FIRST VIDEO REVIEW: 2012 Audi A6 -- BMW 5-Series Beater?

All around I agree it beats the new 535i.

Why they didn't put the S4's TFSI engine in it though is beyond me....

Even the Q7 comes with this option.

they will have a 2.0t and a 4.0t also
there is always room to grow as the car gets a little long in the tooth

Is Lexus afraid of potential lawsuits regarding stop-go adaptive cruise control?! >.<

You should be ashamed of urself!!! How much did they pay you to suck up that much? Did you feel obligated because they paid for your trip to Sicily???

Not ONE con in the whole car??? Not ONE thing that you didn't like??

Shameful. I thought this site was professional!!

"Shameful. I thought this site was professional!!"

you just made me spit my coffee

If you read my full review I said I didn't think the engines were as good as the BMW competitors and I'm not a fan of regular aspect, pop up nav systems.

http://www.autospies.com/news/EXCLUSIVE-REVIEW-AND-PHOTOS-Seduced-On-Valentines-Day-Spies-Heart-The-2012-Audi-A6-61657/

And regarding us getting paid off, LOLOLOL!!!!! THAT will be the day!

001

@001 It's funny you mentioned those two specific aspects of the A6 because those are probably the 2 things that would detract me from it. The one place BMW keeps spanking Audi is the engine department, and I can't understand why! It's not like VW doesn't have the money to invest in making some really high performing power plants, so I simply can't fathom why they don't. The only excuse I can see is that they want to dominate in the MPG arena, but it's not like they can't do that along with offering a high performance option. And with today's technology, it's not like it's impossible to offer both performance and economy. BMW did just that with the incredible N54/N55 turbo straight 6, which is ironic because VW/Audi is the undisputed king of taking advantage of turbos in their engines.

I alsocouldn't agree more about not exactly loving pop-up nav systems in these high-end luxury vehicles. It's a cool/novelty feature in a $20,000 car, but in a car like an A6, it just seems totally out of place. One of the things I LOVE about all the current BMW's is how build the dash/interior around the nav screen, instead of the other way around, enabling them to use large, driver oriented, beautiful displays. Nav/info screens in modern cars are SO MUCH MORE than just navigation screens, they're quickly becoming interfaces for efficiently controlling and monitoring every aspect of the vehicle. They say today's cars are like computers, so I say a car without a good nav/info screen is like a computer without a monitor. BMW uses some of the largest, highest quality screen in the industry and I personally think it substantially adds to the overall enjoyment and utility of their vehicles. Audi needs to recognize like BMW did years ago that nav/info systems aren't an annoyance to be hidden away, but an incredibly useful tool that needs to be displayed in all it's glory so it can be fully utilized by the user. The most annoying thing about Audi's system is that they put so much effort into creating a beautiful interface, then they display it on a chintzy, small screen that's hidden away as much as possible. It's like buying a Van Gogh and stapling the bare canvas in your hall closet.

if you ever read ANY review from Any Mag or website they always launch them at retreats. They want to show their car off in the best light.

It is natural that a European car would launch their car in Europe. BMW, MB, Lexus, and even Detroit does the same thing.

BTW the 3.0T engine rocks. There will be a 4.0T and a 2.0T also

<Sigh> Why does the Audi have to "beat" anything? Why not just be a good car? And why does 'OOR have to use such antagonistic subjects (BMW fanboiz vs Audi fanboiz... let's start the flamethrowers)?

Are you kidding? Are you seriously questioning why people like to "choose sides"? Why people want to know what car is "better"? Ever heard of sports? That kind of thinking has been ingrained into every human being since we graduated from living in caves. If it wasn't for automakers always trying to best one another, our vehicles would be about 1/10 as advanced as they are now. It's that cut-throat competition that drives innovation. If BMW, Audi, Merc, etc.. were always content with the status quo, they wouldn't spend the BILLIONS of dollars to constantly innovate and improve, they'd simply take the much easier route and offer only minor changes as little as possible.

But all of that aside, why are you on a car enthusiasts blog if you obviously care so little about cars? The rest of us come here because we're passionate about cars, and because we might actually purchase vehicles being discussed. When you're looking to spend 55-65k on a car, you kind of want to know which car deserves your money the most. We love to see the constant innovation and one-upping that makes the auto industry so exciting. I don't even want to imagine how dull life would be if I cared so little about everything. And why do they use "antagonizing" phrasing in the articles? Can you not figure that one out on your own? Or are you asking to more or less prove a point? Asking questions like that stirs up conversation. It get's people involved and talking and as long as people can do so intelligently and respectfully, it adds to the value of the website. I promise you'd have some fun if you just played along! Caring about things can be fun, I promise ;)

Nice ride.. will wait to see it in person before I can agree with your 5 series dethrone.

"And why does 'OOR have to use such antagonistic subjects (BMW fanboiz vs Audi fanboiz... let's start the flamethrowers)?"

It's called traffic...sells ad space.

