When it comes to luxury saloons or sedans, people do become very choosy and fussy about every little thing that is being offered. After all, you can afford something big, why wouldn’t you afford something that is great and just perfect to fulfil all of your requirements.
Luxury cars are seriously expensive and are often exclusive to the elite section of the society. But then, to make things easier and much more affordable to more people around, the luxury car making companies have very well differentiated between an entry level car, mid spec cars and then the top end cars. Each company offers an entry level car for the people to get a taste of the premium section at a price that won’t leave you with nightmares.
Out of the many luxury automobile making companies, one such popular company is Audi, a Germany-based automaker. Following the similar pattern, Audi too has the A3, which is the entry level sedan to the world of Audi, followed by the A4, A6 and then the A8. These, of course, are aligned in the ascending order of their price and specifications.
Hence, leaving behind the Audi A3, which cannot be compared with other top notch Audi cars, we can get a look into what all of the cars has on offer and what makes them different from each other.
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Exteriors
Place the Audi A4 and the Audi A6 side by side and you won’t be able to tell the difference between them unless you evaluate closely. They look the same from the front with a chunky hexagonal grille with horizontal slats, a sharp headlamp design and an averagely long bonnet. The real difference starts to show when you have walked towards the C-pillar of the car. You will notice that the A6 is longer than the A4 by a small margin (around 9-inch), which could easily escape the naked eye.
The Audi A8, on the other hand, is a class apart product. It is the most luxurious car among the lot and that is evident on its outer fascia as well. If the Audi A4 and A6 are big, then the A8 is the epitome in that dimension. The A8 is more than a foot longer than the A6 and close to two feet longer than the A4. It does not have the curvy or the sculpted appearance like the Mercedes Benz CLA (the entry level to Mercedes) but is much more plain and classy. To bring to a notable comparison meter, the Audi A8 could easily be seen as a Bentley or a Rolls Royce for the A6 and A4.
Interiors
Not disappointing a bit, Audi has added touches of premiumness to the Audi A4, A6 and A8 in their order of the product lineup, the higher the position, the better the features. Where Audi A4 and A6 are 5-seater sedans, the A8 is a much more luxury product with all bit of features on the back center armrest, making it a 4-seater saloon. The Audi A4 is the least spacious of the lot, while the A8 is as roomy as a big open area (pun intended).
However, it’s the Audi A8 that has the smallest boot (510-litre) among them all, while the A4 and A6 has 530-litre boot apiece. The touch of elegance is on offer with leather upholstery for all of the cars, along with leather wrapped steering wheel. But the A4 does not have a leather wrapped gear knob, which the A6 and A8 does. Moreover, the A4 is offered with a standard automatic climate control, while the A6 and A8 comes with 3-zone and 4-zone automatic control respectively.
Mechanism
The engine fitted in the Audi A4 is modestly powerful as per the company’s standards. There is a standard 1.4-litre turbocharged, four-cylinder petrol engine that makes a maximum power of 148 bhp at 5,000 revs per minute and a highest torque of 250 Nm at 1,500 revs per minute. The transmission duties are done by a 7-speed automatic transmission gearbox.
The Audi A6 is a more powerful version of the A4 with a 1.8-litre four-cylinder, turbocharged engine which makes a highest power of 190 bhp and a maximum torque of 320 Nm. Interestingly, the highest power and torque comes at 4,200 and 1,400 revs per minute respectively. For the transmission of power, it has the same Conventional 7-speed automatic gearbox.
On the other hand, the Audi A8 is giant in terms of power when compared to them. The standard A8 has a 4.0-litre V8 turbocharged engine which is capable of making a humongous power of 429 bhp at 5,100 revs per minute and a peak torque of 600 Nm at 1,500 revs per minute. The transmission is taller than the other two models with an 8-speed automatic gearbox. Moreover, the Paddle shift gearbox type makes sure that you are never on the wrong gear.
Verdict
Starting from the Audi A4 to the A8, the features and mechanism has been perfectly worked with, as they have evolved with each model placed higher than the previous. The Audi A4 is often considered as a second entry-level model for Audi given its features, power plant and price.
The Audi A4 is young and is made for the young souls, while the A6 is more tuned to suit the family requirements. This assessment is definitely made on the performance and the drive quality of each of them. On the contrary, the Audi A8 is a powerful finesse. It is elegance with a touch of class, power with a touch of grace.
Having said that, let us take that one major factor into consideration. The Audi A4 is priced somewhere around the Rs. 36-40 lakhs mark, while the A6 is priced at around Rs. 52-58 lakhs mark. Get to the Audi A8 and you will see a price tag of Rs. 1.5 crore. That is where the biggest driving factor comes into play. All of the, grace, finesse, elegance and everything good comes at a price which is roughly a crore more that the A6.