20/01/09

• Price24,280
• We like...Price, cabin finish, space in rear
• We don't...Cost of extras

Medium-sized exec saloon gets the subtlest of mid-life re-works. And it's now stonking value if you buy an entry modelAudi’s just given its mid-size car, the A6, a makeover. But spotting the differences is best left to auto geeks – the changes inside and out are that minor. The grille has been tidied up and given the look of the RS6 supercar, the wing indicators have altered and a few other details nipped and tucked.

But the biggest change occurs under the bonnet of this 2.0-litre turbodiesel. The old Volkswagen-sourced engine that used to power A6s is pensioned off and a new, more economical unit substituted. It’s good for up to 53.3mpg overall, while its 139g/km of carbon dioxide emissions is low enough to park it in a low tax bracket for company cars.

The new engine runs only with a six-speed manual gearbox, but fortunately it’s smooth and easy, if a little light compared to the weight of the pedals and steering. The engine is grumbly on start-up but quietens as it warms and is a quiet, refined companion at motorway speeds. As is this A6 in total: it’s hushed, restful and settled on its springs.

On the move, it’s very different from its arch-rival, the BMW 5-series. Where that car is set up to deliver precise, satisfying driver responses, the A6 is more tilted towards comfort and so less of-a-piece to drive. It is subtler, more mature in the way that it steers and moves along the road and this’ll be something you’ll appreciate more as the miles rack up, or else dismiss as stodgy or second best.

On other fronts, the car is as you’d want an A6 to be: bigger in the cabin than most rivals, especially if you’re sat in the back, and finished inside to a standard that rival makes can only admire. The boot, meanwhile, is well shaped and deep, with room enough for four big suitcases.

No one aspect of its design stands out; indeed, it’s a model of sober, understated design. But it all hangs together to leave a strong sense of quiet competence. It’s not perfect – the radio, heated seats and other minor controls are fiddly to work, for instance – but it is very good.

The car as it stands is sensibly priced but, like other Audis, it’s too easy to increase its all-up price by shopping from a long list of costly extras. Rating its value depends on what else you can get for around £25,000. For that sum, it won’t be a BMW 5-series or a Mercedes E-class because the cheapest from either line-up costs over £27,000. And this A6 matches the BMW 520d’s fuel economy and emissions, but not its power.

So there’s a case to be made for this A6. It beats its key rivals on price, while delivering a sober, less showy alternative to either. And, with all the strife business is suffering, we’ll bet many execs are looking for a car such as this, that whispers its class and ability, rather than shouting it.

To view new and second-hand Audi A6s, go to motors.co.uk
 

• Engines2.0 turbodiesel
• Power134bhp
• 0-60 mph10.3secs
• Economy53.3mpg
• CO2g/km139
• Insurance groups13E
• EuroNCAP
• Airbags6
• Seats5

Motors.co.uk value verdict: