2022 Audi A6

Trying to find deal-breaking flaws for the Audi A6 is a difficult task as the sprawling sedan is an overachiever in many respects. Nothing is perfect though, and when your competition includes the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, you have to work that much harder to gain the attention of shoppers in the USA with a taste for the finer things in life. Luckily, attention is something that comes easily to the A6. It's an undeniably gorgeous lump of metal that will allow you to choose between a 261-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo or a 335-hp V6 to get four wheels turning. Aside from a steady power supply, the stunning interior of the A6 is as plush as you'd expect and houses all of the modern tech you could possibly need. Is it a luxury car worth considering? Absolutely.

The Audi A6 sedan is refined power, clad in a perfectly tailored suit. Images of businessmen and foreign spies immediately pop into our heads when we look at it. Its urbane demeanor is attributable to a front end dominated by a large, chrome-slatted grille flanked by sharply designed LED headlights. It's a similar situation at the rear where two LED taillights are joined by a chrome band and two geometric exhaust openings poke out from either side of the diffuser. All trim levels rest on a set of 19-inch wheels, but soft-closing doors and a power trunk are reserved for the top-level spec. Notably, opting for the 55 TFSI engine on any trim automatically adds S line exterior styling. All things considered, the Audi A6 is a car that manages to pull off a mix of elegance and authority perfectly. The A6 is sold strictly as a sedan in the US, but fans of the wagon body style can get a variant of it in the form of the A6 allroad, reviewed separately.

The 2022 Audi A6 is infinitesimally smaller than the facelifted Mercedes E-Class in terms of its exterior dimensions, but the 5 Series is the largest of the three. The A6 measures 194.4 inches from snout to trunk and has a 115.1-inch wheelbase. The width is measured at 83.1 inches including the mirrors, while it stands just 57.4 inches tall, giving it the impression of being lower and wider than it actually is. Still, the 4.2-inch ground clearance is decent enough to avoid panic on less-than-ideally-kept roads. The length and curvaceous disposition add up though, the 45 TFSI weighs in at 4,101 pounds while the 55 TFSI has a slightly heavier weight of 4,266 lbs.

There are a total of 11 exterior hues to choose from for the 2022 A6 sedan, two of which are available at no extra cost. On the "45" cars, Brilliant Black and Ibis White are the standard colors, while any one of seven metallic hues can be had for $595. Elegant shades include Florett Silver, Glacier White, Chronos Gray, and Manhattan Gray, the latter two grays being new and replacing last year's Vesuvius Gray. Soho Brown Metallic is brand-new and Carat Beige is no longer available. If you tend to err on the bolder side of things, you must opt for one of the "55" cars that comes as standard with the S line exterior kit and a more extroverted selection of hues. Although Avalon Green and Seville Red have been discontinued on these trims, this year's Tango Red and Ultra Blue are worthy replacements and are complemented by Daytona Gray, while other shades like Firmament Blue and Mythos Black are still available too.

Fine-tuned for comfort and refined power, the A6 sedan is not a true firebreather. That being said, it's eager to get the wheels turning regardless of engine choice. Of course, the difference between the 2.0-liter turbo and the V6 is quite noticeable from behind the wheel. The former makes the run from 0-60 in 5.8 seconds while the latter cuts the feat down to just 5.1. Rivals provide similar performance, but the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class have trump cards in the availability of a rear-wheel drivetrain option. The Audi is sold exclusively with the brand's "quattro all-wheel drive with ultra technology", which is Audi-speak for saying it's a part-time AWD system that disengages the rear axle for improved gas mileage when additional traction isn't necessary. Both motors deliver instant power when the need arises and they never feel unrefined, making the entire process from start to finish a smooth one.

The 2022 A6 Sedan range boasts two available engines. The standard 45 TFSI is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-pot that produces 261 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. The base engine in the BMW 5 Series punches out slightly less power and torque but provides comparable performance thanks to RWD. The standard engine is aided by 12-volt mild-hybrid tech and comes mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The more powerful V6 is hooked up to the same 'box.

Ruling the roost is the 55 TFSI that's driven by a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 that pushes out 335 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. This not only provides a more inspiring soundtrack, but also more impressive performance. It's not quite up to the levels of the S6, but for the buyer who prefers comfort over outright pace, the V6 option provides all the performance you'll ever really need.

