Audi S6 review

The S6 comes with Audi’s Virtual Cockpit, which replaces traditional analogue dials with a 12.3in digital screen. This is an excellent system, being highly configurable and showing a wealth of useful information just below your sightline. In fact, it makes the optional head-up display (standard on Vorsprung trim) an unnecessary luxury.

Look to the left and you’ll find twin touchscreens, the top one measuring 10.1in and covering such things as the radio, navigation and smartphone links (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard). Meanwhile, the 8.6in screen just below is dedicated to climate controls and convenience features.

Both screens respond quickly and provide haptic feedback to confirm when you’ve touched an icon. However, you still have to glance away from the road to find the one you want in the first place, and that’s our biggest bugbear; the setup is so much more distracting to use on the move than the rotary controllers in the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class.

The driving position is much harder to fault. The sports front seats are supportive and come with electric adjustment (including memory recall and lumbar adjustment). Plus, all-round visibility is good in the saloon and class-leading in the Avant estate. You also get parking sensors front and rear, a rear-view camera and bright LED headlights to illuminate the way ahead after dark.

As you’d expect, given how much you’re paying, everything feels beautifully constructed and the materials are plush. Our only complaint is that the interior doesn’t feel significantly more special than those of much cheaper S line models.