Audi A6 allroad adds quattro ultra AWD and a first-ever plug-in hybrid option
Audi's new A6 allroad pairs predictively controlled quattro ultra all-wheel drive with a 3.0-liter V6 diesel or, for the first time, a plug-in hybrid, from €77,250 in Europe.
- €77,250
- €80,250
- 200 milliseconds
- more than 15.6 million
What Happened
The new Audi A6 allroad is now available at Audi dealerships, starting at €77,250 for the six-cylinder diesel and €80,250 for the plug-in hybrid. Both versions use the quattro with ultra technology all-wheel-drive system, which Audi says makes the benefits of all-wheel drive permanently available while also being optimized for efficiency. The A6 allroad V6 TDI pairs a 3.0-liter diesel engine with MHEV plus technology and an electrically powered compressor, and the model is now offered as a plug-in hybrid for the first time.
- The A6 allroad V6 TDI with MHEV plus technology and the A6 allroad e-hybrid are available at European dealerships
- quattro ultra all-wheel drive and electrified power units deliver strong and efficient performance
- quattro ultra combines the traction, driving dynamics and safety of all-wheel drive with the efficiency of front-wheel drive
- By opening two clutches, components in the rear drivetrain can be decoupled, significantly reducing friction and drag torque
- The intelligent operating strategy engages quattro predictively, before any difference in driving dynamics becomes noticeable, so the handling feels like that of a permanent all-wheel-drive system
quattro ultra uses an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch at the transmission output plus an additional decoupling clutch in the rear axle differential. When all-wheel drive offers no tangible advantage, the system opens both clutches, temporarily decoupling the driveshaft and the components of the rear drivetrain to reduce friction and increase efficiency; at low load with no chance of wheel slip, it delivers the efficiency benefits of front-wheel drive. The control system operates predictively and continuously evaluates driving dynamics, road conditions and driver behavior, monitoring steering angle, load demand, transmission setting, lateral and longitudinal acceleration, body movements and the friction coefficient. It learns as it goes, adapting to the driver profile and the selected Audi drive select mode: the more efficiently the car is driven, the less active all-wheel drive is, and the more dynamically it is driven, the more frequently quattro engages. The computational model predicts about 0.5 seconds in advance when all-wheel drive will be beneficial, and the complete engagement process takes approximately 200 milliseconds, so all-wheel drive is ready before it is needed.
- 100 percent of drive torque to the front axle
- More than 70 percent of torque to the rear wheels
“The transition between different operating modes of the all-wheel-drive system is imperceptible to the driver. What the driver feels in any situation is the traction and driving dynamics associated with quattro.”
All-wheel drive enters Audi's lineup, beginning a tradition of traction, driving dynamics and safety that runs for more than four decades.
quattro with ultra technology is first introduced, making its debut in the Audi A4 allroad quattro.
Audi says it is quattro and quattro is Audi: since 1980 all-wheel drive has stood for traction, driving dynamics and safety, developed over more than four decades from the manually locking center differential in the Ur-quattro, through various stages of Torsen differential development, to modern intelligently controlled systems such as quattro ultra. To date Audi has produced more than 15.6 million vehicles with quattro drive, one-third of all vehicles it has produced since 1980. quattro ultra is used in many models based on the Premium Platform Combustion (PPC), including the Audi A5, Audi A6 and Audi Q5. Audi says the system contributes to its development goal of reducing consumption and emissions while preserving the quattro character the brand is known for.
Why this matters
quattro ultra lets the A6 allroad run as a front-wheel-drive car when grip is plentiful and shift to all-wheel drive before it is needed, cutting friction and fuel use without giving up traction. For buyers, the headline change is choice: the A6 allroad now combines its familiar all-wheel-drive character with a plug-in hybrid option for the first time.
Terms in This Story
- quattro ultra
- Audi's all-wheel-drive system that can fully decouple the rear drivetrain and run as front-wheel drive when all-wheel drive offers no advantage.
- MHEV
- Mild hybrid electric vehicle: a car whose small electric system assists the combustion engine but cannot propel it on electricity alone.
- Plug-in hybrid
- A vehicle that combines a combustion engine with a battery that can be recharged from an external power source.
- Multi-plate clutch
- A clutch pack that can progressively connect or disconnect two rotating parts, used here to engage or free the rear-wheel drive.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.