Description and history of car models Audi A6

The Audi A6 is a business class car (E-class), produced by the German automaker Audi AG already in its fourth generation. It is the successor of the car Audi 100, which ceased production in 1994. Audi's internal numbering considers the A6 to be a continuation of the Audi 100 line, with the first A6 designated the C4, followed by the C5, C6, and C7. The first A6 represents a deep restyling of the "hundredth", as opposed to a transition from Audi 80 to Audi A4, where there was a brand new car.

There is a branch of this line - the Audi A7. It is a hatchback coupe of the C7-series A6, but is sold under its own model designation. There is a sports version of this model called the Audi S6. In 2005, the Audi A6 first overtook Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5 Series, which have long reigned in the business class car market. Other close competitors include the Kia Stinger, Subaru Legacy and Cadillac ATS.

The car is built on the Volkswagen Group C platform. The body is only in two versions - as a 4-door sedan or a 5-door station wagon (Avant). Front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Both petrol and diesel engine versions are officially supplied. As for the other models, a very wide range of engines is presented.

Audi C4 (1994-1997)

In 1994, the last generation of C4 (Typ 4A) Audi 100 was restyled and renamed the Audi A6 to fit into Audi's new alphanumeric nomenclature (as the full-size car was introduced that same year Audi A8). The first A6 received new front and rear lights, a radiator grille, similarly with the choice of chassis, engine and transmission. The bodies are only a 4-door sedan or a 5-door station wagon.


As always, a huge selection of power units. Petrol engines 4-cylinder 1.8 and 2.0 liters with a capacity of 99 to 138 hp, 5-cylinder 2.2 (Turbo) and 2.3 liters with a capacity of 227 and 131 hp respectively, 6-cylinder V-shaped 2.4 to 2.8 liters with a capacity of 148 to 190 hp, as well as an 8-cylinder V-shaped 4.2 liter engine with a capacity of 286 hp. Diesel engines are all turbocharged with direct injection, 1.9 and 2.5 liters with a capacity of 89 to 138 hp.

There are three transmission options available: a 5- or 6-speed manual transmission and a 4-speed automatic transmission.

Audi C5 (1997-2004)

In February 1997, the new A6 was announced (Typ 4B) based on the new Volkswagen Group C5 car platform with a new range of internal combustion engines, and the car itself appeared in March 1997 at the Geneva Motor Show. A qualitatively new level allowed it to compete with the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The body shape is a 4-door sedan or 5-door station wagon.


The redesigned body with a modern design, with fastback styling, which sets the trend for the entire line of Audi cars. This led to an increase in interior space and a decrease in the drag coefficient, which amounted to 0.28.

In 2000 and 2001, the "C5" A6 was included in the magazine's "Best of" list "Car and Driver". In 2002, a facelift was carried out - the design of the headlights and radiator grille was redesigned, open exhaust pipes and minor changes in body accessories were introduced. New engines were also introduced.

As always, there is plenty to choose from among the engines. Petrol — 4-cylinder 1.8 and 2.0 liters with power from 125 to 150 hp, 6-cylinder V-shaped with power from 2.4 to 3.0 liters with power from 165 to 247 hp, 8-cylinder V-shaped with power of 4.2 liters with power of 295 hp. Diesel — 4-cylinder 1.9 liters with power from 110 to 131 hp, 6-cylinder V-shaped with power of 2.5 liters with power from 150 to 179 hp, all turbocharged with direct injection.

Five gearbox options - 5- or 6-speed manual, 5-speed automatic, CVT "Multitronic" and a 5-speed automatic transmission with the "Tiptronic" system.

Audi C6 (2004-2011)

Next A6 (Typ 4F) was released in 2004. The design was developed by Japanese designer Satoshi Wada in 2001. Visually, this model looks like an evolution of the C5, but the length was increased by 131 mm, and the radiator grille took a high shape in the form of an inverted trapezoid as on all Audi models. Like other modern Audis, the A6 has a "tornado line" that runs from the front headlights to the rear lights just below the side windows. The body shapes also remained in the form of a 4-door sedan or a 5-door station wagon.

The most notable new feature is the Multimedia Interface (MMI), which is a system that controls audio and video, satellite navigation, climate control, vehicle settings such as suspension configuration and other functions via a central screen interface. This minimises the number of buttons on the dashboard by replacing them with controls that operate multiple devices using an integrated display.

