2026 Audi A6 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Like the smaller A5, the new A6 is handsome, if not visually striking. The trademark “singleframe” grille is now lower and pushed further out from the rest of the bodywork. Fender flares inspired by the iconic Quattro rally car and a pronounced rib in the lower door skins provide a lot of definition along the sides, but only if you’re looking down and at an angle. This Audi doesn’t make as much of an impression as a Cadillac CT5, but it’s not ungainly like the BMW 5 Series, and is more subdued than the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and its firmament of illuminated Mercedes logos.

The A6 has its own lighting party trick, though. Like other recent Audi models, the LED headlights have a pixelated effect, with multiple programmable signatures to choose from for the daytime running lights. But the taillights have been moved down and to the side to make room for programmable lights that can show different icons, such as a triangle when the hazards are on or an “A” when auto park mode is engaged. Unfortunately, these two symbols look very similar, and the regular flashing of the hazards gets more attention than the tiny triangle.

Typically for Audi, the 2026 A6 is available in Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige trim levels. The redesigned model is only available as a sedan for now, although Audi is still selling the previous-generation RS 6 Avant and A6 Allroad wagons as 2026 models. Also missing is the S6 variant, although Audi is trying to incorporate features normally reserved for that sportier model into the regular A6 lineup.

An S Line Black Optic Package for the Prestige trim level incorporates a sportier front bumper, blacked-out trim, and dark chrome 20-inch wheels. These wheels, along with a standalone 20-inch option, come with all-season run-flat tires, as do the 19-inch wheels on the base A6 Premium. An available Sport Plus Package includes 21-inch wheels with summer tires.

An Audi Exclusive Design Package with two-tone Nappa leather seats in blue and tan is available, but neither the colors nor the high-end material extend to other parts of the interior. Even in top-spec Prestige models, the materials were disappointingly bland and cheap-feeling. Almost everything you touch is tinny plastic.

The previous powertrain choices are gone for 2026, but what remains is compelling. The last engine standing is a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6, connected to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and standard quattro all-wheel drive (AWD).

This is the same engine used in the S5 sedan, and it makes the same 362 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque here. That’s 27 hp and 37 lb-ft of torque more than the more powerful of the two powertrain options for the 2025 A6. Despite its larger size, the A6 also weighs about the same as the S5 (not sure what that says about the latter), so it’s only 0.2 second slower from zero to 60 mph. And the A6’s 4.5-second time is much quicker than a base BMW 5 Series or Mercedes E-Class can manage, as both come standard with less-powerful turbo-four-cylinder engines and rear-wheel drive (RWD).

The amount of power on tap makes the A6 feel as energetic as one would expect of a sporty luxury sedan—if you can access it. There was a notable hesitation from the transmission when accelerating from a stop under heavy throttle, something we also noticed in the A5. Once up to speed, shifts were at least fairly smooth, which isn’t a given with dual-clutch gearboxes.

The more-powerful V6 helps to make up for the lack of a dedicated S6 model at launch, as do a number of chassis enhancements. Brake-based torque vectoring is standard, while the Sport Plus Package for the top A6 Prestige trim level includes Audi’s sport rear differential. Previously reserved for Audi S and RS models, it applies more torque to the outside wheel when cornering to keep understeer in check. But while we were impressed by the A6’s overall handling neutrality, the sport differential only made a difference when we really pushed it.

The Sport Plus Package also includes steel-spring suspension that gives the A6 a 0.7-inch lower ride height. That provides sportier handling, but without the bandwidth for comfort afforded by the adaptive air suspension that’s standard on Prestige models without this package. We felt the degradation in ride quality was much greater than the improvement in handling.

Also part of the Sport Plus Package is rear-axle steering that decreases the turning circle by up to 39.4 inches at lower speeds, while increasing stability at higher speeds, according to Audi. All models have a progressive steering rack that becomes more responsive at higher steering angles to make the A6 feel more nimble, and slows down at higher speeds to provide autobahn-worthy stability.

The base steering system provided excellent precision, albeit with a bit too much artificial heft when switching from the default Balanced drive mode to Dynamic. The third Comfort mode made little discernible difference in behavior, and neither did the various enhancements of the Sport Plus Package when taken together. The A6 is a very stable and composed car, but it’s definitely better suited to highway blasts than canyon carving. And even while cruising, the amount of tire noise on anything less than autobahn-smooth pavement is decidedly un-premium.

The new A6 is 2.4 inches longer than the outgoing model, but has the same 115.1-inch wheelbase, meaning that stretch in overall length doesn’t benefit passenger space. Front-seat headroom increases by two inches, but that’s thanks to the new panoramic glass roof, which stretches all the way to the back seats and has six dimmable panels so you can select your preferred level of sunshine regardless of where you’re sitting. However, rear-seat headroom is about the same, as is legroom in both rows.

