2025 Audi S6 Review and Test Drive

An optimal blend of luxury, technology, and performance.

Mark Takahashi | 

Dec 4, 2024 | 5 min read

Mark Takahashi

Based on the Audi A6, the 2025 Audi S6 is a midsize luxury sport sedan. You can think of it as the midpoint of Audi's sports sedan lineup, sandwiched between the S4 and S8 models. It's also the midrange performer between the less powerful A6 and the high-performance RS 6 Avant that's available only as a wagon.

However, the 2025 S6 is anything but middling. A potent performer, the S6 rewards an enthusiast driver with plentiful power, sharp handling, and a sublime highway ride.

Audi offers the 2025 S6 in Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige trim levels. Base prices range from the mid-$70,000s to the mid-$80,000s, including the destination charge for shipping the car from the Neckarsulm, Germany, factory that builds it to your local dealership.

Mark Takahashi

For this Audi S6 review, I test-drove the top Prestige variant in the Los Angeles area.

Optional equipment included a Bang & Olufsen high-end surround-sound system, a night vision assistant system, and Ascari Blue paint, bringing the manufacturer's suggested retail price to $93,390, including the $1,295 destination charge.

Audi provided the vehicle for this S6 review.

Is the 2025 Audi S6 a Good Car?

Midsize luxury sedans must deliver plenty of luxury and performance to remain competitive, especially if they hail from Europe. Fortunately for Audi, the S6 easily accomplishes both. It's far more engaging and exciting to drive than its A6 sibling — without sacrificing overall comfort.

Chief rivals remain the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, which underwent redesigns last year. As of publication, neither offers an exact match to the S6, with the 550e plug-in hybrid and E450 coming closest for now. However, compared with the BMW and Benz, the current S6 is an old design, last receiving an overhaul in 2019. With Audi's push toward electric vehicles, it's unclear if an internal-combustion-engine replacement is on the way.

Mark Takahashi

The Audi S6 Is a Modern, Refined, and Understated Beauty

Despite its age, the S6's exterior styling is as attractive as ever, blending clean lines with hints of aggression.

The same holds true for the interior, which has a distinctly modern take on luxury with no less than three large digital touchscreen displays. The cabin also benefits from robust construction and premium materials, though I would prefer alternatives to the glossy black surfaces that cause distracting reflections while attracting dust and fingerprints.

Firmly padded but well shaped, the front seats keep you comfortable on longer trips. The leather upholstery can get a little stifling on hot days, and thankfully, seat ventilation is available in the optional Luxury package. That package additionally comes with massaging front seats that will further reduce driver fatigue.

There's also plenty of room for taller adults in the rear seats, and the wide and deep trunk can carry much more cargo than its official capacity of 13.7 cubic-feet suggests.

Mark Takahashi

Smart Technology Makes the S6 Safer and Easy to Live With

All S6 models have a customizable digital instrument panel, a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and an 8.6-inch touchscreen below it for secondary and climate controls. The displays benefit from crisp graphics and quick response to inputs confirmed with a haptic click, but using the secondary touchscreen is distracting while driving due to its low position on the dashboard.

Thankfully, a voice recognition system allows you to bypass many functions by saying "Hey Audi" and making your request. Or, you can use the wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration systems and do the same with Siri and Google Assistant. Streaming music is easy, and it sounds terrific through the high-end Bang & Olufsen audio system.

Mark Takahashi

Audi equips the S6 with the expected advanced driver-assistance features, and during my evaluation, they functioned properly without any false alarms. The test car had a night vision assistant that could detect people and large animals, but the thermal imaging showed the digital instrumentation out of the driver's line of sight. I didn't find it helpful in Los Angeles, but I can see how this would be useful when driving in the countryside.

Crash-test results specific to the S6 are unavailable. However, the A6 on which it is based received an overall five-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the top score of "Good" in tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

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Sensible Power and Performance Define the Audi S6

A 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6 powers the Audi S6, paired with a 48-volt hybrid system that spins up a supplemental supercharger. Total output measures 444 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, and an eight-speed automatic transmission sends the motive force to all four wheels, helping to accelerate the sedan to 60 mph in a quick 4.4 seconds.

That's more than enough power for most drivers and it's well balanced with the S6's sport-tuned, adaptive damping suspension that allows it to corner with much more athleticism than its A6 sibling. You can select the suspension firmness using the drive-mode settings, so the ride quality doesn't suffer in that pursuit of performance unless you want it to.

Even during spirited driving, the S6's cabin remains calm and quiet, allowing in just the right amount of inspiring engine and exhaust noises. That didn't help me achieve respectable fuel-economy numbers, though, as I only managed 17.2 mpg, compared with the EPA-estimated 19/27/22 mpg in city/highway/combined driving.

Mark Takahashi

As of publication, the Audi S6 faces no direct rivals from BMW and Mercedes. The BMW 550e plug-in hybrid is good for 483 horsepower but likely isn't as agile as the S6 unless you get the M Sport package and its upgraded suspension to help sharpen things up. The forthcoming Mercedes-AMG E53 Hybrid would likely be a strong contender, with 577 horsepower and an AMG massage, but that car's price remains a mystery.

Overall, the Audi S6 is a great pick for a driver who demands more performance and excitement but doesn't want to sacrifice comfort or convenience. With its uncertain future, you'd do well to act quickly if this blend of refinement, technology, and athleticism appeals to you.

Mark Takahashi

Mark has been in the automotive space for more than two decades and has reviewed thousands of vehicles for outlets that include Edmunds, Car and Driver, Autoblog, CarGurus, Capital One, and J.D. Power. He has a background in advertising, design, and fabrication, as well as open-wheel and motorcycle racing. Mark's video reviews can be seen on YouTube, and he has been featured as an automotive expert on regional and national news broadcasts. He is a North American Car of the Year juror and a third-generation Los Angeles native, where he keeps his classic 1957 Thunderbird and two motorcycles.