Audi A6 BiTDI

PACKING more torque than a McLaren MP4-12C, Audis A6 BiTDI is the oil-burning saloon capable of leaving a sooty stain on the bonnet of all-but the fastest sports cars.

Audi A6 BiTDI

Engine: 2,967cc, V6 twin-turbo diesel

Power: 313bhp and 479lb.ft. of torque

Performance: 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds and 155 mph

Economy: 44.8mpg (combined)

CO2 emissions: 166g/km

Price: £43,740 (basic)

Well, it would be if it didn’t combine its thumping kick-in-the-back performance with clean credentials which keep straight-laced fleet managers subdued with 169g/km CO2 emissions and 44.1mpg claimed fuel consumption.

It’s not often I review a car for its engine alone but for Audis twin-turbocharged, three-litre V6 diesel I will make an exception.

Easily taken for granted is the A6s class-leading interior.

The broad, spacious cabin combines quality materials with seven-inch monitor which folds out from the dash to deliver Sat-Nav, telephone, stereo and information from the cars attitude-adjusting Audi Drive Select system.  

Lane detection, adaptive cruise control and mobile internet capability were among the options which helped to hike the cost of my test car up from £43,740 to £59,920.

Thankfully, the 309bhp BiTDI comes as standard and puts the kind of deep-chested grunt normally experienced in a large capacity V8 a flex of the right ankle away.

Coupled to Audis quattro four-wheel-drive system, traction is absolute and a claimed 5.1-second sprint to 62mph is only part of the story.

Audis sound actuator technology utilises an innovative speaker system to transform the diesel engines soundtrack into a pleasing bass-rich rumble and while the eight-speed tiptronic gearbox is not as swift-shifting as a dual-clutch system it offers smooth progress and is never called upon to work hard, so prodigious is the torque on tap.

Even at motorway speeds the BiTDI has reserves enough to lunge forward in determined fashion.

Such sustained performance needs a derestricted German autobahn to fully be exploited.

Tighter British B-roads are dispatched efficiently but the A6 never disguises its dimensions with fleet-footed dynamics.

Power is shuffled rearwards to assist adjustability under heavy throttle inputs but the A6 is composed rather than playful.

Audi have proved that petrol/electric hybrids are still some way off catching up with the power end fuel consumption of a cutting-edge sporting diesel engine.

The BiTDI equips the A6 with the kind of grand touring grunt that a Bentley more commonly delivers.

It won’t be the ranges top seller but the barnstorming BiTDI proves a point that I’m glad someone is still willing to make.

 

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