That leaves the A6 with comparable headroom and legroom to a BMW 5 Series for both front-seat and rear-seat occupants. Those in the back seats will have a bit less headroom in a Cadillac CT5, but a bit more legroom. They get climate controls and a pair of USB-C ports in the Audi, and all models except the base Premium trim level have heated rear seats. Heated and ventilated front seats are standard, and the optional sport seats we sampled have massagers. These seats had a good balance of bolstering and cushioning that should make them comfortable over the long hauls between fun driving roads.

Unlike the smaller A5 and the electric A6 e-tron, which are technically hatchbacks, Audi stuck with a conventional trunk here, with 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats to accommodate longer items. With the back seats in place, trunk space drops by 0.2 cubic feet compared to the previous generation, to 13.5 cubic feet. That’s more cargo space than a CT5 or a Mercedes E-Class, but the 5 Series can swallow up to 18.4 cubic feet of cargo.

This redesign brings the Digital Stage setup from the A5, Q5, and A6 e-tron to Audi’s gasoline-powered midsize sedan. A standard 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster and 14.5-inch touchscreen flank the driver like an elaborate multi-monitor desktop setup, although the housing is much larger than the screens themselves. An optional 10.9-inch front-passenger touchscreen accounts for the fact that the main touchscreen is tilted too far toward the driver to be easily used by their co-driver.

The screens are bigger and more numerous than in the outgoing A6, but that doesn’t improve the experience. The latest MMI (Multimedia Interface) infotainment system waters things down with layouts that are both oversimplified and hard to interpret. Audi’s improved voice recognition system helps to some extent, as do standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but not with things like reading the small, unorganized bits of text in the instrument cluster. Having to manually close pop-up menus after changing drive mode or turning on the seat massagers isn’t very convenient, either.

Audi knows this, as it’s rolling out an entirely new interface midway through the model year. That upgrade will also bring an integrated dashcam and a new steering wheel that relies less on haptic controls. Early-build cars can’t be refitted, though, so best to wait a few months before heading to the dealership.

The optional Bang & Olufsen 3D audio system is remarkable not for its audio quality, but for the headrest speakers that allow navigation directions to be piped directly to the driver, rather than blasted throughout the cabin and over whatever music is being played.

The A6 comes standard with the expected array of driver-assist features, including adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitors, traffic-sign recognition, parking sensors, and lane-departure warning. A park-assist system, adaptive cruise assist (which adds automated lane centering) and a 360-degree camera system are also standard on the Premium Plus and Prestige trim levels.

Audi doesn’t offer a hands-free driving system, and the lane-centering feature allowed the A6 to wobble from one side of the lane to the other quite a bit. Robust driver monitoring is at least part of the package—helping to guard against misuse of the tech—and the threshold for warnings of all sorts was higher than in an A6 e-tron we previously drove. In that car, the tech was sensitive enough as to be a distraction in its own right.

Crash-test ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) were not available at the time of writing. That’s typical for the first model year of a new generation of a given vehicle.

The A6’s EPA-rated 23 mpg combined (20 mpg city, 29 mpg highway) isn’t bad for a generously-proportioned sedan with a V6 and AWD. We averaged 22 mpg (according to the car’s trip computer) on a hilly, twisty route between Palm Springs and Borrego Springs, California, without really trying to be efficient, so it’s at least easy to get close to that EPA rating in the real world.

Pricing starts at $65,395 for the base A6 Premium (all prices include a $1,295 destination charge). That’s an effective $7,295 increase over the 2025 model, but the 2026 model has more standard equipment and that more powerful standard engine. The Audi’s base price is a few grand higher than that of an equivalent BMW 530i, and about the same as a Mercedes-Benz E350, but those versions lack comparable power and AWD. The recently refreshed Cadillac CT5 is the real bargain, starting at around $10,000 less than any of the German sedans.

The Premium Plus and Prestige trims start at $68,795 and $72,695, respectively. Based on the sampling of cars Audi made available for this test drive, it’s possible to spend more than $80,000 on an A6 if you check all the boxes. That’s not unreasonable for the segment, but most rivals also offer a powertrain upgrade at that price.

Audi’s four-year/50,000-mile warranty is comparable to what you’ll get from BMW, Mercedes, and most other luxury brands.

By dialing up performance and adding more convenience features, the 2026 Audi A6 is reasonable value for a luxury sedan. Rivals offer more options, but the A6 covers the bases well as a single model. We just wish the luxury bona fides extended beyond the features list to the look and feel of the interior and the level of refinement of the driving experience. And even if you test drive an A6 and find it acceptable, there’s no point in buying one today when an improved interface is scheduled to arrive in just a few months.