The Complete Package

Discard what you know about the Audi A6 – the 8th-generation refresh is a thing of beauty

“Turn left,” insists the Audi A6’s GPS. She’s guiding us through a misty morning in the Douro Valley, a drive away from Portugal’s old capital Porto. We’re not much good without her, so we comply. Even if the suggested trail is a steep, single-lane service road into what looks like private property or vineyards.

Two minutes later we’re hopelessly lost, blinded by fog and hemmed in on both sides by red stone walls that are two inches away from dinging the wings. I’m on passenger duty, so I get to muck around while my co-driver whiteknuckles the steering wheel.

On the bottom infotainment screen (there are two now in the A6) I’m treated to a real-time, top-down 3-D rendering of our car navigating the Douro maze. The animation is realistic and smooth, courtesy of Nvidia computer chips better known for gaming and industrial-grade 3-D processing.

I lower a window and am greeted by an earthy gust of valley air, perfumed with smoke from small grapevine bonfires scattered across the region known for its production of port. Suddenly, I appreciate how quiet the engine is; all I can perceive are birdsong and the cry of awakening crickets. We eventually emerge unscathed back into civilisation, and realise the detour was due to human error – we had taken the turn too early.

The rest of the drive is largely uneventful. That’s both the remarkable boon and unwitting bane of the 8th-generation A6. It scores major points on all fronts – luxe interiors, devilishly handsome styling, gizmos and gadgets, and next-gen engine and onboad tech that’ll see it geared for the automotive nirvana that is full automation.