Audi India have been always considered the middle road for those seeking a fine combination of luxury and performance whereas its counterparts like BMW and Mercedes are at the higher spectrum of performance or luxury respectively. The only sore point was that all of Audi’s cars were priced at a sizeable premium than the other two manufacturers. This lead luxury car buyers to either settle for the BMW or Mercedes cars. The Audi A6 is one of the highest selling cars from the Audi stables and to get this figures up and at the same time keep the Audi pride, Audi India have introduced a new Audi A6 2.7 Tdi with a down sized engine.
Audi India knows that most of the customer in this price bracket are usually chauffer driven and would care a nary about the car’s engine configuration. They would be more interested in the ride quality, interior features and been an Indian, fuel efficiency. The Audi A6 2.7 Tdi is a looker like the rest of its stable mates. There are no changes visually for this new car and the only giveaway is the 2.7 badging at the rear. The interiors are also carried forward from the now extinct 3 liter engine. This means that you get the 3rd generation MMI system, easy to read gauges and the innovative red colored tips for the needles, excellent build quality and unfortunately still a bit difficult to understand dash controls.
There are lots of cubby holes and a big chilled twin glove box at the center. There is good ride quality and one which is yet to be bettered in this segment. Neither the Mercedes E class or the BMW 5 series can provide the kind of cosseting ride quality that characterizes the new Audi A6 2.7 Tdi’s air suspension. There is no feel of been thrown around while going through sharp bends or corners. However the electronic power steering doesn’t encourage enthusiastic driving as much as the Mercedes or the BMW. The handling is also not at par with its other dynamic rivals due to the soft suspension set up. The only problem is that the NVH character inside the new Audi A6 2.7 Tdi is far more than the BMW 5 series or the Mercedes E class. There is significant amount of tyre and road noise in ton speeds. Low speed rides are well insulated though.
The major change which happened under the hood is the introduction of the 2.7 liter V6 diesel as found on the Audi A4. This engine makes 190 Bhp @ 5,200 rpm and about 360 Nm of torque @ 2,200 rpm. This figures are down by about 90 Bhp and 100 Nm of torque from the previous 3 litre engine. This deficit doesn’t manifest itself while on the go with the Audi A6 2.7 Tdi racing from 0-100 kmph in a scant 8.63 seconds and for the city run, the 0-60 kmph shows up in 3.92 seconds. The gearbox offered is also a 7 speed CVT with manual override. This provides for lightning fast shifts and is quite efficient in its operation.
The Audi A6 2.7 Tdi gives 10. kmpl in the city and about 14.2 kmpl on the highway. These are some of the best figures achieved by the Audi A6 and are at par with the competition. The good news is that the Audi A6 2.7 Tdi will fit into most luxury car buyers pockets due to the fact that it has been priced lower by Rs.8 lakhs than the 3.0 liter Audi A6 diesel engine. The revised price is now Rs. 38.4 lakhs { ex-showroom, Mumbai} and bang in the territory of the BMW M3 and the Mercedes C AMG.
Technical Specification Of Audi A6 2.7 TDI
Engine Description and type: 2.7L 177bhp V6 TDI with turbocharger
Maximum Power: 190 Bhp @ 4,250 rpm
Maximum Torque: 360 Nm @ 2,200 rpm
Valves Per Cylinder: 6
Valve Configuration: DOHC
Fuel Supply System: CRDI
Fuel Type: Diesel
Transmission Type: 7 Speed automatic CVT with manual override
Drive Type: Front wheel drive
Rear Suspension: Independent Trapezoidal link with air cushions
Front Suspension: Four link, double wishbones with anti-roll bar
Steering Type: Electronic Power Assisted Rack & Pinion with Tilt & Telescopic function
Front Brake Type: Ventilated Disc with ABS, EBD and ESP
Rear Brake Type: Solid Disc with ABS, EBD and ESP
Top Speed: 223 kmph {Electronically Limited}
Acceleration (0-100 kmph): 8.63 seconds
Mileage-City (kmpl): 10.0
Mileage-Highway (kmpl): 14.4
Fuel Tank Capacity (litres): 72
Emission Norm Compliance: Euro IV
Tyre Size: 245/45 R 17 alloys
Alloy Wheel Size: 17 inches
No of Doors: 4
Cargo Volume: 548 litres
Seating Capacity: 5
