Test Audi A6 55 TFSI e: cohabitation regime

The sedan with rings tries to make its motorway ambitions coexist with a plug-in hybrid powertrain with a more urban vocation by nature.

The Audi A6 55 TFSI e cultivates the spirit of contradiction. Under an elegant dress of a large road, it conceals a motorization which, in general, proves its relevance in town and / or on its outskirts. Synonymous with a modest battery capacity and for as much a significant excess weight, the rechargeable hybrid often prefers short trips and regular recharges to long motorway journeys swallowed up in one go.

In some ways, this electrified A6 lives up to the adage. Its 17.9 kWh “battery” (14.4 kWh useful), which encroaches largely on a trunk therefore ridiculous for the category, allows to travel only about forty kilometers without burning unleaded. And still it is necessary to succeed in filling it “full”. Failing to be able to adjust the charging amperage, as most BMWs thus motorized offer, for example, this Audi proves to be somewhat allergic to low-power household current and refuses to fill its lithium-ion pack with it. appropriate.

On the other hand, those who are better off in terms of electrical installation will praise the fact that the system admits conversely up to 7.3 kW and shortens the full recharge in three short hours. One thing is certain, there is no question of regenerating the battery while driving. At best, a “Hold” driving mode makes it possible to maintain the charge.

This version, which combines a synchronous machine and a 2.0 turbo petrol 4-cylinder through a 7-speed robotic gearbox, logically fears unreasonable consumption when the course stretches in length.

But in reality, not necessarily. Despite our nearly 550 km of test, including nearly 400 on the A11 motorway, and only a short stop at the terminal halfway, the on-board computer never panicked. The 8.4 l / km readings remain acceptable in view of the cumulative 367 hp and especially our low inclination for eco-driving.

That said, the A6 skillfully educates. Its intelligent freewheel mode, which favors more or less energy recovery according to the traffic above, encourages playing the game. Certainly, the engine braking effect is marked, but over time, easy to anticipate and therefore to smooth out. At worst, let the most irreducible be reassured, the system is disengageable.

It is also impossible to ignore the signals sent by the accelerator pedal. Able to generate a hard point to avoid the accidental awakening of the thermal block in hybrid mode during restarts, it also encourages to ease off with subtle impulses when approaching a lowering of the speed limit or depending on the data. navigation (roundabouts, bends, descents, etc.).

It is therefore without the guilt of swallowing hectoliters of fossil fuel that this sedan with the rings can be driven effortlessly and comfortably, the optional controlled damping appearing to us particularly suitable. to enhance her talents as a traveler. But no sprinter. Efficient and safe, this powerful integral grants above all the good education of its mechanics to the wisdom of its chassis. Like what, this A6 is not made only of contradictions.

Our verdict

This A6 55 TFSI e is not a miracle of virtue. But its controlled consumption proves that this is not nonsense.

WE love

Reasonable consumption
General comfort
Generous power

We like less

Riquiqui chest
Placid temperament
Average battery capacity

Audi A6 55 TFSI e quattro Competition tech.

BUY

Tested version: 74 300 €
From 74,300 €
Average manufacturer consumption / during the test (l / 100 km): 1.2-1.4 / 8.4
CO₂/malus : 28-32/0 €
Fiscal power: 16
Country of manufacture: Germany

Proposed range

Gasoline from 265 to 600 hp, from € 55,150 to € 133,600
Diesel from 163 to 344 hp, from € 49,300 to € 89,350
Plug-in hybrid from 299 to 367 hp, from € 63,150 to € 81,750

DRIVE

Engine: front, longitudinal, 4-cylinder, turbo, direct injection, variable valve timing, 16 valves, stop & start, 1,984 cc³ + synchronous electric with permanent magnets
Transmission: all-wheel, robotized 7-speed
Power (hp @ rpm): 265 to 5,250 + 143
Torque (Nm at rpm): 370 to 1,600 + 350
Cumulative power (hp): 367
Cumulative torque (Nm): 500
Weight (kg): 2,085
Long.xlarg.xhaut. (m) : 4,95×1,89×1,46
Wheelbase (m): 2.92
Tank (l): 55
Max speed (km / h): 250 (limited)
0 to 100 km / h: 5 ”6
Standard tires: 245/45 R19
Test tires: 255/40 R20 Bridgestone Turanza T005