Our long-term Audi A6 is now nearing the end of its test term, and to clock the final few thousand kilometres we decided to take it along on our mammoth 3 000 km-plus CARshootout road trip in November. A number of team members were scheduled to drive back from Johannesburg, and we needed something with a big boot to accommodate all the refreshments for the 20-odd people involved in the project. With a boot measuring 480 dm3, the previous generation A6 certainly has that – it is nearly 100 dm3 bigger than the new A6’s boot, by the way.
I’m not a massive fan of CVTs, it has to be said, but on the long road this type of transmission does make sense. The A6 was an effortless cruiser and also very economical – we recorded a figure of around 8,5 L/100 km, mostly during high-speed cruising. I also found the engine surprisingly punchy. The turbocharged 2,0-litre develops “only” 125 kW and 280 N.m, but there’s plenty of shove. Overtaking was never an issue, and neither was keeping up with the Shootout’s fleet of high-performance vehicles.
But the A6’s best talent is its comfort. The ride is superb – partly due, I think, to it riding on normal steel suspension and high-profile tyres. It simply soaks up the bumps. The seats are magnificent, too, and there’s so much space, even in the rear. The previous-generation A6 was often criticised for being a dull car, one that doesn’t offer the driving enjoyment of a 5 Series. Yes, it’s not dynamically the equivalent of that rival, but after spending so much time in it on the long road, I’m pretty convinced it’s as good if not a better long-distance cruiser, even in base 2,0T FSI form.
Of course, you can no longer buy this particular model new, but there is an equivalent new-generation A6 with an upgraded engine. I haven’t driven that model but based on its predecessor’s ability, it looks promising. Then again, the previous-generation A6 could also be a gem of a used buy. I spotted a 2010 example with only 60 000 km on the odo for R299 000!
So far:
Mileage (km): 19 800 km
Fuel consumption (L/100 km): 8,5 (during CARshootout – approx. 3 500 km)
We like: space, comfort, ride, economy, power
We don’t like: lack of external music device plug-ins, navigation should be standard