Quick Review and Notes: Audi A6 3.0 TDI

"Audi For Life" (audiforlife)
12/12/2013 at 12:49 • Filed to: Audi, A6, TDI, Diesel

(This post was originally !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

On Monday, I brought my 2011 Audi S5 down to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for its 3 year/35,000 mile scheduled maintenance that would normally take a couple of hours to complete and I would be on my way. So, I brought my laptop and camera with me to take some photos. About an hour or so, the service technicians noticed a bit of a leak from the rear differential. So, parts had to be ordered and I had the option of leaving the car there and get a loaner, or bring it back. I opted for the former and that gave me a chance to get a 2014 Audi A6 3.0 TDI as a loaner vehicle (how could I pass that up?).

Since then, I've clocked some time in the car going between home and work, as well as quick jogs to the grocery store and running other errands. I haven't logged nearly as many miles as I normally would for something like a weekend review; but, I have several things that I would like to mention:

Good gravy, does the 3.0 TDI have a lot of oomph off. Off the line acceleration is slightly dampened with a bit of throttle and turbo lag when in D and less so in S; but, after that wee bit of lag, the car just plain launches when the pedal is to the metal. Absolutely love it!

The A6 TDI is equipped with the super-snazzy Bang & Olufsen sound system with the iconic pop-up tweeters. One of the first songs that I had to listen to was Prodigy's "Diesel Power". It may not be the best song to do the system justice, but I think it was quite apropos. Compared to the base Bose system that I've experienced in an A7 and A8, the B&O system does provide a bit more of a rich, fuller sound and emphasis on mid-tones. It wouldn't be a must-have on my build list if I were to order an A6, A7 or A8.

With the relatively cold snap here in Oregon, the heated steering wheel included in the Cold Weather Package has been shamelessly used almost the entire time that I've had the car.

The auto start/stop system is more noticeable in the 3.0 TDI than with the 3.0 TFSI, only because the 3.0 TDI's extra torque-y start up can be felt more. Granted, the cold weather and copious use of the heater, seat warmer and steering wheel warmer has meant that the system hasn't really kicked in too often.

The A6 TDI's fuel economy is rated at 24 city, 38 highway and 29 combined and many people have exceeded those numbers by a long ways; but, combining jack rabbit starts, liberal use the gearbox's "S" mode and keeping the interior cozy has kept average fuel usage to around 18-20 MPG.

I haven't had a chance to use the adaptive cruise control with stop and go as most of my commute has been pretty much devoid of highway or freeway stints.

With a number of not-so-smart drivers on the frosty roads has lead to a couple of instances of Audi pre sense plus throwing warnings about the distance between the car in front of me and the A6. Thankfully, I was able to brake in time.

I did not make use of the active lane assist or the blind spot monitoring system, as I know !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

It is so nice to not have a power opening/closing trunk/boot or hatch. No having to wait 5-10 seconds for it to open or close after pressing a button.

Of the A6, A7 and A8 trio of larger sedans, I love the LED headlights and DRL on the A6 line the most. There's something about the way the DRLs are shaped and then enhanced by the LED headlight elements themselves.

If I were in the market for an A6, I would easily choose the 3.0 TDI over the 3.0 TFSI for two reasons: the torque-tastic diesel engine and the combination of great fuel economy and driving range on a single tank. Yes, there is a $2,400 price premium for choosing the 3.0 TDI over the 3.0 TFSI and the TDI won't be as nimble or fast as the 3.0 TFSI. The latter isn't really a problem, since I would rather save up a bit more and go with the S6 if I wanted a sports sedan with some creature comforts. Instead, the A6 3.0 TDI would be a perfect daily driver, weekend cruiser and road trip car.

Now... if only the United States weren't so wagon-averse and we could get the A6 Avant 3.0 TDI over here.

DISCUSSION (21)

Tom McParland > Audi For Life
12/12/2013 at 12:57

So I kinda want one of these now.

Brian Silvestro > Audi For Life
12/12/2013 at 12:59

WHY CAN'T WE HAVE THE WAGON!!! THERE IS ONLY ONE CAR IN THE MIDSIZE LUXURY WAGON SEGMENT. LET'S HAVE SOME VARIATION. I'm talking to you, Audi, BMW, and especially Jaguar.

Audi For Life > Tom McParland
12/12/2013 at 12:59

It's pretty darn tempting. Not a fan of who it is equipped, but it's a darn good daily driver so far. Obviously, it really needs be an Avant for me to ditch my S5. :)

Party-vi > Audi For Life
12/12/2013 at 13:00

Probably the only way the dealer got an A6 off the lot haha. Other than the price drop to get into an A6 why would you get one over a 528i or E350?

Audi For Life > Party-vi
12/12/2013 at 13:03

Well, neither the 528i or the E350 are diesels and a well-optioned out 535d (xDrive or not) isn't that much cheaper than an A6 3.0 TDI. And yes, I would choose a diesel over a petrol engine for this kind of car.

