2021 Audi A6

MotorBiscuit (opens in a new tab) reports Audi announced details of a mid-model-year refresh for the 2021 A6, and Audi Mentor (opens in a new tab) lists a standard 8.8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Car and Driver (opens in a new tab) says a new Black Optics Sport package adds black exterior trim, unique 20-inch wheels and a sport suspension, that an 8.8-inch display, navigation, CarPlay, Android Auto and onboard Wi-Fi are standard, and that Audi's Virtual Cockpit gauges and a larger 10.1-inch display are optional.

Buyers choose either a turbocharged four-cylinder, badged 45, or a turbocharged V-6, badged 55, and both get a boost from a hybrid system and standard all-wheel drive, according to Car and Driver. MotorTrend (opens in a new tab) notes the C8 generation A6, redesigned for 2019, is slightly larger and more spacious than its predecessor, and that the IIHS gave the 2020 car its top Good score in every crashworthiness test. EPA rates the 2021 A6 at 22 to 26 mpg combined and $3,000 to $3,500 a year in fuel.

NHTSA lists 12 recall campaigns for the 2021 A6. The mechanical ones are 21V295000, a rear-axle trailing-arm lock nut that may break from stress corrosion, and 22V034000, a follow-up because the rear-axle alignment may not have been inspected after that repair. The safety-equipment ones are 21V159000, a passenger air-bag score line that may not have been manufactured correctly, 20V749000, an electrical connector that can detach from a front door crash sensor, and 21V606000, rear seat-belt retractors that may deactivate early and keep a child seat from securing. Others cover a fuel-level sender that may stick, a gateway control module that can shut down if liquid spills in the rear seat, an incorrectly labeled brake fluid cap, and the rearview-camera and instrument-panel software campaigns.

Owners have filed 26 complaints with NHTSA: electrical system with 15, engine and forward collision avoidance with 4 each, and fuel and propulsion system and power train with 3 each.

Kelley Blue Book (opens in a new tab) lists the cheapest 2021 A6, the 45 TFSI Premium, at a Fair Purchase Price of $21,900, with trade-in values from about $14,350 to $30,200 and private-party values from about $20,400 to $33,800 depending on trim, including the higher-priced S6 and 55 models.

EPA rates the 2021 A6 at 22 to 26 mpg combined, all-wheel drive only. The 2021 BMW 5 Series rates 25 to 28 at $2,750 to $3,100, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class 18 to 26 at $3,000 to $4,300, the Genesis G80 21 to 26 at $3,000 to $3,700 and the Volvo S90 25 to 30 at $2,600 to $3,100. On EPA figures the A6 is slightly less efficient than the 5 Series and S90, and the A6 is the only one of the five sold solely with all-wheel drive.