New Audi A6 coming to Australia in August from $95k

German luxury brand Audi today announced pricing for its fifth-generation A6 sedan, which will arrive in Australia next month in an initial three-variant lineup. The 2019 Audi A6 will be available locally with either four-cylinder or six-cylinder power to begin with, with the range kicking off from $95,500 before on-road costs.

That’s the price of entry for the 2019 A6 range, with the new generation known internally as the ‘C8’. The previous-gen ‘C7’ A6 was discontinued in Australia in 2017. At that stage, the A6 range started at $79,855 for a 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder variant.

The new shape marks a significant step up in entry price, consistent with how prices change over the life of any car, though Audi says the new starting grade – called the A6 45 TFSI quattro 180kW – includes at least $13,000 in extra value. With sales of sedans in Australia shrinking drastically – albeit not quite as alarmingly in luxury segments – the pressure is on Audi to give buyers a reason to stick with a three-box vehicle.

More power is part of the story. Though the entry-grade A6 sticks with a four-banger, the 45 TFSI is a two-litre producing 180kW/370Nm – in other words, it’s the unit from the Volkswagen Golf GTI. In the A6, however, a quattro all-wheel-drive system is standard. The previous base A6 made about 20% less from its 1.8T – 140kW/320Nm.

Expected to hit around $105,000 once driveaway costs are included, the most affordable way into 2019 A6 motoring includes 19-inch wheels, dual-touchscreen infotainment running Audi’s new Connect Plus software, a Virtual Cockpit digital gauge cluster, matrix LED headlights, wireless smartphone charging, 4 USB ports, and heated front seats.

From there, it’s a $9,700 jump to the mid-tier grade, called the A6 45 TFSI quattro S Line 180kW ($105,200 before on-road costs). Effectively, this adds more athletic S Line styling to the base car plus additional equipment in the form of 20-inch wheels, a head-up display, sports seats in softer Valcona leather, and adaptive dampers.

Stepping up to V6 power costs $10,800. The A6 55 TFSI quattro S Line 250kW ($116,000 before on-road costs) uses a three-litre unit that produces 500Nm of torque, with a 48-volt mild hybrid system generating small fuel savings. The V6 has the same equipment levels as the $105k S Line four-cylinder – your extra money is buying greater power and refinement. We’re familiar with the 55 TFSI engine from the A7 Sportback, reviewed here.

The two S Line grades can also be optioned further by way of a $9,800 Premium Plus package that includes even more sophisticated headlights, sportier interior styling, a sunroof, Bang and Olufsen audio, a power boot lid, customisable cabin ambient lighting, and electric adjustment for the steering column.

Later, it is likely that a higher-powered S6 variant will arrive, boosting the outputs of the three-litre V6 unit, while Audi’s halo RS6 wagon – packing a V8 engine – is expected to debut in ‘C8’ gen form in the coming months.