Audi Revealed The Next-Gen A6 Avant In Brown To Make You Americans Even More Annoyed

Audi continues its full lineup overhaul with the redesigned sixth-generation A6, which it has first unveiled in Avant wagon form. Not to be confused with the electric A6 E-Tron that was introduced last year, this A6 is powered by internal combustion engines. "But I thought that Audi was using even numbers for EVs and odd numbers for ICE cars," you might be saying. Well, that was true — this new A6 was initially gonna be called A7, like how the gas-powered replacement for the A4 is called A5 — but just a few weeks ago Audi reversed that plan, acknowledging that the naming scheme was confusing. Thus, enter your new gas-powered (or diesel-powered) A6 Avant.

Well, I say your new A6 Avant, but that's only true if you don't live in the U.S., because of course we won't get the Avant here. To really rub it in, all of Audi's reveal images are of an A6 Avant in a wonderful shade of dark brown. There's no manual transmission option obviously, but a brown diesel wagon? I just know y'all are salivating. Still, don't click away just yet. While the A6 Avant won't be coming here we will get the upcoming Allroad version, and of course the normal A6 sedan as well, which will have a normal trunk instead of the liftback hatch that the A5 and A6 E-Trons get.

I've been a bit wishy-washy on new Audi designs as of late. The cars are all handsome, but most of them aren't particularly interesting, especially the ICE models. I think this new A6 Avant is really wonderful, though. Its wheelbase is basically identical to the outgoing A6 Avant but the new model has been stretched by 2.4 inches in overall length, and its roofline is even more rakish. Audi says it has a drag coefficient of 0.25, which is the best of any ICE Audi and just 0.01 behind the A6 E-Tron Avant. I like the prominent shoulder lines — the widebody RS6 should look really awesome — and despite a long rear overhang the Avant doesn't look saggy or too heavy.

Audi's signature single-frame grille is absolutely gigantic on the new A6, extending all the way down to the lip of the bumper, and it's flanked by large triangular air curtains and topped by a hood with some nicely sculpted bulges. Unlike Audi's EVs there are no split headlights here, just slim LEDs with 48 individual segments per light; optional matrix lights have a "hexagon-perforated stainless-steel screen" covering the section with the customizable running lights. There are split taillights, though, which might be my favorite detail. The actual brake lights themselves are in the narrow upper housings, with 198 OLED segments on each side that can display different designs and shapes, like warning triangles if there's an accident ahead. Then there's the full-width light bar, which sits below the taillights with a piece of bodywork between them. It's a cool look. 

Step inside and the new A6 looks nearly identical to the A5, from the design of the dashboard to the center console, with only slight differences in the door panels. You get a curved OLED display that combines an 11.9-inch gauge cluster and a 14.5-inch central touchscreen, with the option of a 10.9-inch touchscreen for the front passenger. There aren't many physical controls to be found, as nearly everything is controlled by the new MMI infotainment system. An optional head-up display is 85 percent larger than before, and it can control vehicle and infotainment functions for the first time. Audi uses ambient lighting more sparingly than some of its competitors, but a "dynamic interaction light" made of 84 LEDs stretches along the base of the windshield, displaying animations for things like the turn signals and safety systems. You can also get an electrochromic panoramic glass roof with nine individually controlled segments, like the one on the Porsche Taycan.

Of course, there's more space for passengers and cargo compared to the smaller A5 Avant. Audi says it has up to 17.8 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, with two large suitcases able to fit side by side thanks to the wide cargo area. With the seats folded you get 54 cubic feet of space, and a partition net, in-floor rail system and storage compartments come standard.

In Europe the A6 will launch with three different powertrains, two of which have 48-volt mild-hybrid systems and all of which use a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. The base gas engine is a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 that sends 201 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels, and it'll hit 62 mph in 8.3 seconds. In the U.S. we'd certainly get a more powerful entry-level powertrain, as the current base model A6 has a turbo four with 261 hp.

Then there are the two mild-hybrid engines, which both have a 1.7-kWh battery pack and an electric motor-generator that can provide a boost of up to 24 hp and 170 lb-ft. First is the turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 diesel, which also makes 201 hp but 295 lb-ft of torque and is offered with either front-wheel drive or Quattro all-wheel drive; the FWD one will hit 62 mph in 7.9 seconds while the AWD versions needs just 7.0 seconds. A powertrain we'll certainly get in America is the turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 that puts out 362 hp and 406 lb-ft and is only offered with Quattro. Audi says it'll hit 62 mph in 4.7 seconds. In addition to the power boost and smoother start/stop operation, both 48-volt powertrains do allow for a modicum of electric-only driving while coasting or moving slowly in traffic or the city, and they both can recover up to 25 kW of power through braking regen.

Audi says the new A6 is more comfortable than its predecessor whether you have the standard suspension, the 0.8-inch-lower sport suspension, or the optional adaptive air suspension. The difference between driving modes has been increased. In pursuit of better steering response and feedback, Audi stiffened the entire path from the steering wheel to the wheels including the control arm bushings, the torsion bar at the steering gear and the rigidly bolted steering rack. Audi also increased the front axle's camber. The electromechanical progressive steering is more indirect at highway speeds but becomes sharper and more direct at low city speeds.

Newly available on the A6 is rear-wheel steering, which can turn the rear wheels in the opposite direction of the fronts by up to five degrees at speeds of up to 37 mph, decreasing the turning circle by as much as one meter. At high speeds, the rear wheels turn in phase with the fronts for more stability. You can also get the new A6 with brake torque vectoring, and the V6 model has an optional sport differential at the rear axle that variably distributes torque between the rear wheels. Quattro models can automatically decouple the rear axle for better efficiency, or apply an up to 30:70 front-to-rear torque split when driving hard.

The new A6 Avant is ready to order now in Europe, with prices starting at €58,000 for the entry-level gas four-cylinder and €61,700 for the diesel. First deliveries will start at the end of May, and the A6 will be built at the same Neckarsulm, Germany plant as the outgoing model.

As for when we'll see the A6 sedan and Allroad, I'd expect the former to come within a couple months while the latter may not be shown until closer to the end of the year. The S6 will follow at some point, maybe this year as well, but you'll probably have to wait until 2026 to see the RS6, which will have a rip-roaring plug-in-hybrid V6 powertrain.