TEST DRIVE: The C7 AUDI A6 1.8TFSI - This is more KL Hilton than the Majestic Hotel

I was recently given a few days with the 2016 Malaysian Specced Audi A 1.8TFSI. This A6 is the updated A6 launched here sometime in August 2015 together with its larger engined sibling the A6 3.0TFSI. This A6 is the seventh generation (also called the C7 A6) of a long line of mid-sized premium Audi cars (this falls close to the D segment size of cars). It has been updated with better levels of equipment inside and has slightly refreshed bits and pieces for the exterior.

The thing about Audi today is that you basically get the same taut lines and styling cues that you would see in the previous model and you can't really tell whether this is the latest one or not. The changes to this Audi A6 1.8 compared to the previous one is so familiar that you need to do a triple take instead of a double take to absorb all of the exterior styling changes. I personally have no clue how much Audi has changed in this car compared to the previous pre-facelifted A6 I drove (which was a tuned A6 3.0TFSI). According to the press release, there are changes to the air inlets, bumpers, side sills, rear lights, tailpipes and the headlights. I think I have noticed the changes in the headlights, grille and rear lights. The car does have a more sinister squinty look to it up front. Very small headlights, very big grille. A lot of front end presence. It should be popular with the Audi brigade.

As for the rest of the car, the side profile is very clean and neat. The rear is also the same and I think a bit too neat and simple for a car that is targeting senior managers out there. The front has so much big grille, squinty lights, added aggression and luxury premium touches that the rear somehow seems bland to all of this. I'd prefer a bit more trimming to accentuate the already nice looks of this car. But then again I would also love it if Audi would differentiate this car from other Audi models. Especially the rear. I have been sitting behind an A6 once time me and my friend, a chap who drives around in an A4 had difficulty in figuring out whether we were behind an A4 or an A6. Or better still, and A8.

But that being said, this car is also quite deceptive in terms of size.It looks small for a D segment sedan when parked all on its own. Park it beside others and suddenly you realise that this is a much larger car. As for the interior, it is spacious. There would be no real complaints from anyone in the front or in the rear unless he or she is 300kg or more. Then I would suggest a dump truck and not an Audi. The A6 is easy to get in and out and if you were chauffeur driven in one it would do just fine with its very quiet cabin at most speeds and quite a decent ride at the rear. But you folks do not read my reviews just to get to be tell you guys about the rear seat experience. It is usually about the drive experience here.

So once you are seated you notice the typically high levels of Audi fit and finish. The materials used a quite top notch if a little austere. There are high quality plastics, vinyl, leather, aluminium trim but not an ounce of wood garnishing in this car. It does look a bit plain compared to other premium sedans in the market that come from Germany. You will also notice a liberal use of silver painted plastic trim that wants to be recognised as aluminium bits and pieces. This is especially so in the area on the transmission tunnel. It is all silver painted plastic trying to be aluminium trim. I personally think that this bit looks a little too basic and slightly low rent looking.

The higher specced 3.0TFSI gets a honeycomb pattern together with the silver paint. This makes the whole thing look and also feel better. It is textured and you can feel the pattern if you run your fingers through it. I suppose this is the way that Audi wishes to differentiate the high specced A6 from the entry level one. But I would suggest otherwise and have no differentiation as this piece is a large part that your eyes would always be fixated to it during traffic or when stationary. And the list price is over RM300,000. It should look a little more special regardless of whether it is entry level luxury or not if trying to attract Malaysian money who love flaunting their wealth a bit these days.

Anyway, I do like this in some ways. It does remind me of the days of auster luxury where cars were taken as objects of luxury because it wafted through the countryside with ease, it rode perfectly through potholed ridden streets and it was silent in doing so. This is actual luxury from the days gone by and in some ways, an austere looking premium car interior I am somewhat undecided of this actually. So let's just leave it at that. The interior is an interior by Audi and if you're asking about equipment, ergonomics, quality then all of this is there.

