The Audi A6 has always been an excellent luxury sedan, but in recent years, it has been an easily forgettable one. The BMW 5 Series takes up a lot of the oxygen in the midsize luxury sedan market with its track-car-dressed-for-a-meeting attitude. The Mercedes-Benz E-Class gets all the points for legacy and, with its rear-wheel steering, makes the BMW nervous.
The A6, meanwhile, does nearly everything well. But, as Kelley Blue Book expert test driver Colin Ryan says, it “can sometimes sneak under the radar.”
Audi has an all-new A6 ready for 2026, set to compete for the spotlight.
Pricing is hard to predict as tariffs have changed the math for every automaker. The 2025 A6 starts at $59,395, including delivery fees. But Audi builds the A6 in Europe, which means they’ll be subject to the full 25% tariff as long as it lasts. Audi says the 2026 A6 is set to arrive in the U.S. in the second half of this year.
Streamlined Inside and Out
Audi has a signature look and can’t vary from it wildly without alienating fans. But designers have done a great job remixing it into something new for the 2026 A6. It cribs a few lines from the electric A6 Sportback e-tron, but keeps enough unique elements for the gas-powered model to identify this as a separate species.
Big grilles are all the rage now, and the A6 gets one, wider than the one in the outgoing 2025 model. A deep set of indented hood strakes is new and gives the design some sense of motion. Thin LED headlights give it a grimace of effort.
An equally thin dashed line of taillights keeps the back sleek and modern. S Line versions get black trim in place of chrome.
However, the term “streamlined” may be better applied to the cabin.
Audi’s 2025 designs are heavy on screens – many include a driver’s instrument screen, a central touchscreen for entertainment, a canted screen below it for climate control, and sometimes a passenger screen. Most controls have analog duplicates, giving the cabins a high-tech-but-busy look.
Audi has decided to restrain itself for 2026. The new A6 gets a much simpler treatment. The driver’s instrument screen (11.9 inches) and central touchscreen (14.5 inches) are mounted together to look like one wide screen. The lower screen for climate functions is gone. The optional passenger screen (10.9 inches) is still available.
A panoramic glass roof turns opaque with the touch of a button. To avoid seeming too tech-forward, Audi says soft textiles — you can choose faux leather, cloth, or Dinamica microsuede — cover much of the dash and door panels.
Sound insulation makes the cabin 30% quieter than last year’s model, Audi says. If it’s too quiet, audio system choices include 16- and 20-speaker setups, the latter with headrest speakers.
362 HP, and of Course, Quattro
The 2026 A6 uses a 3.0-liter V6 engine making 362 horsepower and a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Audi calls this powerplant “the logical evolution of the engine that has been in series production since 2015,” with newly reshaped turbochargers and “modifications to the fuel injection system.”
Power goes to all four wheels through Audi’s venerable quattro all-wheel-drive (AWD) system.
Optional adaptive air suspension and all-wheel steering systems should give it the handling to threaten the 5 Series and E-Class.
“Compared to its predecessor, the entire path from the steering wheel to the wheels is designed to be stiffer,” Audi says, to add sport to the driving experience.
Driver assistance systems include “cruise control, a speed limiter that responds to traffic signs, traffic sign recognition, a rearview camera, and park assist plus.”
Few midsize luxury sedans have flaws that should concern you. Choosing one is largely a matter of taste. But the A6 has fallen behind its rivals in sales in recent years. These upgrades may fix that, making it every bit the equal of the other German luxury sedans.
