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DRIVEN: A6 Advances Audi’s Fortunes
German automaker and its latest luxury sedan have won recognition and a passel of awards as U.S. sales rise.
The success of the Audi A6 luxury sedan has helped boost the automaker's fortunes in the U.S. market. (Photo: Audi)
German automaker Audi is on quite a roll of late, with July sales in the United States up 28 percent over July 2011 and sales for the first seven months of the year up 11 percent.
Earlier this month, Audi was named the Highest Premium Brand for the prestigious Autobytel and AutoPacific 2012 Ideal Vehicle Awards (IVA). Based on a survey of more than 75,000 new car and light truck owners, the IVAs recognize the cars that meet their owner's expectations and desires about their automotive purchases.
Audi and its U.S. dealers also showed the greatest improvement among luxury-car brands in the influential J.D. Power and Associates Customer Service Index (CSI) Study for 2012, posting a 34 percent gain to rise to sixth-place among automotive luxury brands.
This week’s road test car, the Audi A6 sedan, was just selected as the winner of the International Design Excellence Award 2012 (IDEA). Earlier this year, it was picked as the 2012 Car of the Year Award by the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press.
Add it all up and Audi certain has got it going on.
It was no surprise, therefore, that our test Audi A6 3.0 TFSI Prestige was a big hit.
The A6 is a midsize luxury sedan that can be equipped – and priced – in a number of different ways.
Audi offers the A6 in seven different engine and trim configurations, ranging from the $42,200 four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive model, to the $56,950 Prestige model that we tested. Like most German luxury cars, there’s a lengthy list of options with the A6, and if you go full bore, the cost can top $75,000. The stunning Bang & Olufsen sound system alone is $5,900.
The Prestige package, a $6,880 option, adds Audi’s S Line exterior; 18-inch wheels with all-season tires; a six-month trial subscription to Audi’s Connect concierge service; front and rear parking sensors; four-zone automatic climate control; front-seat ventilation; Bose surround sound system; HD radio; Xenon-plus adaptive headlights; ambient lighting; and Audi’s 7-inch Driver Information System screen.
The DIS screen is the most noteworthy part of the interior – the screen slides out horizontally and then pops up vertically. The Audi Connect system features Google Local Search and Earth capability and can provide news, weather and local fuel prices. It even works as a Wi-Fi Internet hotspot.
Audi says it’s the first company worldwide to feature factory-installed wireless Internet in its cars.
I freely admit that in the one week I had with the A6, I barely scratched the surface of its technological capabilities. Buyers would be well-advised to spend some quality time familiarizing themselves with all that this car can do if they want to optimize the experience.
Earlier this month, Audi was named the Highest Premium Brand for the prestigious Autobytel and AutoPacific 2012 Ideal Vehicle Awards (IVA). Based on a survey of more than 75,000 new car and light truck owners, the IVAs recognize the cars that meet their owner's expectations and desires about their automotive purchases.
Audi and its U.S. dealers also showed the greatest improvement among luxury-car brands in the influential J.D. Power and Associates Customer Service Index (CSI) Study for 2012, posting a 34 percent gain to rise to sixth-place among automotive luxury brands.
This week’s road test car, the Audi A6 sedan, was just selected as the winner of the International Design Excellence Award 2012 (IDEA). Earlier this year, it was picked as the 2012 Car of the Year Award by the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press.
Add it all up and Audi certain has got it going on.
It was no surprise, therefore, that our test Audi A6 3.0 TFSI Prestige was a big hit.
The A6 is a midsize luxury sedan that can be equipped – and priced – in a number of different ways.
Audi offers the A6 in seven different engine and trim configurations, ranging from the $42,200 four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive model, to the $56,950 Prestige model that we tested. Like most German luxury cars, there’s a lengthy list of options with the A6, and if you go full bore, the cost can top $75,000. The stunning Bang & Olufsen sound system alone is $5,900.
The Prestige package, a $6,880 option, adds Audi’s S Line exterior; 18-inch wheels with all-season tires; a six-month trial subscription to Audi’s Connect concierge service; front and rear parking sensors; four-zone automatic climate control; front-seat ventilation; Bose surround sound system; HD radio; Xenon-plus adaptive headlights; ambient lighting; and Audi’s 7-inch Driver Information System screen.
The DIS screen is the most noteworthy part of the interior – the screen slides out horizontally and then pops up vertically. The Audi Connect system features Google Local Search and Earth capability and can provide news, weather and local fuel prices. It even works as a Wi-Fi Internet hotspot.
Audi says it’s the first company worldwide to feature factory-installed wireless Internet in its cars.
I freely admit that in the one week I had with the A6, I barely scratched the surface of its technological capabilities. Buyers would be well-advised to spend some quality time familiarizing themselves with all that this car can do if they want to optimize the experience.
The Lyonheart K
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