The Drive Experience

Driving it is a cinch around town. At city speeds and in traffic the car is easy to pilot. The car may be a full sized car but everything feels easy when you're driving it. The dual clutch gearbox (or DSG in Audi talk) is smooth and for most parts pretty smooth for a DSG. You can feel a slight DSG low speed judder only on steeper gradients like when you're accelerating after stopping on a slope. There may be some transmission shunt if you're in Sports mode when the transmission shifts down a little too quickly but aside from this the DSG works fine in almost all the times I drove the A6.

The A6 is powered by a 1.8liter TFSI engine. This means turbocharged and direct injection. It makes 190hp and 320Nm torque which is adequate in making the 1,570kg sedan move briskly. The engine is tractable at most speeds and works well with the DSG. The claimed 0-100kmh time is 7.9seconds. I however managed to achieve such a time only when I kept my foot on the brakes whilst I let the revs climb to about 2,000rpm before letting go. So it needs a slightly brutal approach to really belting it. According to the specs, it could reach 233kmh. At around 180kmh all was serene and quiet. Befitting a executive sedan.

The handling of this large sedan is typically Audi and is also very typical for a large front wheel drive sedan. It is nose led when you punt it into a corner and you can feel the nose trying to wash out at higher speeds. Actually this is one large sedan where most who graduate up from a Japanese make would find easy to drive fast. The high speed ride is more accomplished than the low speed ride. This is obviously a compromise but the firmish ride is still on the comfortable side of things. 

Do note that the Malaysian specced Audi A6 does not come with magnetic ride adjustable dampers as an option. That extra, could make the car go softer for comfort or harder for performance as a touch of a button. This current suspension setup is actually a good compromise and everything still works well together. There is a decent balance achieved here already and I have not much complaints overall. Do note that having normal absorbers means that you have less issues to deal with. The automatically adjustable dampers usually add to a larger asking price and a larger repair bill if it requires changing. These fixed dampers on steel springs is the ideal setup in terms of long term use. So in this A6, Audi drive selector is only used to change engine/gearbox and steering settings only (but there is also the Sports mode setting on the transmission at the gear lever for actual sportier gearshift settings).

The Audi A6 1.8TFSI seems to perform well in most situations. I do wish that the steering had a bit more heft or weight to it as do the other controls like the accelerator pedal. The thing about added weighting is that is makes the car feel additionally secure or more vault-like. Some premium sedans excel in having this feeling. This is something which I feel is lacking in the A6 1.8TFSI. The lighter engine makes it ride over bumps instead of smothering it. The empty feeling in the accelerator also makes it feel like this. The light steering makes it feel like a lighter car too. All of this adds up to a car which is easy and nimble to pilot around town but there is not much presumption of heft or weight that makes it feel like its build from a chunk of granite. I suppose I need this feeling in a large sedan even one with a smallish engine. That feeling of luxury in terms of heft or weight was there in the A6 3.0. I suppose this is down to the lack of weight over the heavier 3.0liter (over 1,700kg).

As the entry level mid-sized premium sedan from Audi it ticks a lot of boxes for most Malaysians in terms of style, design, ergonomics, in-city use and for the highways. The little bits which I didn't really like are subjective. It usually is as some may like what is offered and some would not. I would prefer addition of more aluminum and even wood bits to lift up the cabin a notch higher than its slightly austere state. I would also wish a little more garnishing done to the rear of the car – more chrome bits as it is again a little too plain. I would also wish for a little more weight or heft in the controls so that it feels a solid as a bank vault. It is the tactile feel in the controls which I treasure a lot in when I drive something premium. This entry level Audi A6 needs to have a little more tactility engineered into it to make it even better than what it is today.

So after trying it on the roads around Kuala Lumpur as well as prodding and feeling up the interior, I feel that the A6 1.8TFSI is very good to a certain point. It can cruise at high speeds effortlessly yet handle the pocked marked city streets well and is a peaceful ride most of the time. It however does not make you feel drawn into the drive. Somehow the drive experience is a little bit on the clinical side of things. 

