Aspi Bhathena is mighty pleased by the way the engineers at Audi have further refined the A6 in every aspect as he drives different variants of this car on the motorways and around the countryside of Sicily, Italy
The first drive of the new Audi A6 for the world media was held in Sicily, Italy, also known as ‘Godfather country’, and the Audi folk made sure all the journalists knew what would happen to them if they did not write a positive report. Well, I am just kidding! Anyway, car manufacturers put in a lot of effort to select just the perfect driving conditions to showcase the capabilities of their new products.
The cars were ready at the Palermo airport when we landed. It was going to be the first part of our drive – from the airport to the hotel. Once we hit the motorway, I was rather surprised when I looked down at the speedometer and saw that we were cruising at about 180 km/h and yet it felt as if the car were doing around 90 to 100 km/h. The refinement and reduction in noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) within the cabin is phenomenal. It is also very deceptive, because you are isolated from the outside world with no wind or road noise creeping inside the cabin. The road surface, once we got off the motorway reminded me of the conditions back home and it was a good opportunity to test the ride quality of this car. Some of my fellow road-users must have thought that here was a nut who was aiming for all the potholes and rough patches on the road. The A6 took all of these as also the uneven joints on the bridges in its stride and just flattened them underfoot. The ride quality was top class despite the car being fitted with low-profile tyres as they conform to European specifications. The cars coming to India will ride even better as they will be equipped with a rough road suspension package and higher profile tyres.
The Audi designers have re-designed this executive-class flagship and have also added a mite of aggression that its predecessors lacked. Painted in high-gloss black, the large, low, single-frame grille featuring bevelled upper corners merges nicely with the sculpted front end. The horizontal orientation of the louvres underscores the width of the new car, as do the wide and low air intakes. The tapering LED headlights become broader as they extend outwards. The headlights take up the slanted lines of the single-frame grille and the way they angle into the hood gives the new A6 a sporty and aggressive stance.
The tornado line dominates the design of the A6 as it extends over the side flanks and defines its proportions. It starts at the headlights and extends along the fenders, the doors and the rear side walls to the tail-lights. The flowing lines end in a three-dimensionally sculpted rear section. The trapezoidal tail-lights emphasise the width; divided into two parts, their styling echoes the trapezoidal shape of the headlights. The boot lid bears the outline of a spoiler lip, giving the rear a sporty look.
The sporty theme of the exterior is carried into the interior of this car as well. The defining element of the cockpit area is the wrap-around inlay, beginning at the driver’s door and running in one large arc beneath the windscreen, then all the way to the front passenger door. The layered wood veneer used is now an Audi trademark and is the same that one gets in their flagship model, the A8. The leather seats offer good lateral support and comfort and also massage your back at same time. The music system is top of the line and one has to experience it to believe it. The acoustics will put some of the high-end audio systems at home to shame. This car is loaded to the gills with goodies and it is difficult to mention all of them.
The second day’s drive took us to the picturesque Sicilian mountains and countryside, an excellent location to test the handling of the car. The reduction in the weight of the new A6 is quite evident – now it is nimbler than its predecessor. It is not just the weight saved on the body shell that makes all the difference, it is the un-sprung weight saved on the wheels and suspension parts, which are made from forged aluminium. Saving 100 grams of un-sprung weight is like saving 10 kilograms from the car. The electro-mechanical power steering is light at low speed and weighs up nicely at speed and gives the driver excellent feedback. Surely the new A6 handles like a dream and you can throw it round corners with confidence as it holds the line as if it is running on rails. The drive select gives you the option of driving in the comfort mode if you want to cruise in luxury, then select ‘Dynamic’ and you can change the complete character of the car. Stiffen the suspension, change the gearshift rpm and the steering gets direct and all of these turn this car into a sports sedan.
There are two petrol and three diesel powerplants on offer and I tested all of them. All the engines have been further refined, producing more power and better fuel efficiency. Audi claim a fuel efficiency of over 20 km to a litre for the two-litre TDI. Needless to say, this will put a lot of small hatchbacks to shame. As I mentioned earlier, the in-cabin NVH levels are aided by better insulation in the bulkhead area and engine refinement. The entire range of engines deliver seamless power and are mated either to a multitronic or S tronic gearboxes and, finally, the power is put down on the road through Audi’s famous Quattro four-wheel drive system.
To sum up, the engineers at Audi have taken this car to a new and higher level in each and every department, be it the quality of the interior, external styling, performance, fuel efficiency, ride quality or handling. They have definitely raised the bar in this segment and the competitors had better watch out!
CAPTIONS
1.Mount Quattro- A ramp set up at the Munich airport to showcase the four wheel drive traction
2. The new user friendly console
3. The touch screen user interface for navigation with MMI system
4.The engine has been further refined and delivers more power and better fuel efficiency
BLURB
This car is loaded to the gills with goodies and it is difficult to mention all of them
