Red 2020 S6 Is Still Worth Loving, 3.0 TDI Has Fake Exhaust

It's made a controversial change to a 3.0 TDI engine instead of the 4.0 TFSI we got last time. It's a shame they couldn't use the 4.0 TDI, but Audi's hand was forced by the latest emissions regulations.

Ever since the BMW 535i first came out, automakers have been competing to see who can make the best six-cylinder performance diesel engine. For the last couple of months, it looked like BMW and Mercedes caught up or even surpassed them, but this new 3.0 TDI exceeds our expectations just enough to make the S6 Avant worth picking up.

This could be one of the coolest diesel performance cars, right up there with the SQ7 and X5 M50d. In case you haven't heard, the V6 uses lots of turbocharging and an electric supercharger to get things done. It also employs a 48-volt electrical system to capture that pesky lost energy.

Audi is holding a test drive event near the city of Rudesheim am Rhein in Germany which is where we got this footage from. There's a bunch of official photos and a video from Auditography for you potential S6 fans or buyers.

Audi's baby is colored Tango Red Metallic and features the shadowline package for that blacked out look. You can have a lot of satin metallic finish too. The engine is fine, but the exhaust isn't.

If you look at the 2:25 moment in the video and pause, you'll see that the black tips aren't actually connected to anything. They real exhaust is pointing down at the ground right behind the bumper. That's got to be the sneakiest thing Audi has done in many years, which is saying something.

The sound is fake too, though everybody expected that considering the Audi A6 has had active exhaust since the early 2010s. Performance is nearly acceptable, with the 2-ton wagon getting to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds. "Nearly" because much cheaper hot hatchbacks are faster.