SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Many of the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

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A6 version 8.0: 2020 Audi A6, 40 TDI

Business class

Pics by Audi@Motorpress
Posted: October 7, 2020

The numbers
Base price: R919 500
Engine: 1968 cc, DOHC, 16-valve, four-cylinder, commonrail diesel with VGT
Power: 140 kW between 3800 and 4200 rpm
Torque: 400 Nm between 1750 and 3000 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 8.4 seconds
Top speed: 237 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 7.4 l/100 km
Tank: 73 litres
Luggage: 520 litres
Standard tyre size: 255/55R18
Tyres fitted: 255/35R21
Spare: Spacesaver
Ground clearance: 132 mm
Turning circle: 12.1 metres
Safety ratings: Five star EuroNCAP and IIHS Top Safety Pick
Warranty: Two years, unlimited km
Audi Freeway Plan: Five years, 100 000 km
Additional technical information from www.automobile-catalog.com    

Chatting with the pharmacist down at the Spar centre the other day: “Should have been here yesterday,” I told him, “had a Mustang.”

“Not a chance,” he replied, “that A6 you have there is more my style – big enough, quiet, more power than I can use, and refined. Two-seater flash cars are for hooligans and, for similar money, this one gets my vote.”

Let’s look at it. Audi’s launch announcement leads with: “Upgrade in the business class” and the gist of it is that this new version, C8, offers increased space and more electronics.

But, being purist, I maintain that electronic toys in motorcars are overdone:
•    They divert drivers’ attention from the job at hand; namely driving safely,
•    They complicate basic tasks that should be intuitive; like operating the vent controls,
•    Few of them add real value; appearing more like an excuse to charge, for instance, R3000 for an electronic doo-dad that probably cost only R30 to instal. Or, bluntly, the triumph of marketing over commonsense.

Let’s make it clear: I am not criticising Audi alone; every carmaker does this in varying degrees.

With that out of the way let’s look at the new car’s dimensions, mass and space. It is seven millimetres shorter, 12 mm narrower and two mm lower than C7 but interior volume has been increased. In the old language, it goes from 97.2 cubic feet to 104.2; that’s seven cu. ft. or, in a way we all understand, about 198 litres.

Specifically, first- and second row legroom remains the same, front and rear shoulder space increases by seven millimetres, front and rear headrooms go up by 8- and 11 mm respectively and backseat hip room is 10 mm wider. Despite all this, the boot is still a useful 520 litres VDA yet the car’s unladen mass went down by 15 kg. The engineers did well.

The acid test saw me (6’1”) in the back seat where I found comfortable headroom, lots of knee space and just enough foot room below the driver’s chair that had been adjusted to suit me. As an aside, further downward movement is available to accommodate drivers with longer upper bodies than mine.

While back there I found HVAC repeater controls that included temperature, fan speed and vent direction. These are features added by the four-zone, automatic air conditioning that forms part of a R30 000 Comfort Package the fleet manager had installed. Other elements included keyless entry and starting, and seat warmers in front. The backrests fold 40:20:40 so you can have a load-through if you need one.

There are two ISOFix mountings, with tethers, to add to the one in front; an armrest with cup holders; a pair of map pockets, seating sculpted for two, capacious door bins and three head restraints with full belts, although the high central tunnel could impair any third adult passenger’s comfort.

The boot still loads at an easy 70 cm, is long and wide, features two lights and has four lashing rings to secure cargo. A storage and luggage package forms part of the Comfort set mentioned earlier. The spare is a spacesaver.

Its engine and gearbox are as before; two litres, 140 kW, 400 Nm and seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch transmission. A recent addition to the local range is a three-litre, 45 TDI quattro that, with the S6 TFSI quattro, brings offerings up to three.

The pharmacist was absolutely right: This A6 diesel is spacious, solid, well built and, despite optional 21” low profile tyres fitted as required by a R29 200 Sports pack, acceptably comfortable over rough asphalt and the occasional small surface deficit (minor pot-hole). It delivered decent thrust when called upon, yet puttered elegantly through traffic as well.

I could certainly live with one, but would ignore most of the gadgets until nosiness prompted probing through the menus. For the Science, you understand.

Test unit from Audi SA press fleet



What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

Comments or questions?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.