Key Points in This Review
- The redesigned 2026 Audi A6 can only be had with a turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 engine.
- The A6’s base price of $65,395 (all prices include destination) is higher than before, but the sedan also incorporates more standard features.
- The S6 has been discontinued, but a new Sport Plus Package adds a moderate amount of capability.
The lovely, subtle, muscular and somewhat singular Audi S6 is dead, I’m afraid. Struggling sales and Audi’s rolling reorganization of its lineup relegated the sweet-spot sports sedan to the great used-car lot in the sky, with only the current, all-electric S6 e-Tron still repping the iconic nameplate. If you’re in the market for a quick, capable and well-rounded mid-size Audi sports sedan with a gas-burnin’ engine, I’m afraid you’ll have to stick with the new 2026 A6.
It’s all a little confusing considering Audi stirred in some of the essence of the S6 into the standard sedan, what with its standard turbo 3.0-liter V-6 and available performance upgrades. Gone is the base turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder, with the prior “big”-engine A6 configuration now offered as the sole powertrain regardless of trim. The standard V-6’s 362 horsepower and 406 pounds-feet of torque is up 27 hp and 37 pounds-feet on the prior V-6 and a mighty 101 hp and 133 pounds-feet against the bygone four-cylinder — healthy figures, though not quite a salve for the former S6’s 444 hp. But who cares? Why do I keep harping on a pruned model?
Related: All-New 2026 Audi A6: Refining a Sports Sedan Favorite
What Does the Sport Plus Package Add to the 2026 Audi A6?
- Takeaway: A sport suspension, sport rear differential, rear-wheel steering, sport seats and new wheels are the most significant additions.
If you configure your 2026 A6 just right, the spirit of the S6 lives on. There’s a new Sport Plus Package available on the line-topping Prestige trim, adding a sport suspension, upgraded rear differential, rear-wheel steering, summer tires, unique 21-inch wheels, sport seats, and a whole host of suspiciously S-branded trim and tinsel including the steering wheel, door sill plates, red brake calipers and “S Line exterior” kit.
Curiously, this also deletes the rear model-designation badge. Mmhmm. No S6 here! No sir.
No, really — it’s not. The S6 is and always was considered the middle-ground performance sedan, slotting between the A6 and RS 6 in Audi’s lineup, and the 2026 A6 fitted with the Sport Plus Package is the middle ground between the middle ground and the base car. I spent most of my wheel time on the 2026 A6 drive program in one fitted with this package, and though the additional agility offered by the hunkered-down suspension, rear-steer and sport differential is apparent, it’s not a full performance bracket away from the standard A6.
It’s not a particularly thrilling car to huck around with or without the Sport Plus Package. Audi’s claimed 4.5-second 0-60 mph run is both impressive and feels right on the money, but it’s more a happy side effect and merging ‘n’ passing resource than it is indicative of an inherent spicy character. I blitzed the A6 with the Sport Plus Package through some of the best desert-mountain roads in Southern California, and though it proved capable of cornering speeds and high-speed composure far beyond the needs of your average A6 buyer, it was not much “fun.”
How Comfortable Is the 2026 Audi A6?
- Takeaway: It’s quite comfortable, especially with the available adaptive air suspension.
That’s OK! That’s good, even. What the A6 lacked in pupil dilation, it made up for in cushy coddling with a silky smooth powertrain, buttery ride and enough creature comforts to earn Audi’s own applied tagline of this as the “business class” sedan. Steering is just on the right side of light, and the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission shifts as slick as ever. Unless your commute cuts through a canyon pass — hey, people do live in Malibu, Calif. — I’d skip the Sport Plus Package for the adaptive air suspension that comes with the Prestige trim. Body-roll management wasn’t that far off the sport suspension, and the ride was notably better in every environment.
It’s quieter, too, with Audi claiming a nerdy combo of new engine bushings, revised transmission gears and tire insulation reduces noise, vibration and harshness by an impressive 30% — all the better to hear the available Bang & Olufsen sound system and your choice of tunes via Audi’s so-called Digital Stage. It’s made up of the standard 11.9-inch digital driver display, 14.5-inch center infotainment touchscreen and optional 10.9-inch passenger display.
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How Much Does the 2026 Audi A6 Cost?
- Takeaway: The base price is $65,395.
That’s a lotta screen. Audi was one of the first brands to offer a full digital driver display with its Virtual Cockpit in the 2014 TT, and its longstanding MMI interface is still one of the best user interfaces in the game. Cabin materials and trim are generally commensurate with the $79,140 as-tested price of the Prestige with the Sport Plus Package, with rich leather, microsuede surfaces and rear-seat comforts like charge ports, heated seats and an electrochromic panoramic glass roof.
In context of their respective eras, I do prefer Audi’s past interior design language and feel the extensive use of gloss-black surfaces is a step back. Plastic use was extensive in my preferred Audi era, but its reliance on matte plastic, wood and metal trim panels went a long, long way in reducing the visibility of finger smudges and swirls from use.
Circling back to pricing, the standardization of the V-6 engine hasn’t come cheap. The 2026 A6’s $65,395 base price is $6,000 more than before, an eye-watering leap that can be pared down to a more palatable $1,500 increase when comparing V-6-equipped cars. Standard equipment is up across the board, too: Adaptive cruise control, wireless device charging, a power trunk lid, ventilated front seats and the panoramic roof are now included.
Faster, quieter, cushier, techier, pricier and just a smidge emotionally colder, the 2026 Audi A6 still schools the competition in maturity and balance. Now, if only they could figure out where they left that pallet of “S” badges …
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