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20000 km with my used Audi A6 diesel: A gamble that's going well so far

17th June 2023, 14:32 by Utkarsh Chaudhary

The A6 35 TDI shines when it comes to mileage. It returns an overall fuel efficiency of 15-16 kmpl.

BHPian autobahnjpr recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Completed one year of ownership of A6 and in the last one year have driven for about 20k kilometers across all sorts of roads. Here are my observations.

Introduction

It has been one year since I got a pre-owned 2018 AUDI A6 35 TDI as a replacement for my soon-to-expire Dzire Zdi due to completion of 15 years. This was my first experience with a luxury German brand and I had little idea about the pros and cons. It sort of fell into my lap when someone I knew suggested this car being available and within a few days everything was done and finalized.

My theory is that few important things in your life like your wife/partner, house, and car are predestined. If they are meant for you, you will get it. If not, you can circle the earth 10 times, still, nothing will happen. T-bhp forum majorly asked me to avoid the deal, the seller backed out the next day and I started developing anxiety for large and avoidable financial outgo. But, things fell into place and I got it.

In my initial ownership thread, I had tried to detail out the aspects of the car and it might have been colored by the euphoria of owning but here I attempt to offer a more neutral version being a little wiser and more experienced. I hope you all profit from it.

Exterior

Design and Styling

The design and styling are timeless. It is one of the best-looking sedans among the entire lot and this being the matrix S-line version, the lights enhance the looks further. It is pleasing to the eye from all angles and all directions, whether moving or stationary. I still find it quite pleasing to look at.

Build quality, fit and finish

Typical German solid build quality. No hard plastics anywhere. No squeaks, rattles, nothing. Top-notch.

Wheels and Tyres

The car rides on 245/55 R18 tyres with nice-looking alloy wheels. When I went for the first time alignment balancing, one of the rims had a slight bend which I got straightened. I feel 55 profile is low for Indian roads and should at least be 65 to handle the potholes and other obstacles. During one of the trips, the car hit a nasty pothole and although the rims were ok, the tyre got a small cut. The other front tyre also had a boil due to a similar incident due to which I had to prepone the replacement of the tyres originally planned after about 5K kms. Normally I go for Continental but as they are not available these days in this configuration, opted for Michelin.

Ground Clearance

The official ground clearance is 165 mm but due to the long overhang have to be careful when negotiating large bumps. After the replacement of the tyres, have not scraped anywhere so far. The car also comes with ride height adjust where manually you can lift the car about 10-15mm to increase the ride height in case of very large bumps. I did it once when the greater noida expressway was jammed due to the auto expo and I took the service road which was under repair and there was a large sand bump covering a crater which needed to be navigated. Later had to take a kaccha road for about 500 meters.

Safety

8 airbags and 5-star NCAP

Interior

Cabin design and quality

Cabin design is minimalistic. The dashboard is clean and a line runs flows between the front doors as a theme. Everything is faux wood, soft plastics or padded. Luxurious, understated yet not opulent or over the top. Knobs and sticks have a hefty feel. Turn indicators and wiper sticks are of German orientation and need time to get used to. The dash is slightly tilted towards the driver and everything is within easy reach. The pop-up screen in the middle is easy to use and very readable. It can be retracted back if needed.

Space and comfort

The car is about 3 meters long and 1.9 meters wide resulting in a very spacious cabin. My relative who is 6'2" could easily sit in front with his 6'1" son at the back. Seats are v-e-r-y comfortable with electronic adjust and lumbar support for the front two seats with memory function. People of all sizes, shapes and weights easily sit without any issues.

Driving position and ergonomics

Very Very comfortable. People of all sizes and shapes will have no problem finding a suitable driving position. Electronic seat adjust for height and length, steering wheel adjust for reach and rake ensure you have a very comfortable and relaxed driving position. My 6'2" relative who cannot adjust in most of the sedans was very comfortable while driving. The seats aid in the sense of comfort aided by horizontally and vertically adjustable headrests. You can drive the whole day without any fatigue. I have done 700+ kms in a single stretch without any discomfort or fatigue.

Cabin storage

There is ample storage space in the cabin. The central console has two cupholders along with an ashtray. Both have a cover. The central arm rest has two levels of storage - one flat and the other deep. There are magazine holders at the back of front seats and an openable ashtray compartment in the rear doors. All four doors have ample space for storing large water bottles and a lot of other stuff. The rear central armrest comes with cupholders and a large storage space. Currently, I have the MMI remote stored there. In a nutshell, no dearth or shortage of space. The cooled glovebox is very large. There are two levels and you can store lots of stuff there. I have stored the VCDI cable, extra phone charging cables, a box of audio CDs, a perfume bottle, car papers and a large box of tissues.

