Once studied and compared both the exterior and the interior of the Audi A6 Hybrid With respect to its range brothers, the funniest part of the test arrives, the second act where we press the start button and check the qualities and aptitudes of the hybrid sedan from Ingolstadt.
Undoubtedly, on paper the new bet of the brand with the four rings looks very good. The electrical "add-on" not only increases power, but also reduces consumption to 6,2 liters and provides that aura of cleanliness that many people and companies seek, as well as offering commendable ride smoothness, sometimes making us feel that there is no resistance to progress.
But as we will see later, the dynamic section of the Audi A6 Hybrid is made up of lights and shadows. It offers very positive things and others, let's say, not so much that they can come to detract from the set, a set that at the end of the test left us with a good taste in our mouths, it must be said.
Like yesterday we had to review a little history to show that Audi is not new to these swampy terrain, today we must do a little technical review of the new Audi A6 Hybrid so that we understand first-hand what we are facing. Go for it.
Combining the power of the TFSI with the smoothness of an electric motor
Under the sober and elegant skin of this German E-segment saloon, we find all the know-how of the German manufacturer, a know-how that translates into a complex hybrid system that gives us the opportunity to increase power without seeing consumption suffer. Thanks to this, the vehicle with the four rings promises the performance of a six-cylinder engine with the contained consumption of one with four pots.
The 2.0-litre TFSI engine is an old acquaintance of the VAG Group, although for the occasion it has received a series of modifications to increase ride comfort and driving experience. The auxiliary groups are electrically operated, if we stop at a traffic light, the heating or air conditioning will continue to work at full capacity. The accessories belt is therefore dispensed with.
This block delivers a power of 211 CV and 350 Nm of torque that are transferred only to the front rollers. Associated with it, replacing the torque converter and integrated into the 8-speed Tiptronic gearbox, we find the real protagonist of this test, the synchronous electric motor that is fed by the lithium ion batteries located in the trunk. These weigh 36,8 kg.
This electric motor is combined with an oil-bathed multi-plate clutch, which is responsible for coupling or uncoupling the electric motor from the TFSI engine smoothly, quickly and imperceptibly. The power developed by this small engine is 54 hp and 210 Nm of torque. The combined power that the front axle has to support amounts to 245 hp and 480 Nm of torque, traction losses are the daily bread if we do not exactly pamper the right pedal.
The result of all this technological compendium are some more than interesting figures, practicing a zero to one hundred in 7,3 seconds and reaching a maximum speed of 238 km/h. But best of all is its approved average consumption of only 6,2 liters and the possibility of traveling up to 3 km away at 60 km/h without consuming a single drop of gasoline. In addition, in EV mode we can reach up to 100 km / h.
Floating through the city and the highway with adjusted consumption
Key in the pocket, we approach and first surprise. The Audi A6 Hybrid does not equip keyless entry as standard, a detail that perhaps should be taken care of in a car that starts from 57.900 euros. Once inside, we press the start button, the front seats adjust to the previously selected position and the first sensation is, this is broken, but no, the truth is that the vehicle starts in electric mode and only the Ready indicator of the potentiometer will make you realize it, the silence is sepulchral.
We remove the handbrake, electrically operated, engage the "D" and the new Audi A6 Hybrid moves with a commendable smoothness and ride comfort, it seems that we find no resistance to progress, that we are floating. As we have said before, according to the manufacturer it would be possible to travel up to 3 km in electric mode, the truth is that a server was not able to travel more than 2 km in this mode and that I tried to drive as efficiently as possible.
Once the batteries are exhausted or when we demand more power from the hybrid of the A6 range, the internal combustion engine makes an invaluable appearanceIt looks like a ghost and rarely did our passengers know when we were moving thanks to one propeller or another. Undoubtedly, this smoothness of operation, the way in which both engines are combined, is one of the strengths of this vehicle.
On the contrary, part of this smoothness and ride comfort is counteracted by activating the brake pedal and stopping in a somewhat abrupt way. I mean, the brake has a bad feel, the transition from regenerative braking (charging batteries) to hydraulic braking (the traditional one) is not so successful such as the transition from the combustion engine to the electric motor and vice versa. The result is an uncomfortable jerk when stopping because braking power is difficult to dose.
as you can imagine, the only inconvenience that this vehicle has in the city comes when it comes to parking, well, rather, when looking for a hole that satisfies the enormous dimensions that this great asphalt ship treasures, since our test unit was equipped with the automatic parking assistant. Even so, the unit loaned by Audi had certain symptoms of war, sporting a dented and scratched bodywork in more than one place, not to mention cleanliness...
Once we leave the city and get ready to hit highways, there is no other choice but to praise the great soundproofing job done on this car. The engine is barely audible, it will only flood the passenger compartment in a civilized way when we demand the do of the chest and it will do so with a very pleasant melody to the ear. The aerodynamic sound is notable, although not annoying, and the rolling sound is very limited and despite the fact that we have huge tires, with the standard ones the comfort will be even greater, also better filtering the imperfections of the asphalt by having a larger air balloon.
As for consumption, Audi declares that this model is satisfied with 6,2 liters to travel 100 km, yes, with the standard tires that have a smaller section. In an attempt at efficient driving on a mixed route, we approach this idyllic figure, marking a 6,7-litre marker. In real life, going down from 8 liters both in the city and on highways is really complicated. Comparing this consumption with the official one it may seem too much, but if we take into account the characteristics of the vehicle that we have in hand, we will realize that it is a fairly tight consumption.
businessman goes curves
We will agree that the Audi A6 Hybrid is not a vehicle designed to swallow curves, a vehicle with which to "get off steam" from weekly stress by attacking one vertex after another. But having under the right foot so much power and benefits that accompany, who can't resist testing dynamic skills of the Audi A6 Hybrid when the road twists. For this we have a manual mode and a sports mode, at the same time that we can disconnect the ESP to enjoy a more intense experience.
As we discussed in the first part, the manual mode is of little use as we do not know for sure when we reach the optimal point of changeIn any case, before reaching the cutting point, the change goes up gear, as well as lowering ratios if the vehicle is going to stall. So, we select the Dynamic mode, the steering becomes heavier, offering a more racing touch and greater precision, and the engine is in a more "lively" rev range, also helped by a more sensitive accelerator to the movements of the steering wheel. right foot.
The 8-speed Tiptronic gearbox is quite fast both upshifting and downshifting, yes, once we go "launched, because if we demand all the power suddenly, It will take time to appear and it will do so by "rebuking" the front axle with a huge kick that will make the ESP work intensely. to reduce traction loss and understeer. Therefore, we must be very careful with the right foot when exiting each curve if we do not want to mark an important straight.
But luckily, the batteries not only take up space in the trunk, but also add weight to the rear, making it more playful. Thanks to this, driving the Audi A6 Hybrid is similar to driving a car with a loaded trunk, being possible to slide the rear when we lift the gas in full support. The result is a slight countersteering, a smile from ear to ear and the possibility of correcting the trajectory if we have entered something past the corner.
Tomorrow we will return, we will have to analyze the equipment and the price of this hybrid sedan, we will also draw our conclusions about it, some conclusions that will make us doubt if it is a good alternative within the Audi A6 range. We wait for you.
More information - Test Audi A6 Hybrid, exterior and interior design