There is a 5 star feel to it but it feels like the modern interior of the Kuala Lumpur Hilton instead of something with old school grandeur and majestic like, well, the Majestic Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

Pros:Audi styling, that front grille attracts a lot of folks, quality interior, good ergonomics, MMI and equipment easy to use, easy to drive, engine is punchy, refined

Cons:Audi styling, can we have a little more product differentiation here?, interior gets downspecced due to A6 3.0, there is still a little DSG judder on inclines and in sports/dynamic mode, clinical

2016 AUDI A6 1.8TFSI with TECHNOLOGY Package

Price:

It is priced from RM327,900 OTR with GST but Without Insurance*

The car tested adds RM23,000 to the price because it has something called the Technology Package which includes:

LED headlights (and dynamic indicators),

18 spoke alloy wheels with 245/45R18 tyres (instead of 225/55R17 tyres and wheels),

rear view camera,

Audi Connect with Google Earth & WiFi Hotspot,

Audi MMI with Navigation Plus,

Rear side airbags and

4 Spoke multifunction steering wheel design.

*talk to the sales people for the latest promotion

Engine

4-cylinder in-line petrol engine with direct fuel injection and exhaust gas turbocharging Displacement (cc) 1,798

Max output (hp/rpm) 190/4,200 -- 6,200

Max torque (Nm/rpm) 320/1,400 -- 4,100

Transmission7- speed S tronic

Wheels & Tires Cast aluminium wheels of 10-spoke design, size 8J x 17 with 225/55 R17 tyres

Acceleration(0-100km/h) 7.9 seconds (tested and claimed)

Top Speed (km/h) 233

Fuel Consumption

(combined) 5.7 litre/100km

(tested combined with more city use 80:20 ratio – 12.5liters/100km)

CO2 Emissions (combined) 133g/km

SAFETY

6 airbag system - Driver's and front passenger's airbag with front passenger's airbag deactivation - 2 front side airbag system - 2 head airbag system Electronic Stabilisation Control (ESC) - Traction Control (ASR) - Electronic Differential Lock (EDL) - Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) - Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) - Brake Assist (BA) Electronic vehicle immobilization device Flat tire indicator Parking aid plus with selective displau Electric child-proof locks Hold assist ISOFIX and top tether child seat mountings for the outer rear seats

INTERIOR

4-zone deluxe automatic air conditioning Cruise control Interior mirror with automatic anti-dazzle function Interior and exterior lighting package 4-spoke leather-covered multifunction steering wheel Front centre armrest Milano leather seats Electrically adjustable front seats, including memory function for driver’s seat 4-way lumbar support Folding rear seat backrest Inlays in Satin finish Door sill trims with aluminium inlays

EXTERIOR

Xenon plus headlights High-beam assistant Automatic headlight-range adjustment dynamic LED rear lights Exterior mirrors, electrically folding and automatically dimming on both with memory function

CONVENIENCE/COMFORT

Audi Drive Select Auto/ Comfort/ Dynamic/ Efficiency/ Individual mode Electromechanical power steering Electromechanical parking brake Driver information system with colour display Start-stop system with energy recovery Electric sun blind for rear window, manual sun blinds for rear side windows Comfort key Convenience opening / closing feature for the windows and separate luggage compartment release via radio remote control Light and rain sensor Heat-insulating glass

ENTERTAINMENT

MMI radio plus - Electrically extended 6.5-inch colour display - CD drive and 2 SDHC memory card readers (up to 32 GB) each, MP3, WMA and AAC-compatible - Audi music interface - Voice dialogue system Audi sound system -6- channel amplifier with 10 loudspeakers, 180 watts total output Bluetooth interface for hands-free phone calls and audio streaming 

(c) 2016 motoring-malaysia. All rights reserved

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