2025 Audi A6 Avant: prices and specs of Audi’s BMW 5-series fighter revealed
What was meant to be called A7 until very recently looks every bit the svelte upmarket exec to fight BMW and Mercedes
The first model to be launched under Audi’s new naming strategy is the new petrol- and diesel-powered Audi A6, that will join the electric version in the lineup (we've just driven the S6), at least in name alone. Why two different A6s? Well, these combustion A6s were meant to be A7s until very recently, when Audi decided to ditch its ‘odds ICE, evens electric’ naming strategy that is the reason why the new A5 is in fact the A4 replacement.
Confusing it might be when taken as a whole but what Audi wants owners of the last A6, and large exec buyers as a whole to know, is this: whether you want electric, petrol or diesel power, there’s a new Audi A6 for you. Here to battle the BMW 5-series and Mercedes-Benz E-class as it always has, the new A6 will also serve as the basis for the next-generation Audi RS6, which is expected to combine V8 and electric power.
2025 Audi A6 – engines and specs
From a technical perspective, the new A6 largely follows in the footsteps of the A5 and Q5. Initially the A6 will be available with two 2-litre turbocharged engines familiar to those who have driven the A5 range – one petrol and one diesel, with the latter employing 48-volt mild hybrid tech to improve emissions and performance. Sadly, there will be no V6 engines – or any larger mills than the 2-litres at all – and as yet, there’s no plug-in hybrid, though if the A5’s launch timeline is anything to go by, a PHEV will be along before too long.
The MHEV+ system, as it does in the A5 and Q5, will allow diesel A6s to run on electric power alone at low speeds and in low-demand scenarios. Whether dawdling around a car park, trundling along in stop-start traffic, the diesel engine should stay dormant. It also adds 23bhp and 169lb ft to the powertrain’s 201bhp and 295lb ft total output – the latter especially useful, adding low-down punch – and can regenerate quicker than a traditional mild hybrid system too.
> The V8-powered Audi RS6 isn’t dead after all
The petrol engine is Audi’s familiar 2-litre TFSI mill also seen in the A5, now with a variable geometry turbo for more response but without the 48-volt system. It also produces 201bhp, though torque is lower at 250lb ft. The diesel gets all the toys it seems, with Audi’s signature Quattro all-wheel drive system only available in combination with the oil-burner. Both engines will put power to the wheels, whether two or four, via the seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch transmission, which now has revised gear teeth for quieter running. If those engines sound like they might be a little lost in a car as large as the A6, the on-paper figures give a clue as to what it should be capable of: 0-62mph in 8.3sec and 7sec and top speeds of 149 and 148mph respectively, for the petrol and diesel.
2025 Audi A6 – chassis and handling
The new A6 being a bigger, more luxurious offering than its A5 stablemates, can be had with a new adaptive air suspension system. Capable of regulating ride height and shock absorption, it can drop the car by 20mm in Sport mode and 30mm in Dynamic mode, compared to the Normal, Balanced, Comfort and Efficiency settings. It will also lower the car for aerodynamic benefit at speeds of over 75mph and can lift the car by 20mm at speeds of up to 53mph for uneven or snowy terrain. You can even raise and lower it using Audi assistant with your voice.
As with the A5, Audi has spread the scope of the drive select system, for a tighter sportier feel in Dynamic and more refinement in Comfort. If you don’t option the air suspension, there is a sport spring and damper suspension option that sits the car 20mm lower. The new A6 also has brake torque vectoring to improve manoeuvrability, while the steering system is stiffer for improved feel and response. UK buyers will not be able to order the all-wheel-steering option, though we expect the RS6 will feature this when it arrives.
Being quieter and more comfortable is a running theme of the new A6, with sound insulation increased by up to 30 percent compared to the outgoing car without adding weight. New bushings for the engine and transmission mounts also help, as do tighter window seals and noise absorbing foam rings in the tyres of A6s with wheels sized 19-inches or larger.
2025 Audi A6 design – you can tell this was going to be an A7
The aerodynamics of the new A6 have been a big focus for this A6, though the accolade of being the slipperiest combustion Audi Avant yet made doesn’t sound groundbreaking but a Cd value of 0.25 is mightily impressive. So is this thing’s vast presence. The new A6 is 60mm longer than the car it replaces at 4990mm, with the 1927mm wheelbase making it roomier inside. It’s also 1880mm wide without mirrors.
The whole ‘it was going to be called A7’ thing is really quite obvious when you look at the new A6. This is a much sportier, attitude-laden car than the A6 it replaces, with lighting, grilles and muscularity much more in keeping with the current A7 four-door coupe and for that matter, the current RS6. It’s also much more conventional to look at than its slightly gawky electric-powered A6 e-tron stablemate, it’s almost as if they’re unrelated. The large trapezoidal grille and air curtain intakes dominate, while the sharp matrix LED lights are, unlike the e-tron, where they’re supposed to be.
Moving rearward, sharp grooves that run the length of the bonnet speak to a multi-cylinder V engine this car won’t be receiving until it becomes the next RS6, likewise the box arches. The rear quarter glass slopes more aggressively than ever and the boot follows suit. The now ubiquitous light bar is present and correct, though it’s separate from the actual light units on both sides. The long and the short of it? It’s big but it’s a proper Audi in the traditional sense: contemporary, cool, stylish.
2025 Audi A6 interior
Inside, Audi’s ‘digital stage’ makes its way over to the new A6. That means an 11.9-inch virtual cockpit display and a 14.5-inch MMI OLED display. Does that mean the new A6 has one screen less than the last one, which had a lower panel dedicated to climate controls? Not if you’re in an Edition 1 spec car, which like the A5 and S5, has a passenger display. If the user experience is anything like the A5 and the new Audi S6 e-tron, with which this 'digital stage' is largely shared, it'll be surprisingly pleasant to use, the new system possessed of more common sense than some exceedingly digitised efforts.
Like the A5, there’s an ‘interaction light’ that blinks with indicators, has a welcome function, and will flash when the car is locked or unlocked. The new A6, being a bit bigger than the outgoing car, should be more spacious inside.
Audi A6 price and release date
When the Audi A6 Avant goes on sale on April 1, it’ll be available in Sport, S line and Edition 1 specifications, with prices starting from £52,510, undercutting the equivalent BMW 5-series and Mercedes E-class.
> Audi RS5 Avant and saloon spied testing: 500bhp of V6 hybrid power expected
What about the next RS6? Well, apart from narrowly escaping being bumped off like the RS4 was (the RS5s that are to take its place are coming later this year), we don’t know a huge amount about it for sure. In all likelihood, it will use a V8 engine and hybrid system not unlike that seen in the latest Bentley Continentals and the Flying Spur. That’ll certainly be enough to give the RS6 the 700bhp+ figure it’ll need to take on the latest BMW M5.