A glance at the A6's significant dimensions may lead you to assume that it's not agile, but you'd be wrong. Could it feature in the 147th Fast and Furious installment as the main player in an elaborate highway heist? Probably not. But what it can do is approach a corner with enough stability to inspire confidence in its pilot. The sharp, responsive steering allows for quick changes of direction and the sedan feels buttoned-down through twists and turns. The Audi A6's quattro system is responsible for added eagerness off the line and allows for excellent capability in wetter weather. That being said, the A6 offers the same amount of connection with the driver as a spouse does after 20 years of marriage. It wasn't built to be a sports car but rather a smooth cruiser, and it does well at being the latter. Even on uneven surfaces, the A6 maintains its composure. It's on longer journeys that it really shines, though, with exemplary comfort that leaves you feeling more relaxed at arrival than you were at departure.

Performance isn't the only thing the A6 does politely; it sips lightly on the gas, too. The 2.0-liter turbo returns EPA estimates of 23/32/26 mpg, identical to the BMW 5 Series with the equivalent engine and AWD. The V6's 21/30/24 mpg figures sacrifice gas mileage for the sake of performance, but in the process are beaten by 1 mpg on the combined cycle by both the AWD Mercedes E450 and BMW 540i xDrive equivalents. When the 19.3-gallon tank is full, the 45 TFSI will allow for just over 500 miles of range and the 55 TFSI will manage around 463 miles.

Audi is known for putting together some truly gorgeous interiors, and the cabin of the A6 once again proves this. The Audi A6's cabin is immaculately assembled and shows that less can truly be more sometimes. It's easy for luxury automakers to get carried away trying to fit the latest and greatest tech into small spaces, but Audi has managed to strike the perfect balance between enough tech and a simply laid-out design. The cabin is draped in top-tier material from the headliner down to the mats and it's a difficult task to try and find a real flaw on the inside of this sedan. Appearance aside, all trims are appropriately laden with standard-fit features.

A mid-size luxury sedan is often bought with the intention of carrying the elite around to their engagement in ultimate comfort. This means the inside has to be spacious enough for the rear passenger to stretch his legs while he counts his money. Luckily, the A6 does this well, offering 37.4 inches of legroom in the rear. Six-footers aren't likely to be uncomfortable in the front either, with 41.3 inches of legroom available. Both front and rear occupants get at least 38 inches of headroom, too. Eight-way power-adjustable and heated front seats with four-way lumbar support are standard on the first two trims, but the Prestige adds ventilated 12-way power-adjustable front seats. Visibility is good, ingress and egress hassle-free, and overall levels of comfort are sublime.

There is a variety of upholstery options to choose from in the A6 lineup, though some are trim-specific. The Premium and Premium Plus come standard with leather upholstery available in combinations of Black with Rock Gray stitching, Okapi Brown with Steel Gray stitching, and Pearl Beige with Agate Gray stitching. Trim inserts are in a woodgrain finish. As standard, the headliner is black cloth, but with lighter upholstery options, this is swapped out for a silver item instead.

The Prestige adds the Luxury package option with Valcona/Milano leather upholstery in Black with Rock Gray stitching, as well as leather trim on the dash, center console, and armrests.

The A6 manages to beat the E-Class in terms of practicality, boasting a 13.7 cubic-foot trunk in comparison to the Merc's 13.1 cubes. Unfortunately, both of these autos are put to shame by the 5 Series that offers a notable 14 cubes of junk in the trunk. Still, the A6's trunk is definitely manageable and will easily accommodate two sets of golf clubs or a few briefcases. The 40/20/40 rear seats can also be folded to make even more space available if necessary.

In-cabin storage is decent enough thanks to a large bin in the center console for storage and door pockets that will willingly fit a water bottle or two. The glove compartment isn't as impressive, but you can't have it all.

When you get into a car that has a price in excess of $50k, you'll expect a whole lot of luxury. The Audi A6 doesn't disappoint in this regard, even the entry-level spec is well stocked. The Premium model boasts keyless entry, push-button start, Audi's 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit gauge cluster, three-zone climate control, eight-way power-adjustable seats with heating and ambient lighting. Added to the Premium Plus is leatherette trim with contrast stitching on the knee bolster and armrest and a heated steering wheel, but the Prestige is by far the most decadent. The top spec welcomes four-zone climate control, upgraded multi-color ambient lighting, dual-pane acoustic glass, a power trunk lid, heated rear seats, ventilated front seats, and a head-up display.

