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The 2017 Audi A6 is the great luxury sedan we forgot about

The current Audi A6 is getting old. This generation was first sold as a 2012, got a mild facelift for 2016, and is likely to be replaced for 2018 or 2019. So 2017 may be its last year, but it's still my favorite mid-size Germano luxury thing. I just had to be reminded of its existence. BMW and Mercedes-Benz have been making big noises in this segment recently, with a new 5 Series on the way and the recently launched E-Class, and that apparently distracted me enough from the A6. There's also the fact the Audi is starting to look a bit anonymous on the road. It's still handsome, sure, but it doesn't stand out like the related A7. The 2016 refresh did just enough to keep it looking contemporary, though, and for 2017 all A6s come standard with the S Line appearance package. That helps. What struck me about the A6 was that it doesn't feel dated inside. Everything is laid out nicely, it's just comfortable, and you can see out of it. The one I drove had the beautiful layered walnut trim – it looks like pin-striped wood. (And no, it wasn't painted this bright blue, although you can get that on a special-order car if you pay $3,900 for Exclusive paint.) There are no huge screens inside, and the A6 won't get Audi's Virtual Cockpit until the next generation, but I didn't miss any of that. All of the excitement of Virtual Cockpit's beautiful reconfigurable screens, and I had forgotten that the display between the gauges it replaces had a perfectly pleasant Google Maps view already. It's the same basic functionality as Virtual Cockpit here, you just can't press a button to minimize the real-life gauges. And I'm fine having actual gauges. I was somewhat surprised, however, to see Apple CarPlay pop up when I plugged in my phone. (It's included for 2017 as part of the Audi smartphone interface, which comes with the Premium Plus trim and above.) Using CarPlay is a bit weird without a touchscreen, just like it is on other Audis and Mercedes products, but the nice thing about CarPlay is that you really don't need to interact with it much, since there isn't much to interact with. Oddly, the touchpad on the center console doesn't work to navigate from CarPlay tile to tile. I got over that pretty quickly and just turned the dial when necessary. There's also a feeling that nothing's missing when you drive it, that Audi couldn't really add much to improve the experience. The car is incredibly smooth and comfortable going down the road.

Bentley doubles down on diesels with a triple-charged Bentayga

Volkswagen Group isn't totally giving up on diesels. While its flagship VW brand is clearly tarnished, the ultra-luxury Bentley division just revealed plans for its first oil-burner, a triple-charged 4.0-liter V8 that produces 429 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. If the powertrain sounds familiar, that's because it's the same one found in the Audi SQ7 TDI. It's a clever system capable of giving what Bentley claims as the world's fastest diesel SUV a top speed of 168 miles per hour and a zero-to-62 mph time of 4.8 seconds. The SQ7 TDI can get to 62 mph in the same time, but is electronically limited to 155 mph, because it wouldn't make sense if the cheaper SUV could outperform the much more expensive one. The Bentayga also emits the lowest CO2 output of any Bentley and has a range of over 621 miles on one tank. Despite having a curb weight of 5,269 pounds, Bentley claims the Bentayga can get a combined rating of 35.8 mpg on the European cycle. The Bentayga Diesel may not be as powerful or as fast as the W12-powered model, but it's a lot more fuel efficient as the latter achieves a combined rating of 21.6 mpg on the European cycle. Other than the new engine, the Bentayga diesel is nearly identical to its gasoline-powered twin except for some discreet "V8 Diesel" badges on the front doors, a new exhaust outlet design, and a black grille. A Bentley spokesperson confirmed that the Bentayga diesel would not be sold in the US. And since Bentley won't be at this year's Paris Motor Show, don't get your hopes up on spotting the vehicle there. The diesel-powered SUV will go on sale in Europe early next year, which will be followed by its release in Russia, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan. Pricing for the SUV has not been announced yet. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Bentley Bentayga Diesel View 20 Photos News Source: BentleyImage Credit: Bentley Green Audi Bentley SUV Diesel Vehicles Luxury Performance bentley bentayga

2015 Audi R8 Competition ready to rock LA

The heyday of the first-generation Audi R8 is winding down, and the Four Rings already has a bespoke factory to start building the next model soon. In the meantime, the German brand is sending its supercar off with a bang at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show in the form of this limited-edition 2015 R8 Competition - the most powerful production vehicle ever made by the company.
Audi is earmarking just 60 examples of the Competition for the US, and this is more than just a trim package to say farewell. Power for the supercar comes from the usual 5.2-liter V10 that's massaged to develop 570 horsepower, an extra 20 hp over the already quite potent V10 Plus, and the only available transmission is the seven-speed, dual clutch S Tronic gearbox. The tweaks let this limited R8 rocket to 60 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds and achieve a maximum velocity of 199 mph. To haul that speed to a stop, it also gets ceramic brake disks with red calipers.
Of course, having such a rare supercar means showing off a little. Audi takes inspiration from the R8 LMS Ultra racecar for the Competition and tries to bring some of its details to the street. The model wears matte carbon fiber pieces replacing the rear spoiler, mirror housings, side blades, front spoiler and rear diffuser. For an extra mean-looking touch, it also has high-gloss black paint covering the wheels and exhaust pipes.