After driving several electric cars from different car manufacturers in recent weeks, it was a pleasure to sit into a good old-fashioned diesel car last week. But not just any diesel, this was an Audi A6 which when full of diesel will give you a range of just over 1,200km. Who said that diesel was dead?
I reckon it will be a long time, maybe a decade or more before any electric car can come close to that kind of range with a full charge.
It’s a very classy looking car and also a very solid car. It used to be said that old Volvo cars were built like a tank; now I think that phrase should also apply to the A6.
The A6 has recently got an upgrade with an enhanced reversing camera, revised bumpers and front grille, along with new alloy wheel options, going from 19-inch to 21-inch. And the addition of Grenadine Red and Ascari Blue metallic paint to the colour options, offers even more choices for new buyers.
Traditionally the Audi A6 has been the four-ringed brand’s best-selling model in the Irish market, but its position has been slipping of late and it’s now being outsold by the smaller A3 and A4.
The original Audi A6 was launched in 1994 and it has always been a popular car in the luxury saloon segment. Now in its fifth-generation, the A6 is available in Saloon and Avant or Estate body styles, along with the choice of front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive quattro configurations depending on the model chosen.
My test car came in a lovely shade of white and it certainly got plenty of favourable comments from people I met at the various shopping centres I had to drop my shopping-mad wife to. Truth be told I don’t mind as long as there is a good book shop in those shopping centres.
And if it’s power you’re after, the 2.0-litre engine that produces 204 brake horse power, will get you from zero to 100km in just under eight seconds. However, that kind of speed should be reserved for a trip to Mondello Park. On a long run you should get up to 42mpg and unlike an electric car of course there is no range anxiety.
The seats are very relaxing, while the dash is dominated by the infotainment screen, which is easy to use.
The boot is massive, officially 530 litres of space and you can also get you Skis into that long boot via a gap in the back seat. I know that apart from the artificial slopes in Kiltiernan in South County Dublin, we don’t have any proper Ski slopes in Ireland. But you might still find that access to the boot via the back seat useful to store some other long item, maybe a pole vault, which I think is more popular than Skiing in Ireland.
Prices start at €58,925. And the good news is that we are going to have diesel for at least another 11 years. And who knows maybe that 2035 deadline for fully electric cars may well be pushed back another five years at least.
The Audi A6 is a very practical four-door saloon. Rivals for the A6 include the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E-Class the Volvo V90.
