Brawny engine options, composed handling, a comfortable ride - 2023 Audi A6 Review
1Overview
The 2023 A6 is the quintessential Audi luxury sedan, featuring a cabin stuffed with technology that's expertly put together using premium materials. Models wearing the 45 designation are powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder; all-wheel drive is standard, as is an eight-speed automatic. The A6's 55-series models come with a punchy 335-hp turbocharged V-6, but a sports sedan this car is not. The A6's handling is competent but coolly distant, delivering a more relaxed ride than more performance-focused competitors such as the Mercedes-AMG E53 or the Maserati Ghibli. The A6 is a more natural rival to other soft-riding mid-sizers like the BMW 5-series and Mercedes-Benz E-class. The A6's styling may strike some as staid, so Audi offers the fastback A7 with a bolder fastback look; we review that model separately.
What's New for 2023?
Audi's mid-size luxury sedan is essentially unchanged for 2023. Its styling, powertrain, and chassis tuning all carry over from last year's model. The Convenience package on base Premium models now includes adaptive cruise control while the top-line Prestige trim receives a remote parking feature as standard. That model can also now be ordered with a black suede headliner.
We'd recommend the mid-range Premium Plus 55 trim level with its standard turbocharged V-6 engine. Besides the smooth strong engine, this model includes a lot of features that luxury buyers will find tempting, such as a Bang & Olufsen audio system, a wireless smartphone charging pad, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and a 360-degree exterior-camera system. On top of that, we'd suggest the Executive package, which includes a power trunk lid, multi-color ambient interior lighting, four-zone automatic climate control, heated rear seats, and ventilated front seats.
Engine, Transmission, and Performance
The A6's two powertrains—a 261-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder and a 335-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6—are both more than enough to haul this mid-size sedan around town without undue strain. Both powertrains employ hybrid technology with a 12- or 48-volt starter/alternator that runs the engine's stop-start system and other ancillary equipment. A seven-speed automatic transmission and Quattro all-wheel drive are both standard. The V-6 delivers plenty of thrust for merging and passing on the highway: at our test track, it charged from zero to 60 mph in just 4.8 seconds. Despite this quick result, it's not quite enough to outrun its key rivals, the BMW 540i xDrive and the Mercedes-Benz E450 4Matic. The 540i managed a 4.5-second run, while the Benz did it in 4.6. Thanks to its absorbent ride the A6 performs better as a luxury car than a sports sedan. We enjoyed its balanced handling and precise steering but never felt totally engaged when attacking twisty sections of road.
Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG
The A6 earned decent fuel-economy estimates from the EPA, and opting for the V-6 versus the turbo four-cylinder isn't much of a compromise in the efficiency department. The four-cylinder A6 received a 32-mpg highway rating, which is only three more than the V-6. However, our V-6–powered test vehicle managed an impressive 32 mpg during the course of our 200-mile highway fuel-economy test. That result puts it ahead of the Benz (30 mpg) and the BMW (31 mpg) but behind the über-efficient Lexus ES350, which managed an incredible 39 mpg in the same test. For more information about the A6's fuel economy, visit the EPA's website.
Interior, Comfort, and Cargo
The A6's interior design is sleek, modern, and nicely put together from excellent-quality materials. Soft leather adorns the seats and armrests, rich-looking wood and nickel-finished metal trim is tastefully applied to the dash and doors, and the majority of the A6's secondary controls—climate, drive mode, etc.—are handled by a large touch-sensitive panel underneath the main infotainment display. A similar system is used in the A8 luxury sedan and the Q8 crossover, and despite our usual griping about the takeover of touchscreen controls, it works well and provides satisfying haptic feedback. A large trunk and easy-to-fold rear seatbacks make the A6 great for hauling cargo. We fit six of our carry-on suitcases in the trunk, which ties both the E450 and the 540i. The Audi offered far more space than either of those two with the rear seats folded, managing to hold 20 cases; the Benz held 18 and the BMW 16.
Infotainment and Connectivity
Audi's familiar MMI infotainment interface gets a big revamp in this iteration of the A6. It no longer uses a click-wheel controller on the center console but offers reconfigurable menus so users can customize the layout of the home screen to suit their tastes. A 10.1-inch display, navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and onboard Wi-Fi are all standard; all models also feature Audi's Virtual Cockpit digital gauge display. A 10-speaker audio system is standard, but we'd recommend the 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen