2009 Audi A6

2009 Audi A6 2009 Audi A6
First Drive Review

Over the past decade, Audi has made huge inroads into the full-size-sedan (and station wagon) market in Europe. A lot of buyers have been disappointed with the Bangled styling of the BMW 5-series and left cold by the conservative Mercedes E-class. As a result, the fast lane on the autobahn is all but dominated by corporate Germany's armada of black, xenon-headlamp-armed Audi A6 sedans and wagons.

One year after a slight face lift of the BMW 5-series and six months before Mercedes launches an all-new E-class at the Geneva auto show, the time is right for Audi to give its A6 a makeover. The most interesting feature is an available supercharged V-6, but before we get there, let's check out the cosmetics.

The front end gets Audi's now-trademark LED daytime running lights in the form of slim strips. The huge grille—Audi calls it "single frame"—has a slightly different shape. The most obvious novelties are the gigantic (if only partly functional) air intakes that dominate the front bumper. Aggressive but somewhat inelegant, these A6 bumpers make the more powerful and sporty S6, which uses a front bumper with LED strips mounted lower, suddenly appear modest and subtle.

Although the changes in the front are debatable, the rear styling of the sedan clearly profits from a new trunklid and wider taillights. A fake diffuser mirrors the front air intakes. The tailgate and taillights of the Avant wagon remain almost unchanged, which is fine with us; the A6 Avant may be the most beautiful station wagon on the market. Four years after its launch in Germany, the A6 still looks crisp, and the changes should give it enough newness to stand its own against the competition.

More Gadgets than Your Favorite Inspector

Inside, the electronics are improved. The A6 features the third-generation of Audi’s Multi Media Interface (MMI). The changes are mainly internal. For example, there are now just two control units for the MMI instead of five or more. The graphics are somewhat more sophisticated, if not outstanding. There is a new joystick on top of the controller knob to let you navigate more easily. MMI is a complex system, but we'd argue that it remains more intuitive than BMW's iDrive. And although we like touch-screen displays, we greatly prefer this to any touch-screen system that blanks out functions while the car is moving.

We suspect that overly safety-minded customers have clamored for the lane-assist system that makes the steering wheel vibrate excitedly as you are about to veer off the road. In reality, every time you change a lane without using your signal, and every time you dare to cut a corner, you are reminded of your impropriety. The buzz is loud enough for the passenger to notice, too.

There is also a side-assist system that monitors the driver’s blind spots. If a car is in a blind spot or approaches rapidly from behind, an amber light visible to the driver comes on in the side-view mirror. In this type of a situation, if you activate a signal with intent to change lanes, the light will begin flashing rapidly. If you don't use the signal? Well, there is always lane assist to remind you to do so.