Behind the wheel, though, the 1.8-litre A6 is a genuine surprise â€" not the performance sloth I was half expecting from its small displacement powertrain.
Tipping the scales at just 1570kg, it’s relatively lightweight, giving the Audi a slight advantage over rival models in off-the-line acceleration. The stats say it will hit 100km/h in 7.9 seconds, whereas the BMW and Benz need 8.0 sec and 8.2 seconds, respectively.
Bury the throttle from a standing start, and apart from some mild turbo lag, the A6 feels positively peppy. Power to the front wheels is delivered via a smooth shifting seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.
It’s infinitely better than the continuously variable Multitronic transmission in the previous model â€" to the point where the car feels genuinely sporty. That’s complimented by a subtle growl that’s conveniently piped into the cabin â€" topping off what is a thoroughly enjoyable driving experience.
That’s said, there’s no doubt this engine does its best work in the mid-range, where it delivers maximum torque between 1400-4100rpm.
The result is a four-cylinder engine that pulls hard, yet never really feels too stressed.
And best of all, it won’t cost you a packet to run, at least when it comes to petrol. Audi’s official consumption figure for the 1.8-litre A6 is 5.7L/100km. While we didn’t quite emulate that figure, our fuel use over a week of mainly urban driving averaged out at 7.6L/100km â€" an entirely respectable number given the level of enjoyment this car provided. It’s also understandably ‘green’, with emissions of just 133g CO2 per kilometre.
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