Party-vi > Audi For Life
12/12/2013 at 13:15

A 535d is a little more than the A6 TDI, but I think sales are still in the BMW's favor. Why can't Audi seem to get the A6 out the door as much as BMW does with the 5er? Or Mercedes with the E Class

Audi For Life > Party-vi
12/12/2013 at 13:26

Well, looking at the November 2013 numbers provided by both Audi USA and BMW USA:

A4/A5: 4474
A6: 2112
Audi Passenger (total sales minus Q5/Q7): 8530
A6 / A4 and A5: 47.206%
A6 / Audi Passenger: 24.76%

3/4 Series: 13148
5 Series: 5060
BMW Passenger: 22779
5 Series / 3 and 4 Series: 38.485%
5 Series / BMW Passenger: 22.213%

Audi For Life > Audi For Life
12/12/2013 at 13:28

So, it looks like the A6 and 5 Series sales numbers are roughly the same when it comes to sales mix and the A6 makes up for more of the overall passenger vehicle sales mix for Audi than the 5 Series does for BMW.

Yes, BMW still sells a lot more cars in the US than Audi. That's a given and will continue to be the case; but, Audi isn't standing still either...

Audi For Life > Audi For Life
12/12/2013 at 13:36

Oh... need to cite my sources:

Audi USA: http://www.audiusanews.com/pressrelease/3…

BMW USA: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/bmw-group…

Party-vi > Audi For Life
12/12/2013 at 13:43

See this information I did not know. I was still operating under the assumption that the A6 was not attractive to buyers and despite the $6k price cut still wasn't attracting any attention. Thanks for posting the numbers.

Audi For Life > Party-vi
12/12/2013 at 13:57

I think the $6K price cut you might be thinking of is when they introduced the 2.0TFSI into the line up. I don't have sales mix numbers for 2.0TFSI vs 3.0TFSI vs 3.0 TDI individually (TDI is 12.5% and it hasn't been available for very long or brought over in high volume yet); but, based on my discussions with several dealers is that the A6 2.0TFSI (which is FWD only) is targeted that those that are considering a loaded A4 2.0TFSI but kind of want something a bit larger and upscale without a huge price jump.

The 2011 A6 sales did lag a bit, but only because it was at the tail end of the C6 generation and the C7 was about ready to come out. The C7 has had pretty strong sales numbers since it was introduced.

Audi For Life > Audi For Life
12/12/2013 at 14:26

Oops, the A6 2.0TFSI is FWD standard with quattro AWD as an option.

gabdere > Audi For Life
12/12/2013 at 15:27

Please explain to me why they loan A6s with all those options... Audi dealers here give base model A4s.

Audi For Life > gabdere
12/12/2013 at 15:35

I think it comes down to how each dealer is run. There are two dealers here in the Portland, Oregon area and they each have different selection and number of vehicles available.

lodasi > Audi For Life
12/13/2013 at 19:45

I know that some dealers like to use the "next step up" vehicle for service loaners. If you dropped off an A4, you would get an A6. It's an easy way to market a potential upgrade for your next vehicle. My mom hates when the dealers try to give her an X5 when she has her E46 in for service.

total_spaz > Brian Silvestro
12/13/2013 at 21:25

totally valid use of caps lock.

Brian Silvestro > total_spaz
12/13/2013 at 23:09

I try.

m2m, apex detective > Audi For Life
12/14/2013 at 05:55

What power output spec did you drive? 204 hp? 240/250 hp?

Come to Germany and try the 3.0 BiTDI if you can.

If you're left cold by that , thou must pick an A8 with the 4.2 TDI and drown in torque. ;)

Audi For Life > m2m, apex detective
12/14/2013 at 13:16

The 3.0 TDI in the A6 is rated at 240 HP / 428 lb-ft of torque.

I would love to try out the 3.0 BiTDI in an A6 allroad quattro :)

Dr Emilio Lizardo > Audi For Life
12/19/2013 at 21:17

Ohhhh, heated steering wheel. About the only thing I wish I had on my 2013 S5 Cab right about now. The wife's seven year old X3 has that option and for something that seems frivolous it is quite nice.

Otherwise, for what looks for all the world to be a summer car, an S5 with Alpin PA4's is amazingly good on snowy roads, even while the snow is still falling before the plows and salt trucks have gotten out. Maybe better than the X3 and so much better than the RWD 2003 CLK 320 Cab I had before. The S5 is sort of a cross between a mountain goat and a greyhound.

Audi For Life > Dr Emilio Lizardo
12/20/2013 at 00:54

Agree that the S5 Cabriolet is a great year-round vehicle, particularly with the combination of the comfort seats and a heated steering-wheel. Both would be necessary if I were to get one as a daily driver.