2011 Audi A6 3.0T quattro Premium Plus

The understated yet luxurious 2011 Audi A6 is a solid all-around effort, particularly in 3.0T configuration with its supercharged V6. It deserves consideration alongside its capable European and Japanese rivals. Vehicle overview This midsize luxury sedan and wagon gets just about everything right, including attractive styling, a classy interior and competitive engines. it's hard to argue with the A6's interior, which has held up over the years thanks to top-notch quality, technology updates and one of the better iterations of Audi's driver-centered dash design. The A6 Avant also achieves a nice balance between utility and style that most wagons do not. The A6's engines offer competitive performance for the most part. The deceptively named 3.0T model (it's supercharged, not turbocharged) is the peach of the group, displaying strong acceleration that actually outpaces the 4.2-liter V8 model. Regardless of the engine, every A6 model delivers the careful balance between a comfortable ride and responsive handling for which German cars are known. This appealing sedan and wagon deserve a spot in your test-drive batting order. The 2011 Audi A6 3.0T comes standard with 17-inch wheels, automatic headlights and wipers, heated mirrors, a sunroof, automatic climate control, eight-way power seats (includes lumbar adjustment), partial leather upholstery, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, Bluetooth, a voice-activated navigation system with real-time traffic, Audi's MMI and a 10-speaker stereo with six-disc CD changer, satellite radio and an iPod interface. The 3.0T Premium adds heated front seats and, on the Avant, a power liftgate. 18-inch wheels, rear parking sensors, self-leveling xenon headlights, LED running lights, auto-dimming exterior and interior mirrors, and driver memory functions. The Prestige trim (3.0T and 4.2) brings with it adaptive headlights, keyless ignition/entry, a rearview camera, power-adjustable steering wheel, shift paddles and a Bose sound system with DVD-audio capability. The Cold Weather package adds heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel and, on the 3.2, heated front seats. A Sport package adds a sport-tuned suspension, a sport steering wheel, shift paddles and either 18-inch wheels with all-season tires or 19-inch wheels with summer tires. Rear side airbags are optional on all trims, while a blind-spot warning system is optional on all but the 3.2. For 2011, every Audi A6 gets the previously optional S Line exterior package, adding bumpers with a sportier appearance, different door sills and headlight washers. All A6 models also get the most recent Audi Multi-Media Interface (MMI) and standard navigation. Rear parking sensors are now standard on the Premium Plus, while a rearview camera is standard on the Prestige. The Audi A6 3.0T gets a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 that produces 300 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed automatic and all-wheel drive are standard. In Edmunds performance testing, the 3.0T sedan went from zero to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds -- this is quicker than the time logged by the A6 4.2 (6.5 seconds) and just a tick slower than that of the last V10-powered S6 (5.7 seconds) we tested. Fuel economy stands at an estimated 18/26/21. Standard safety equipment on the 2011 Audi A6 includes antilock disc brakes, stability control, front-seat side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags. Rear side airbags, a rearview camera, rear parking sensors and a blind-spot warning system are either optional or included with the upper trims. In Edmunds brake testing, the all-wheel-drive 3.0T came to a stop from 60 mph in 121 feet -- an average performance. In crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Audi A6 scored the highest possible rating of "Good" in both frontal-offset and side-impact tests, but the second-best rating of "Average" in the roof strength test.