The 2019 Audi A6 raises the bar for luxury car tech
Full-size sedan will self-park and learn your driving routes
What is it? Not just a fattened-up A4, the 2019 Audi A6 sedan is all new, although you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a smaller A8 (from which it collects a boatload of tech, even getting rear-wheel steering and some mild hybridization).
The eighth-generation full-size A6 sedan will come to Canada with a 3.0-litre turbo V6 producing 340 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. Paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, the partnership makes for a zero-to-100 km/h run of 5.1 seconds. More interesting, the 2019 A6 gets some mild hybrid help from a 48-volt lithium-ion battery that allows the A6 to coast between 55 and 160 km/h. Start-stop kicks in as early as 22 km/h and power is recovered during deceleration.
Why does it matter? While every automaker is producing plenty of SUVs, sedans still matter, and Mercedes and BMW are refreshing theirs, so Audi needed to raise the level of tech in its A6. It does that with a new MMI with touch response instead of the old rotary dial, and sharp, digital instrumentation. “Natural-language control” will answer questions and complete commands either by tapping into data stored on board or dipping into knowledge from the cloud. The A6 will even park itself in your garage or parking space autonomously. It will also “self-learn” certain drive routes and generate intelligent search suggestions.
When is it coming? The 2019 A6 goes on sale in the German market in June 2018 and will land in Canada shortly thereafter.
Should you buy one? If technology is important in your luxury sedan, the A6 leads the pack. And it does so in a package that is both striking and elegant, on the outside as well as within. With a drive quality that will be enhanced by new dampers and higher rigidity, the 2019 A6 appears to have it all: technology, looks and supremely elegant livery.