of 30mpg and we managed to match this figure over town and motorway driving. An insurance rating of 17E will mean premiums will remain high, and its CO2 figure of 219g/km makes it expensive to tax too.

7/10

7. Reliability

The fit and finish of the materials is excellent, and everything feels solid – it is no cliché to suggest that nobody does build-quality like Audi. This means it should stand the test of time.

However, the marque scores below average on the reliability index, which accounts for frequency of breakdowns and cost of repair.

7/10

8. Safety

The Audi A6 is fitted with anti-lock brakes, ‘Anti Slip Regulation’ (ASR) traction control, driver and front passenger two-stage airbags, ‘Electronic Differential Lock’ (EDL) traction control, child seat mountings, side airbags for the driver and front passenger, a ‘sideguard’ head airbag system, and a Thatcham Category 1 alarm and immobiliser.

The last generation Audi A6 (2004) scored four out of five stars for adult and child protection, and one out of four for pedestrian protection.

8/10

9. Equipment

Audi has laden the A6 with a number of gadgets, including electric windows all ‘round, light and rain sensors, speed sensitive power steering, cruise control, a driver’s information system, electronic climate control, tool kit and halogen headlights.

Our test car came with mobile phone preparation, S line bodystyling, sports suspension and heated front sports seats, DAB module, rear parking sensors, tyre pressure monitor, and the simply excellent Communications Pack, which includes the Multi Media Interface (MMI 3G), satellite navigation, a CD changer and a 13-loudspeaker BOSE stereo system – which sounds fantastic.

The MMI allows you to simply plug in your iPod and navigate through it via the dash-mounted screen – making it one of the best integrated systems around.

That it costs £2,100 as an option is the only downside.

9/10

10. X-Factor

The Audi A6 makes a great case for itself – its understated corporate good looks have been freshened up with a hint of menace; the quattro four-wheel-drive system is outstanding and provides resolute, sure-footed grip; the build quality is sound; it has excellent practicality and is sure to hold its value well. Plus, the performance from the 3-litre supercharged engine is superb.

But we were left feeling just a little bit cold. The Audi’s fantastic engineering and acres of grip provided an entertaining drive, but we can’t help thinking the BMW 5 Series and new Jaguar XF offer all of this and more.

If you want to cruise from meeting to meeting plucking ‘low-hanging-fruit’, ‘actioning best-practice’ and ‘benchmarking effectiveness’ in comfort and with enough vigour to put a big smile on your face, the Audi A6 is a solid buy.

8/10

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Check out this video of the 572bhp RS6: