Verdict
B
Luxury Saloon · Germany · 1997-Present
Audi A6
Audi A6 — spec data and generation history.
Years
1997-Present
Generations
4
Segment
Luxury Saloon
Audi's executive saloon — replacement for the Audi 100 in 1997. C5 (1997–2004), C6 (2004–2011), C7 (2011–2018), C8 (2018–Present). Saloon and Avant (estate) bodies always; Allroad off-road estate variant from C5; A6 e-tron arriving 2025+ as a separate EV. Sits below the A8 flagship. Always longitudinal engine, almost always quattro available, almost always more conservative than the M5/E-Class AMG. S6 / RS6 covered separately.
What changed
Era-to-era deltas
C7 2011-2018 → C8 2018-Present
BHP +8 bhp
Torque +10 Nm
0–60 mph −0.2 s
Top speed +0 mph
MPG +5 mpg
Generations
Click any generation for the full deep dive
1997-2004
C5
→
2.7T quattro — 250 bhp, 0-62 in 6.7s.
Verdict
C
BHP
250
0–60
6.7 s
Top
155 mph
MPG
20 mpg
Used
$1,000-$4,400
- + First modern A6
- + Avant estate practical
- − Multitronic reliability
- − Cabin small for class
2004-2011
C6
→
3.0 TFSI quattro — 296 bhp, 0-62 in 5.9s.
Verdict
B
BHP
296
0–60
5.9 s
Top
155 mph
MPG
25 mpg
Used
$2,500-$10,000
- + Bigger cabin
- + Single-frame grille
- − Carbon build-up on 2.0 TFSI
- − Multitronic still
2011-2018
C7
→
3.0 TDI biturbo quattro — 320 bhp, 0-62 in 5.1s.
Verdict
B
BHP
320
0–60
5.1 s
Top
155 mph
MPG
32 mpg
Used
$7,600-$23,000
- + MLB platform refinement
- + Virtual Cockpit option late-life
- − EA189 Dieselgate
- − Air suspension wear
2018-Present
C8
→
50 TDI quattro MHEV — 282 bhp, 0-62 in 5.5s.
Verdict
B
BHP
282
0–60
5.5 s
Top
155 mph
MPG
39 mpg
Used
$25,000-$79,000
- + MLB Evo with MHEV
- + Cabin tech step on
- − No A6 PHEV in UK
- − MMI initial freezes
Known issues by generation
Common faults reported on each generation — useful when shopping the used market.
1997-2004 · C5
- 1.8T sludge build-up
- Multitronic CVT failures
- 2.5 TDI V6 cam follower wear
2004-2011 · C6
- 2.0 TFSI carbon build-up
- Multitronic CVT (still)
- 2.7/3.0 TDI swirl flap intake
2011-2018 · C7
- EA189 Dieselgate
- S-Tronic 7DCT mechatronic
- Air suspension compressor wear
2018-Present · C8
- EA Eight 8AT mechatronic
- MMI freezes pre-2020
- AdBlue dosing on TDI MHEV
Rivals
BMW 5 Series · Mercedes E-Class · Jaguar XF · Volvo S90