I still think the exterior looks boring. It doesn't look very premium compared to the competition.

You need to see it in person and on the road.

You will warm up to it, especially next to the competitors.

And if it's still not good enough, thats why Audi is also offering the A7 as well which would be MY choice over an A6 OR A8.

001

The adaptive cruise and night vision sensors being in the spots normally used for foglights is an interesting idea. Makes sense on the A6's that have the full LED headlight option with the foglights integrated. Just curious, though, what about the A6's that don't have the full LED headlights, do they just not have foglights then? And what about cars that don't have adaptive cruise or night vision (or only have one of the two), what goes in place of those sensors? What about vehicles that have none of the three? My guess is the majority of vehicles consumers actually purchase will have neither the full LED lights, adaptive cruise, or night vision, so I'd be interested in seeing what the car looks like in more "normal" trim.

Nice car that's about to get beat by the new Lexus GS.....

And I take it you've seen both cars, sat in them and driven them?

Great review, 001. Can't wait to see it in person. I thought the A8 looked bland until I saw it in person, so I'm sure I will love the A6. I have owned two BMW's (included a 535i) and the latest was one of the unlucky lemons. After that, I switched over to Audi and couldn't be happier. It is definitely not the driving machine that my BMW was but it an amazing car in it's own way. I can't wait for the A6.

The front looks great. I just think they need to focus on a more muscular side view.

I agree completely. Same jellybean side profile for 10 years.

I've seen pictures of the new GS it looks great inside and out. I haven't driven one yet, but I'm sure it will rock.... Watch what's going to happen to sales numbers. Will be produced in December for early next yr......

Yes. It will be the aspirational vehicle for Camry owners.

I would definitely rather be seen in a Golf than a Camry.

I personally don't hate Audi. For starters, I fail to understand what this company is all about!! BMW prides itself on being sporty. Mercedes on being comfortable and luxurious. What des Audi have to offer other than tweaked versions of VW?? It is no surprise that their advertising does nothing but trash BMW and Merc

I have driven Audi A3's on several occasions, and I can tell you very honestly that a Golf 6 drives so much better. The Audi A4 is also nothing but a passat with better interior quality. Not to mention the annoying numb steering that comes standard on all Audis.

On the design front, it's like Audi designers only get to meet once every 10 years to decide on a new "face" and that's about it. When I see an Audi behind me in the rear view mirror I can NEVER figure out which what it is. Just plain old boring design. And this new Audi A6 is nothing different. More evolutionary than revolutionary. The only thing that has changed from the past generation is the tacky LED headlights, which many people agree is people overused by Audi. I dare anyone here to look at the side profile of this "new" Audi and tell me this isn't a carbon copy of the past Audi A6.

So yeah, Audi might be a good car. But when you think of buying this new A6 you have to realize that it's not win-win. You get a superb interior and interior quality, but you also get boring repetitive design, confused driving dynamics, and questionable reliability (especially electric issues).

Nothing wrong with hating a brand but some education for the ignorant. Audi offers much better quality than mercedes, better handling/performance than BMW but in a modern class leading interior and a more efficient design. In short the best of Merc and BMW packaged more efficiently and with none of their weaknesses..

I take that back. I actually hate Audi.

That was very obvious in your monologue above. That's your opinion. The fact is, Audi is doing a lot of things right and that's reflected in their recent sales increases.

I respect AUDI very much, as much as I do Mercedes-Benz, and I think They (AUDI) have done a terrific job with the new A6, though It would not be my choice, but IMHO It's a very good contender to the Best-in-class,(again IMO)BMW 5 series.

Borring like all AUdis, I dont get what people see in this cars. The styling looks not good at all, the interior looks okay but the quality are no better than the 5 series. I really hate Audi design.

You're right. Maybe it needs some flame surfacing and Dame Edna headlights to make it look good.

Nice but still in third place after the 5 and the E.

Interesting you say this when Car and Driver placed the "previous" generation A6 ahead of the 5 series in two different comparisons. The E class was included in at least one of the two comparisons and came in behind both the 5 and A6. You can argue that Car and Driver is getting paid by Audi so on so forth. In the end, there is no "Best" among these three cars. What's best for you is not necessarily best for me. Problem is, those who are in love with their 5 series and E class, refuse to accept that the A6 is just as compelling as the other two Germans. It offers a package that is very compelling to those who are not so enamored by the 5 series and E class.

It seems that Audi is at a point where they've figured out exactly their version of the perfect car is, and now they're just refining and improving towards that goal with every iteration.

I am VERY impressed with the A6. It's very focused and appears exceptional in every way. It's not a car for me (I own an MK2 TT and will be looking at an 335i or S5 at the end of the year), but if I were in the market for a family sedan the A6 would be on top of my list. There is so much design sophistication and mechanical genius going on here.

With BMW finally finding their design mojo again it's clear that the best cars in this class are from Audi and BMW. Lexus is still just a cheesy Japanese wannabe and Mercedes sadly lost their edge years ago.