2019 Audi A6 revealed: the key(less) to new luxury?
Aaron Cole
3Mar 7, 2018
The new 2019 Audi A6 was mostly telegraphed.
The luxury four-door sedan that was revealed Tuesday at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show follows the same jabs that the larger 2019 Audi A8 and 2019 Audi A7 threw first with a mid-size uppercut from Ingolstadt. The A6 combines technology found in the opulent full-sizer and sultry sportback with a raft of fuel-saving features.
Whether the new sedan is a knockout on the road, we'll have to wait and see.
Power, planted
Audi detailed two engines for the A6, although only one is likely headed to the U.S. A 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 likely will be the first available engine in the States, rated at 340 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. A 7-speed dual-clutch automatic will be standard in Europe for the new A6, although it's possible that an 8-speed unit is swapped when it makes the trip overseas. According to Audi, the A6 will sprint to 62 mph in 5.1 seconds when equipped with the gas engine. A turbodiesel initially will be offered in Europe, but it's not likely in the U.S. because reasons.
All-wheel drive is standard equipment on the A6, and an optional sport differential will be made available for certain models. For the first time, the A6 will feature four-wheel steering that can dial in up to 5 degrees of counter-steering at slow speeds for better maneuverability, or in concert with the front wheels at high speeds for better handling.
The new A6 rides atop a stiffer frame, with a mixture of steel and aluminum in body panels and suspension components for lighter weight. Audi will offer its variable steering ratio system in the A6, which can vary quickness from an impossibly fast and agile 9.5:1, to a lax 16.5:1 for comfortable long-distance cruising.
Like the A7 and A8, the A6 should arrive in the U.S. with a standard mild-hybrid powertrain that cuts fuel consumption in several ways, including "sailing" up to 100 mph, or a start/stop system than can cut idling while braking at speeds up to 13 mph.