New direct fuel injection technology has been introduced in internal combustion engines "Fuel Stratified Injection" (FSI). There is only one 4-cylinder petrol engine left - a 2.0-liter engine with a capacity of 170 hp, four 6-cylinder V-shaped engines with a capacity of 2.4 to 3.2 liters with a capacity of 177 to 252 hp, as well as two 8-cylinder V-shaped engines with a capacity of 4.2 liters with a capacity of 335 and 350 hp. There is also only one 4-cylinder diesel engine left - a 2.0-liter engine with a capacity of 140 hp, the remaining 6-cylinder V-shaped engines with a capacity of 2.7 and 3.2 liters with a capacity of 161 to 236 hp.

There are three types of gearboxes: 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic "Tiptronic" and CVT "Multitronic" with the possibility of manual selection of 7 speeds.

On August 12, 2008, Audi unveiled a facelifted C6 at the Moscow International Motor Show. The facelift includes some modern Audi features to keep the look in line with the rest of the lineup.

Audi C7 (2011-2018)

The fourth generation of the Audi A6 C7 series (Typ 4G) was launched in early 2011 for the European market and in other markets shortly thereafter. Its appearance was heavily influenced by Audi A8 (D4). The five-door hatchback coupe Audi A7 separated from this generation of A6 (Typ 4G8), which was released shortly before that, also in 2011. Compared to the A8 and A7, the A6 has a more aggressive front end and LED headlights. Work on the design of the A6 began in 2006, and the exterior design by Jürgen Löffler was chosen in 2008.

The new A6 has increased its wheelbase by almost 3 inches (76 mm) and its width by 2.7 inches (69 mm). The redesign also allowed the car to achieve a drag coefficient of 0.25. The body shapes also remained as a 4-door sedan and a 5-door station wagon.

The 2012 model year A6 includes all the driver assistance systems from the A8, plus a head-up display, active lane assist, full LED headlights with automatic high beam or adaptive light with variable high beam range (xenon).

Petrol engines - 4-cylinder 2.0 liters with 178 and 208 hp, 6-cylinder V-shaped with 2.5 to 3.0 liters with 190 to 306 hp. Diesel - 4-cylinder 2.0 liters with 177 hp, 6-cylinder V-shaped with 3.0 liters with 204 to 309 hp, all turbocharged with direct injection.

An updated version of the C7 appeared at the Paris Motor Show in 2014. The update includes styling tweaks to the car's exterior, engine management system, transmissions and MMI infotainment system with a faster Tegra 3 processor, handwriting recognition, modern 4G mobile internet, online GPS map updates and improved Matrix LED headlights.

Audi А6 C7, Avant, back view

Audi А6 C7 2011 year, салон

Audi А6 C7, Avant, trunk

Audi C8 (2018-present)

The fifth generation of the business sedan Audi A8 C8 (factory code Typ 4K) was presented at the Geneva International Motor Show in March 2018 and went on sale in June 2018. In March, a station wagon version was presented. The following year, 2019, the long-wheelbase Audi A6L was presented in January, the sports Audi S3 in April, and the station wagon-based A6 allroad quattro in June. The car is based on the MLB evo platform, which is used for almost all Audi models of these years, as well as for the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne 3 and VW Touareg 3. The dimensions of the sedan and station wagon were: length 4939 mm, width 1886, height 1457 mm, wheelbase 2924 mm and curb weight of 2230-2310 kg.

Standard equipment includes LED headlights with driver assistance systems, four-wheel steering and a level 3 autonomous driving system, which is not yet active due to current legislation. The interior systems are controlled via touchscreens, but mechanical controls remain. All touchscreens also have haptic feedback. In the 2018 Euro NCAP crash test, the car received five stars.



Petrol engines are represented by the following models: 2.0 liters (1984 cm³, VW EA888, I4, 245-265 hp), 3.0 liters (2995 cm³, EA839, V6, 340 hp), 3.0 liters (2894 cm³, EA839, V6, turbo, 450 hp) and 4.0 liters (3996 cm³, EA825, V8, turbo, 600 hp). Diesel engines were installed with a volume of 2.0 liters (1968 cm³, EA288evo, I4, 163-204 hp), 3.0 liters (2967 cm³, EA897evo2/3, V6, 231-344 hp). The transmission is a seven-speed S-Tronic or an eight-speed tiptronic. Most models have a mild hybrid drive scheme.

Audi А6 C8, allroad

Audi А6 C8, interior

Audi А6 C8, under the hood