New Audi S6 Saloon in Blackburn, Carlisle, Crewe, Preston, Stafford and Stoke

If the strong diesel engines from the standard Audi A6 saloon aren’t powerful enough for you, the S6’s pleasingly growly V8 engine notes will be music to your ears. Beautiful, athletic and dynamic, it is the very definition of ‘executive express’.

Exterior

The S6 builds on the A6’s classic saloon lines with lots of subtly sporting details. It sits on arresting 19-inch alloy wheels with matt black painted brake callipers featuring the S6 logo. It also boasts aluminium-effect door mirror housings, upgraded sports styling and dual-branch oval twin tailpipes in a luxurious chrome finish. Bright LED headlights to the front and rear help to complete a purposeful stance.

Interior

The sumptuously-appointed cabin is carried across from the A6 with the addition of carbon fibre-effect inlays, which adds to the sensation of ultra-modern engineering excellence.

Deluxe four-zone automatic air conditioning and Valcona leather upholstery means nobody can complain about being less than enveloped in comfort. Rear passengers will enjoy the centre armrest and the Super Sport front seats are heated; the driver’s seat is also 12-way adjustable so you can achieve a truly custom seating position.

Audi’s celebrated MMI system is placed between the front seats and can be used to control many of the S6 Saloon’s on-board systems, including the 6.5-inch colour satellite navigation. You can also pair your Bluetooth-enabled smartphone with the car to take hands-free calls and stream music wirelessly.

The boot has a generous capacity of 530-litres and will comfortably carry a set of golf clubs, while the rear seats split and fold for when you need to carry larger or more awkwardly-shaped loads.

Performance

How the S6 Saloon drives is all down to the settings you opt for. Drive Select is a piece of clever technology that alters the car’s driving manners to suit the occasion, subtly changing the throttle and steering responses.

Opt for Sport mode and the S6 Saloon lurches from 0-60mph in around 4.4 seconds, thanks to the phenomenal 4.0-litre TFSI engine with 443bhp. Mated to a seven-speed S tronic gearbox and Audi’s legendary quattro all-wheel drive system, it’s easy to transmit the engine’s impressive 450Nm of torque to the road. A specialist Sports differential and enhanced ‘S’ braking system will help you tame the S6’s plentiful power when road conditions demand it.

In the midst of all this power, economy has not been overlooked. Intelligent cylinder-on-demand technology reduces fuel consumption and emissions during less strenuous daily driving, as do automated Start-Stop and energy recovery systems. These innovations combine to make the S6 Saloon capable of achieving 30.7mpg.

Technology and Safety

Cruise control is fitted to help make motorway journeys less tiring. Audi’s Parking System Plus is also included to make parking easier, hopefully helping to keep the glossy paintwork in showroom condition.

The Driver’s Information System places an additional colour screen between the speedo and rev-counter so you can find navigation, radio and other information with ease.

The S6 is complete with a six airbags and Electronic Stability Control which provides reassuring surefootedness when taking corners at speed. Other safety features include a tyre pressure loss indicator and Hill-Hold Assist that automatically applies and disengages the parking brake when in stop-start traffic on inclines.