Audi S6 (2012 – 2018) Review

Audi S6 (2012 – 2018) At A Glance

4/5

+Effortless performance from 4.0-litre V8 engine. Available as a saloon or Avant. Fuel economy improved over previous S6. Refined ride for a performance car.

-Somewhat lacking the excitement you'd expect from an Audi S model.

Insurance Groups are between 42–47
On average it achieves 76% of the official MPG figure

Audi preserves the RS badge for its hardcore high performance models, such as the RS5, but these are usually introduced towards the end of a models life. That means it will be a few years before we see a new RS6. But that's not to say you can't have a performance version in the meantime. Step forward the Audi S6. Powered by a big V8 engine it has all the right credentials with more than 400PS on tap, a 0-62mph time of less than 5.0 seconds and a suitably purposeful, if understated look.

What it does really well is to blend this performance with impressive refinement. It's effortlessly quick and accelerates so smoothly it's often a surprise when you realise how fast you're going. It may be a performance car but on the move it's as serene as limousine with barely any noise and an impressively forgiving ride, despite the fact it comes with 19-inch alloys as standard.

Audi hasn't skimped on equipment and the S6 comes with adaptive air suspension which accounts for the high quality ride, plus there's a quattro sports differential to ensure sharp handling and plenty of traction. There are also big improvements in economy over the previous S6 which used a larger V10 engine. This version is now able to average almost 30mpg compared to the 21mpg of the old model. Elsewhere there's a high quality interior with a sophisticated infotainment system.

Make no mistake, the S6 is a great car and offers tremendous power, yet it's still very refined and easy to drive everyday. It fits the bill as a high performance luxury saloon, however, while it's mightily impressive it falls short of offering the kind of excitement and driver involvement that you might expect. That said, in terms of price and power it's not really an alternative to the BMW M5, instead it's more likely to rival the likes of the BMW 550i and the Jaguar XF 5.0 V8.

Real MPG average for a Audi S6 (2012 – 2018)

RealMPG

Real MPG was created following thousands of readers telling us that their cars could not match the official figures.

Real MPG gives real world data from drivers like you to show how much fuel a vehicle really uses.

Average performance

76%

Real MPG

18–29 mpg

MPGs submitted

21

Diesel or petrol? If you're unsure whether to go for a petrol or diesel (or even an electric model if it's available), then you need our Petrol or Diesel? calculator. It does the maths on petrols, diesels and electric cars to show which is best suited to you.

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Ask Honest John

Audi S6 oil pump and turbo failure

"My Audi S6 is three years old, with 72,000 miles on the clock. I have just had double turbo failure (£4000 to repair). My local Audi specialist has discovered it is due to a faulty oil pump, which they say was similar on diesels and Audi ended up recalling them all. Has this problem been reported before? Seems pretty poor that month after warrant expires, important component breaks and I end up with a huge repair bill. "
Not notified before, but worth your while checking Pistonheads for this. You don't say how often you have had the oil changed. Needs to be fresh 'fully' synthetic every 10k or every year whichever comes first with this engine. If the oil has been run to 20k miles, then that and carbing up of the oil feed and oil return pipes to the turbo bearings is most likely to be the reason for the turbo failure.
Answered by Honest John
More Questions

What does a Audi S6 (2012 – 2018) cost?