On the driver-assist side of things, the Premium comes standard with forward-collision warning, lane-departure warning, park-distance control front and rear, LED headlights with high-beam assist, and cruise control. The Premium Plus adds adaptive cruise assist with traffic-jam assist and turn assist, active lane assist with emergency assist, and rear cross-traffic alert. A top-view camera system is also standard for this model. A head-up display and traffic-sign recognition are reserved for the Prestige trim.

We've mentioned before that the tech in the A6 is incredibly well laid out, and there's an abundance of it. From this year, the Premium comes with all the same screens as the rest of the lineup, which is to say a 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit gauge cluster, a 10.1-inch upper infotainment screen, and an 8.6-inch lower screen for the climate control. The infotainment system enables navigation, full smartphone integration through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and also allows for Amazon Alexa integration. HD Radio and SiriusXM join the list along with Bluetooth streaming. Audio is pushed out of a 10-speaker sound system as standard. The Premium Plus improves the infotainment set-up with the addition of a 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen set-up. Wireless device charging is also standard on the top two specs.

At the time of this writing, the 2022 A6 sedan has not been recalled yet. However, the 2021 model was recalled four times. Two issues inherited from 2020's model were rear-axle lock nuts being brittle and passenger-side airbags deploying incorrectly and the other two additional recalls were for a faulty side-impact crash detector in the front door that could delay the deployment of certain safety systems and a malfunctioning seat-belt locking retractor. If reliability is a concern, the Audi A6 comes with a four-year/50,000-mile basic and drivetrain warranty, 12 years of protection against corrosion, and 24-hour roadside assist for four years.

The NHTSA's review of the 2022 A6 sedan resulted in a five-out-of-five rating, but that's not where the safety accolades end. The IIHS praised the A6 highly with top scores across the board resulting in a 2021 Top Safety Pick+ award being bestowed upon it. So far, the 2022 model has also achieved top scores at the IIHS.

Predictably well-stocked with both traditional safety features and modern driver assists, you're not likely to feel unsafe in the sedan. All A6 models come with a ten-airbag setup as standard including front knee airbags and, from this year, standard rear-seat side airbags. The Premium comes with lane-departure warning, park-distance control, forward-collision warning, automatic high beams, and cruise control. The Premium Plus adds adaptive cruise assist with turn assist and traffic-jam assist, active lane assist with emergency assist, a top-view camera, and rear cross-traffic alert. The Prestige trim additionally gets a head-up display and traffic-sign recognition.

You'd be doing yourself an injustice by not giving the A6 the attention it deserves. It's an excellent car that has way more merits than it does flaws and it deserves to be in your top three options on your shortlist. Both engines do a fine job of getting the large sedan going and it will never feel jerky or unrefined. The base engine is highly fuel-efficient and the available V6 deploys more than enough performance than most buyers will ever need. It's immediately noticeable that the A6 was meant for hauling the well-to-do around in comfort, but if the exterior design doesn't give this away, the well-appointed cabin certainly will.

Premium materials swathe every component of the cabin and there's a screen nearly everywhere you look. Despite all of the tech in a small space, the interior doesn't come off as too busy. Beyond appearances, the A6 is a genuinely comfortable car to drive. We've mentioned before that it doesn't provide a strong connection between car and driver, but that is really just a small flaw. If you're looking for something relaxing, classy, and safe, they don't get much better than the A6.

The price of the Audi A6 isn't particularly affordable, but shoppers aren't in this segment because they're interested in saving as much money as possible. If you are a penny-pincher, it'd be best if you look at a drama-free compact hatchback. The Premium has a starting MSRP of $55,900 with the 2.0-liter turbo equipped, while the 3.0-liter V6 will up the sticker price to $59,800. The Premium Plus will cost $59,800 with the base engine and $63,700 with the V6. If you're after the pinnacle spec, the Prestige, which is exclusively available with the V6, will set you back $69,500. The aforementioned cost of the Audi A6 excludes a $1,045 destination fee.

There are five separate trim configurations for the 2022 Audi A6 across two powertrains and three specification levels. The two powertrains are the 45 TFSI and 55 TFSI derivatives and the trim levels are Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige. The "45"-labeled cars use a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four engine with 261 hp and the "55" cars a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 with 335 hp. In all cases, drive is transmitted to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The Premium trim is comprehensively equipped and standard exterior features include 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, the Sport line exterior, and power folding and heated exterior mirrors. Inside, it has leather on the seats, steering wheel, and gear shifter, and other standard features are eight-way power and heated front seats, ambient lighting, three-zone climate control with its own dedicated 8.6-inch touchscreen, and the 12.3-inch Audi Virtual Cockpit gauge cluster. The infotainment system has a 10.1-inch upper display and incorporates navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth streaming, Amazon Alexa, SiriusXM, HD Radio, and a ten-speaker audio system. Safety and driver-assistance tech includes ten airbags, lane-departure warning, forward-collision warning, front and rear park sensors, cruise control, and automatic high beams.

The Premium Plus looks the same on the outside but adds to these features a heated steering wheel, leatherette trim on the knee bolster and armrest, wireless phone charging, and a 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system. More safety features are added too, notably adaptive cruise control with traffic-jam and turn assist, a top-view camera, rear cross-traffic alert, and active lane assist with emergency assist.

The top Prestige trim additionally gets dynamic turn signals, a power trunk lid, and dual-pane acoustic glass in the doors. Other additional features include four-zone climate control, 12-way powered and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and multi-color ambient lighting. A head-up display and traffic-sign recognition are standard on this trim too.

"45" models have the Sport line exterior, while "55" models include all the S line exterior styling elements, such as illuminated door sills, a different lower fascia, and S line badging.

Audi offers a far fewer additional packages for the A6 lineup this year and some apply to specific trims only. The Sport package has been discontinued and the Black Optic Sport package expanded to all trims, even the 45 TFSI models. It adds a sport suspension, 20-inch five-V-spoke wheels, all-season tires, and blacked-out exterior trim for $1,800. It's the only package available on the Premium and last year's Convenience Package is no longer offered.

On the Premium Plus, only the Executive Package is additionally available and equips four-zone climate control, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, multi-color ambient lighting, and a power trunk for $2,250. The Luxury Package is reserved for the Prestige trim and adds Valcona leather upholstery to the mix, as well as heated and ventilated 18-way power-adjustable front seats with massage functions and extra leather trim on the upper instrument panel and center console. This package costs $2,850.

With luxury lineups, it's almost always best to go for the mid-level trim and add a few extras. This is especially true for the A6 because the top-tier trim is vastly more expensive. We'd opt for the Premium Plus with the 55 TFSI because the added power is a major improvement over the base engine. We'd also opt for the Executive Package for the added luxury, resulting in a total price payable of $66,995 including destination, still $2,505 shy of the top-spec Prestige with almost all the same equipment.

The two sedans share a few similarities, which is no surprise as they come from the same family. The A6 is the bigger of the two and while you'll technically be able to fit the same number of people into both, the A6 provides far more interior room. The trunk of the A4 is also slightly smaller. For many, though, the small factor of there being a $16,000 discrepancy between these two in terms of price will also impact the decision. The A6 is more luxurious inside and offers far more standard convenience, along with the option of a V6 absent from the base A4 range. That being said, the A6 is a lot harder to park and maneuver thanks to its larger proportions. The A4 will likely appeal to those who simply want a practical luxury sedan to get around with, while the A6 is for those who appreciate the finer things in life and the added comfort a vehicle of this size brings to the table.

The competition between these two Germans is fierce and that's because they are both vying for the attention of exactly the same shoppers. They are also closely matched in terms of performance, but the BMW does more with less power, being more frugal and yet more dynamically talented. It's also available as a RWD model for those who like sharper handling dynamics. The A6 is arguably not as fun to drive as the 5 Series and the BMW's transmission is also a little smoother. The Audi does provide supreme levels of comfort though. Both sedans boast excellent interiors, but we feel the Audi pulls off the luxury sedan impression better, while the BMW's feels a little staid by comparison. Overall, it's a close call, but the BMW is a little more practical and dynamically gifted, which makes it our choice. However, if you value comfort over dynamic prowess, the A6 is stellar.