Remember what we said about Audi's new naming system being bad? Yeah, well, forget about it. We love the thing now because it makes it so much easier to tell which version is used, as in the case of this 2019 A6 50 TDI.
If you hear "50 TDI" it means your new Audi has a 3.0-liter single-turbo V6 with 286 horsepower. That's what's on the A6, as well as the new Q8 SUV.
Right now, you can also buy a 231 horsepower 45 TDI and the 40 TDI which is a 2-liter with 204 HP, and which switches the 8-speed auto and quattro for FWD and an S tronic 7-speed.
As you might have guessed, the higher the number goes, the more power your Audi has and, theoretically at least, the faster it is. We want to use the old "this V6 diesel has everything you need in an A6," but considering it's already the most expensive engine (€58,050), the notion seems redundant.
What we can point out is that while the official numbers say 0 to 100 km/h takes 5.5 seconds, this independent test clocked the car at 5.76 seconds. Still, that's not bad, and the TDI doesn't stop pulling there. A top speed of 264 mph is indicated on the digital speedometer.
So what about fuel consumption? Well, it's pretty good, despite this generation of the A6 being a little bit heavier than before. Audi might argue that its new hybrid technology is saving fuel, but that's probably not true when you're keeping a constant highway speed.
At 80 km/h or about 50mph, the A6 50 TDI is drinking anywhere between 3.5 and 4.5 liters. Bump that up to 120 km/h (74 mph) and it's still a reasonable 6 l/100km (39mpg). Even if you floor this bad boy and cruise the autobahn at 200 km/h, you're still averaging 11 l/100km. Still, the smaller 2-liter version of the A6 will be much better, since the FWD setup is always more frugal.
Right now, you can also buy a 231 horsepower 45 TDI and the 40 TDI which is a 2-liter with 204 HP, and which switches the 8-speed auto and quattro for FWD and an S tronic 7-speed.
As you might have guessed, the higher the number goes, the more power your Audi has and, theoretically at least, the faster it is. We want to use the old "this V6 diesel has everything you need in an A6," but considering it's already the most expensive engine (€58,050), the notion seems redundant.
What we can point out is that while the official numbers say 0 to 100 km/h takes 5.5 seconds, this independent test clocked the car at 5.76 seconds. Still, that's not bad, and the TDI doesn't stop pulling there. A top speed of 264 mph is indicated on the digital speedometer.
So what about fuel consumption? Well, it's pretty good, despite this generation of the A6 being a little bit heavier than before. Audi might argue that its new hybrid technology is saving fuel, but that's probably not true when you're keeping a constant highway speed.
At 80 km/h or about 50mph, the A6 50 TDI is drinking anywhere between 3.5 and 4.5 liters. Bump that up to 120 km/h (74 mph) and it's still a reasonable 6 l/100km (39mpg). Even if you floor this bad boy and cruise the autobahn at 200 km/h, you're still averaging 11 l/100km. Still, the smaller 2-liter version of the A6 will be much better, since the FWD setup is always more frugal.