Test drive Audi A6 and A8
Canyon, serpentines, endless vineyards and two limousines - we travel through Provence in the most respectable sedans of the Audi brand
A long black executive car does not seem to be the most convenient means of transportation for the ascent to the Verdon Canyon. If, as it should be, royally lounging in the back row with a laptop, you will quickly get seasick. And if you go against the stereotypes, sitting behind the wheel, adjust the seat and steering wheel for yourself and start to the sound of a 460-horsepower engine towards the nearest hairpin, negative sensations will be replaced by excitement and burning eyes. Riding to the limit on narrow mountain serpentines is a real pleasure.
A rare case: three riders literally fought to get behind the wheel of the long-wheelbase version of the Audi A8. The remaining two shared a seat next to the driver, and the loser in any case was the one who would be in the back, surrounded by tablets with Internet access, with their own climate control system and an almost personal sofa bed. Although, under normal conditions, people would have fought for the right back row seat.
The rear seats in the A8 are truly masterpieces. These are real spa chairs with foot massage and heated feet. Back massage after this can be considered a common thing. But in the turbulence of high-speed ascent, both massage and heating of the feet seemed like ballast. As well as a voice assistant that is even capable of conducting an intelligent conversation. The program asks questions, suggests options, and yields to the speaker when interrupted.
Only 50 km separate the flat part of Provence from the view of the largest canyon in Europe. And most of the way goes up the serpentine. Vineyards give way to lakes, then rocks with chamber waterfalls appear. And at the very top there are breathtaking views of a 25-kilometer canyon with a depth of 700 m with golden eagles soaring at arm's length.
With each new loop of the road, the wind increases. After a couple of selfies in the field for a photo, the crew quickly returned to the cozy leather interior of the car, warmed by the heater. Closer to the top, passengers stopped leaving it altogether, taking pictures of a winding turquoise mountain river just through an open window. The nature of these places fascinates with eternity, in much the same way as the Audi Quattro all-wheel drive system with its stability.
The higher the vehicle speed, the better the A8 clings to asphalt, occasionally squealing with winter tires. Even BMW owners cannot dispute that the largest Audi sedan is ideal for driving on a straight, flat road on the highway. But the fact that the car will turn out to be cheerful and angry on fast winding serpentines was a pleasant surprise. The A8 with a 4,0-liter engine, a mild hybrid system and an 8-speed Tiptronic gearbox takes 4,5 seconds to accelerate to "hundreds", although we are talking about a long-wheelbase limousine. Even a sports car will envy such numbers. Surprisingly, the Audi A8L gives so much pleasant emotions that for a second it can be confused even with the R8.
Mild hybrid, or mild hybrid, works in these conditions in a very interesting way. This device is standard for all A8 configurations: the internal combustion engine is equipped with a belt-driven starter-generator and a lithium-ion battery that stores energy during braking. The system allows the Audi A8 to coast at speeds between 55 and 160 km / h with the engine off for about 40 seconds. As soon as the driver presses the gas, the starter starts the engine.
The second part of the journey took place in the salon of an elongated Audi A6 sedan, and the whole team experienced déjà vu: there was no desire to get out from behind the wheel again either in a quiet city or in forest crossings. Even taking into account the fact that the nature around was like a postcard, and the soundproofing of the cabin so tightly protected the riders from external noises that sometimes they had to open the window, listening to the sounds of nature.
The front bumper of the car is littered with sensors and cameras, among which there is a lidar scanning the space in front of the car. It is an important part of Audi's artificial intelligence, which helps to see obstacles from the front, distinguish between signs, lane markings and the roadside. Most often, the car itself knows when to brake and where to accelerate. But it still checks to see if the driver keeps his hands on the steering wheel, and vibrates gently if he thinks he is distracted.
It is difficult to say who was more involved in driving - the driver or the electronics. How delicately the car fit into turns at speed speaks more about the quality of the chassis tuning and electronic assistant systems, but I really want to think that the driver's skill still matters. And Audi A6 does not do everything by itself, but simply helps and prompts.
Most surprising is the fact that, from the passenger's point of view, both in terms of equipment, and in terms of settings and balance of the chassis, the difference between the A8 and A6 seems almost insignificant. What matters is size and power, and that's okay in both cases. The test A6 was equipped with a 3,0-liter TFSI with 340 hp. with. and a seven-speed S-tronic. Had the "six" got the most powerful engine from the A8, it would have been a "charged" sedan with the RS nameplate. But even without him, our descent from the rocky serpentine to the plain turned out to be fast, powerful and impudent.
Despite this, the real and almost primal driving pleasure that you get from driving these limousines, Audi is still heading towards fine-tuning the autopilot technology for the entire model line. The cars are almost ready to move on their own, and this is a little sad, because electronics are increasingly turning beautiful technologies and test hours into dry numbers of technical specifications. Emotions are replaced by pragmatic numbers, and the sparkle in the eyes gives way to cold calculation - much like it happens in a dealership when discussing the cost of a purchase.
The base cost of the Audi A6 in Russia is symbolically less than 4 million rubles, but a test car in the top version with a 340-horsepower engine costs 6 rubles. A well-equipped "eight" is more than twice as expensive, although it does not differ too much in the set of equipment, but it has a powerful motor. And this is a lot of money that you want to spend on something important, weighty and long lasting. That will give you the opportunity to work comfortably on the way and, finally, that can give a storm of emotions from the winding serpentine. Still capable.
| Body type | Sedan | Sedan |
| dimensions (length, width, height), mm | 5302/1945/1488 | 4939/1886/1457 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 3128 | 2924 |
| Curb weight, kg | 2020 | 1845 |
| Cargo space, l | 505 | 530 |
| engine's type | Gasoline, turbo | Gasoline, turbo |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | 3996 | 2995 |
| Power, hp with. at rpm | 460 / 5500-6800 | 340 / 5000-6400 |
| Max. cool. moment, Nm at rpm | 660 / 1800-4500 | 500 / 1370-4500 |
| Transmission, drive | 8-st. Automatic transmission, full | 7-step, robot., Full |
| Max. speed km / h | 250 | 250 |
| Acceleration 0-100 km / h, s | 4,5 | 5,1 |
| Fuel consumption (sms. cycle), l | 10 | 6,8 |
| Cost, USD | from 118 760 | from 52 350 |
