2014 Audi A6: What a Luxury Car Should Be

The Audi name has long been synonymous with luxury, style, class, and comfort and the A6 is this year’s winner of the Consumer Reports Luxury Car of the Year for all these reasons. The A6 stands out as the best of the most luxurious cars on the market in the luxury car category. Pairing performance with luxury the A6 is a masterful work of art on four wheels, kissing the pavement and hugging turns like a long lost lover.

Offering a variation for consumers to choose from the A6 offers a turbocharged or supercharged versions for the gas engines as well as an ultra-clean diesel TDI model to allow Audi to compete and excel above BMW and Mercedes-Benz in this class. With an increase in horsepower for the 2.0T model along with the addition of heated front seats, the A6 offers some great new features for 2014 to catapult it to the head of the class.

As expected from the name the A6 is athletic around the curves of the open road but also soft to the touch in the city allowing for great handling, a quiet ride, and with the an improved suspension a much smoother feel. Offering the driver sophistication, performance and power, the A6 is an outstanding ride for anyone looking for a great luxury car.

Under the hood of the Audi A6 could be a variety of engine setups. Starting with the 2.0T model meaning this A6 is powered by a 2.0 liter turbocharged inline four cylinder engine bringing in 220 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque. Depending on the transmission pairing the fuel efficiency varies some from the 25 city/33 hwy mpg for the continuously variable transmission (CVT) in front-wheel drive (FWD) and changes to 20 city/29 hwy mpg for the eight speed automatic with all-wheel drive (AWD). The CVT with FWD version is not really the model Audi envisions real luxury car enthusiasts to prefer to drive, but is still a good ride while the AWD version is much better for the driving experience overall.

Next up is the 3.0 liter supercharged V6 engine bringing a strong 310 horsepower and energetic 325 lb.-ft. of torque. Partner this power plant with the eight speed Tiptronic automatic transmission and this beautiful ride will come in with 18 city/27 hwy mpg of fuel mileage and a great ride for any owner to enjoy.

Up to bat next is the 3.0 liter turbocharged diesel V6 engine offering 240 horsepower with a powerful 428 lb.-ft. of torque. This TDI diesel engine offers a great fuel economy at 24 city/38 hwy mpg giving the owner the best of both worlds, luxury and fuel economy. This A6 is really the jewel of the collection even though there is one larger engine, luxury car shoppers really need to pay attention to this equipment package when shopping.

Last and most powerful is the sport model of the A6, changing to the S6 with a 4.0 liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine capable of a massive 420 horsepower and a huge 406 lb.-ft. of torque. There is really no such thing as fuel efficiency with a V8 as this is a car for the sport of a car and really is a great choice when looking for a sport/luxury car but the fuel mileage does come in at a respectable 17 city/27 hwy mpg.

Outstanding design and materials adorn the cabin of the A6 in a way that is fully expected but exceeded with the Audi name in luxury cars, along with a ton of tech features for the super geeks to enjoy including dedicated Internet access to power the navigation and information systems. Passengers can also enjoy the Wi-Fi hotspot of the A6 allowing up to eight devices to connect without interruption. The controls and gauges are all top notch and high quality as they should be when the car is carrying the quatro circle logo on the grille.

The outside is sophisticated, classy, and understated, allowing the car to stand out on its own merits with clean lines and smooth curves all across the vehicle. Offering LED lights and an assortment of exterior options any owner can personalize the A6 to be one of a kind as well as clean and classy.

Even the most basic 2.0T model of the A6 includes leather throughout the interior, heated front seats, a sunroof, automatic headlights, seat memory, keyless start, Bluetooth, phone and audio connectivity, and many more standard features allow this to be an Audi and a car that is anything but standard even amongst the luxury class.

Optional features, even with such a long list of standard features, offer plenty of personalization and upgrades to the owner. Offering adaptive cruise control, Night Vision Assistant, a color heads-up display, Audi Pre Sense Plus, and top and corner cameras added into the parking assist system for this year’s model only really begin the list of options to choose from.

The price tag for an 2014 Audi A6 starts at a modest $44,000 and reaches as high at $75,000 for a fully loaded model. The higher S6 sport model starts at $74,500 and reaches its arms as high as $90,000 before the top end is achieved. The A6 falls right in line for pricing of any luxury car and offers owners more than the other luxury car models do for their money.

Even if Consumer Reports didn’t like this car the Audi A6 would still be an awesome and majestic display of luxury, class, and sophistication, but they loved the car enough to award it Luxury Car of the Year. With the long list of great features, choices of engines to provide all the power needed, and a ton of upgraded technology the A6 is a fantastic car for a comfortable and exhilarating ride in town or on the highway.