2021 Audi A6

2021 A6 Photos
The 2021 Audi A6 is a luxury mid-size sedan that keeps with tradition. Its familiar three-box design and conservative styling is a refreshing antidote to dramatically styled crossovers that have largely taken over the market. There's also a wagon variant for those who prefer their family runabouts low and long as opposed to tall and tippy.

More standard features come to the 2021 models. Base Premium models now get 19-inch wheels, keyless entry, and an integrated toll transponder. Adaptive cruise control has been made standard on the mid-tier Premium Plus models. Top-of-the-line Prestige trims now include power rear sunshades.

More exciting news surrounds the wagon, which is now being offered in fire-breathing RS guise. Audi saves the RS moniker for the most potent variants of a given model, and the RS6 Avant is no exception to that. Between its bulging front fenders lies a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 that thumps out a full 591 horsepower. Don't expect to bring one of these home for less than $110,000, however.

Those whose budgets are a bit more modest than that will want to start their shopping with the base powertrain, known as the 45 TFSI. This 2.0-liter turbo-4 engine has been upgraded this year with mild-hybrid tech, which boosts output to 261 hp. A 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive help the 45 TFSI-powered A6 pull off 0-60 mph sprints in a brisk 6.1 seconds.

Splitting the difference between the performance models and the turbo-4 is the 55 TFSI. This refers to a 3.0-liter turbo V-6 that makes a healthy 335 hp. Like the base engine, the 7-speed transmission and all-wheel drive both come standard.

The S6's 444-hp 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6 and $75,395 starting price neatly fills in the space between the 55 TFSI and the RS Avant. It can click off 0-60 mph runs in about 4.4 seconds. All-wheel drive is once again standard, but the 7-speed dual-clutch is swapped out in favor of an 8-speed automatic.

Fuel economy ranges widely based on engine choice. The 45 TFSI is good for 24 mpg city, 32 highway, 27 combined. The 55 TFSI is slightly worse at 22/29/24 mpg. The A6 Allroad wagon, which is exclusively powered by the turbo V-6, is rated at 20/26/22 mpg; that's about on par with the S6's 18/28/22 mpg. The RS6 hasn't been rated by the EPA, but expect it to be the thirstiest of the bunch by a good margin.

Standard active-safety equipment is limited to automatic emergency braking, though Premium Plus models add adaptive cruise control with active lane control. The sparse list of standard safety features is balanced out by the excellent safety ratings from the IIHS and NHTSA: the former called the A6 a Top Safety Pick Plus, while the latter awarded it a five-star overall rating.
Full Review

The 2021 Audi A6 is a luxury mid-size sedan that keeps with tradition. Its familiar three-box design and conservative styling is a refreshing antidote to dramatically styled crossovers that have largely taken over the market. There's also a wagon variant for those who prefer their family runabouts low and long as opposed to tall and tippy.

More standard features come to the 2021 models. Base Premium models now get 19-inch wheels, keyless entry, and an integrated toll transponder. Adaptive cruise control has been made standard on the mid-tier Premium Plus models. Top-of-the-line Prestige trims now include power rear sunshades.

More exciting news surrounds the wagon, which is now being offered in fire-breathing RS guise. Audi saves the RS moniker for the most potent variants of a given model, and the RS6 Avant is no exception to that. Between its bulging front fenders lies a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 that thumps out a full 591 horsepower. Don't expect to bring one of these home for less than $110,000, however.

Those whose budgets are a bit more modest than that will want to start their shopping with the base powertrain, known as the 45 TFSI. This 2.0-liter turbo-4 engine has been upgraded this year with mild-hybrid tech, which boosts output to 261 hp. A 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive help the 45 TFSI-powered A6 pull off 0-60 mph sprints in a brisk 6.1 seconds.

Splitting the difference between the performance models and the turbo-4 is the 55 TFSI. This refers to a 3.0-liter turbo V-6 that makes a healthy 335 hp. Like the base engine, the 7-speed transmission and all-wheel drive both come standard.

The S6's 444-hp 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6 and $75,395 starting price neatly fills in the space between the 55 TFSI and the RS Avant. It can click off 0-60 mph runs in about 4.4 seconds. All-wheel drive is once again standard, but the 7-speed dual-clutch is swapped out in favor of an 8-speed automatic.

Fuel economy ranges widely based on engine choice. The 45 TFSI is good for 24 mpg city, 32 highway, 27 combined. The 55 TFSI is slightly worse at 22/29/24 mpg. The A6 Allroad wagon, which is exclusively powered by the turbo V-6, is rated at 20/26/22 mpg; that's about on par with the S6's 18/28/22 mpg. The RS6 hasn't been rated by the EPA, but expect it to be the thirstiest of the bunch by a good margin.

Standard active-safety equipment is limited to automatic emergency braking, though Premium Plus models add adaptive cruise control with active lane control. The sparse list of standard safety features is balanced out by the excellent safety ratings from the IIHS and NHTSA: the former called the A6 a Top Safety Pick Plus, while the latter awarded it a five-star overall rating.
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Retail Price

$54,900 - $59,800 MSRP / Window Sticker Price
Engine I-4
MPG Up to 23 city / 31 highway
Seating 5 Passengers
Transmission 7-spd auto-shift man w/OD, S tronic 7-spd auto-shift man w/OD
Power 248 - 335 hp
Drivetrain quattro ultra all wheel
Curb Weight 4,101 - 4,266 lbs
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