First, however, let’s take a look at how the design has evolved. The silhouette has stayed virtually identical, and that’s a good thing. It has an almost-cab-rearward shape, with a long bonnet and
a stretched, curved glasshouse pulled far back, ending in a relatively short boot. Softer, smoother design elements are replaced by sharper, squarer, more in-your-face details. If you thought the new BMW grilles were big, you should get a load of Audi’s latest single-frame ‘Bulgarian Beard’. It’s wider than ever and all chrome, with more of the shiny stuff down in the bumper. The full-LED headlamps are a lot more angular now and feature a new DRL signature instead of the one we’re used to. At the back too, the impression you get is ‘familiar, but more’. The tail-lamps are larger and feature cool, intricate LED detailing, and are joined by a thin chrome strip. You’ll find more chrome in the bumper, including what looks like a pair of dual exhaust tips but are actually just a design element. There are many new creases – several on the bonnet and some on the fenders, while the shoulder crease has now been split in two, to independently accentuate the front and rear wheel arches.
Understated is perhaps a word you could’ve used to describe some older Audi interiors, but certainly not this one. The dashboard is full of layers and protruding slabs, made of brushed aluminium, art-leather, piano black trim and some very nice-looking open-pore wood veneer. There are even thick bands of brushed metal across the doors, which really drive that premium point home; most players in the luxury sedan game are at this standard of quality at the moment, but the A6 makes an effort to put it right where you can see and touch it.