Air conditioning

The car comes with 4 zone climate control - 2 in the front and 2 in the back. There are A/C vents in the B pillars as well for the back seat passengers. Except when the cabin is hot due to prolonged outdoor parking, fan noise is not audible. The cabin gets cooled quickly aided by the shaded and reflective window glasses. I noticed they are a little dark only after using them for a couple of months. 4 adults and 2 children drove from Jaipur to Amritsar in the peak June summer without any discomfort. I normally keep the temperature in the 22-24 degree range. The lowest it can go is 16 degrees when it just chills. If you keep pressing the unlock key for about 3-4 seconds, all four windows roll down to help escape the hot/stale air inside. You can configure this feature in MMI to open the sunroof along with the windows for a faster effect.

Features

Unique and noteworthy

Matrix Lighting - This is fantastic. Lights up the road without causing discomfort to other drivers as it auto dims if it senses vehicles or people ahead.
S-Line - Lot of trims and features are specific to s-line.
4 zone climate control - Each one can set their own cooling levels.
Air suspension with ride height
Request sensors on all doors integrated into the door handle - This is a daily and practical feature. I hardly take out keys from my pocket. For unlock, I just insert my hand in the door handle and the car unlocks. For locking, I just press the invisible sort of request sensor.
There is a long list of features like auto headlamp, auto wipers, electric auto dimming IRVM, foldable, heated and dimming ORVM, setting mapping with different keys, cooled glovebox, ambient lighting, cruise control etc etc.
MISSING - The most missed feature is ventilated seats.

Audio system and sound quality

The car comes with 8 speakers with a combined output of 600 watts and the audio quality is fantastic. Through MMI one can fine-tune the output through equalizer and control other settings. There are multiple options to play music - apple carplay, CD, USB drive, aux cable, Bluetooth or sd card. The MMI can play video too but the playback stops as soon as the car starts moving. I have searched in vain to change this setting but no success so far. Music is always on as long as the car is running.

Rear seat comfort and space

Very spacious with the rear room and comfort. There is an optional entertainment package which can be opted where screens can be fitted at the back of front seats for entertainment of rear passengers but it eats into the ingress and egress. The door windows are large and there are manual sun blinds on both the windows and the rear glass to block sun during the day.

Boot Space

The boot is HUGE with 530 liters of boot space and a fully flat boot floor. The boot has a light, the trunk is openable through foot gesture and there are pockets on both sides with a mesh covering. There is a 12v socket in the boot also to connect devices like an air pump. There is a net with hooks to hold loose items. In the last one year, there has never been a situation where I had to wish there was more boot space. The back seats can be folded to open up even more space.

Driving

NVH

Coming from lower-rung cars, I find NVH to be E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T. You are cocooned from the outside world. In fact, it was one of the reasons which contributed to my buying decision. Except for loud honks, you barely hear much. There is no engine noise or vibration and road/tyre noise is very minimal at legal speeds. Only at autobahn speeds, you can hear some tyre noise.

Mileage and fuel economy

A6 35TDI shines in this department with an overall fuel efficiency of 15-16 kmpl. If you drive sedately on the highway with a speed of 90-100 kmph and are not aggressive on the throttle, you are easily extracting 18-19 kmpl. But believe me, it is very difficult. The silent cabin, plush ride makes it so boring at those constant speeds that you sometimes feel you will doze off. I maintained a log of fuel expenses for 6 months and I got a mileage of 15kmpl with mix of highway and city drives. I never think twice before taking it out, it is that simple.

Suspension and ride comfort

Air suspension, soft and plush ride. Built for comfort. Once while going from dearbassi to Yamuna Nagar, there was a 5 km patch of rough road and it just rode so well that inside nothing was felt. I had driven my other cars on that stretch in similar conditions earlier and then I realized the beauty of the suspension.

The car has four modes - comfort, dynamic, auto and individual which tune throttle input, braking, suspension etc. Make sure you do not set dynamic mode when the car is loaded. The dynamic mode reduces the movement of air balloons to made the ride stiffer for better handling and if driven with weight on Indian roads, there are very high chances of balloon leakage or rupture.

Twice I covered Delhi Mumbai expressway at autobahn speeds - once alone and another time with family and load. The second time, I had a small puncture in the balloon due to which the suspension would sag when the car was parked but rise up when started. I was advised to change the balloon immediately before further damage. Since then I am mostly driving in Auto mode.

Handling and dynamics

If you perceive it as a family luxury sedan then you will be satisfied but enthusiasts would not be happy with the handling and dynamics. So no debate in that regard. The DSG gearbox is very quick and fast and you will not even notice the gear shifts. But it is not something for an enthusiast. You can have some fun by putting it in manual mode and shifting manually through paddle shifters or the gear lever itself but do not expect a sporty performance. Braking is adequate.

Always looks good

The sagging of suspension due to balloon leakage

Kitna deti hai?

Conclusion

Are you happy with the purchase?

Yes. Absolutely.

Too Much to maintain?

Apart from the regular service (which I got done from FNG), the only expense has been the balloon replacement. It was due to me driving a fully loaded car at autobahn speeds in dynamic mode and was avoidable.

What worries me?