Audi A6 wins two 'Drive' Car of the Year Accolades

Audi was declared the winner of two prestigious awards today at the Drive Car of the Year 2011 presentation. The all-new Audi A6 3.0 TDI was named the “Best Luxury Car over $80,000”, and also collected the prized “People’s Choice Award”.

Audi’s managing director, Uwe Hagen, was presented with the two highly sought-after awards today at the Drive Car of the Year 2011 presentation, held at Sydney’s Doltone House. The premium Drive Car of the Year awards encompass the Fairfax newspapers, The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and drive.com.au.

The all-new Audi A6 received the prize for the “Best Luxury Car over $80,000”, ahead of stiff competition from BMW’s 535i sedan and the Mercedes-Benz E250 CDI BlueEfficiency.

In describing why the A6 was superior to its rivals, journalist Steve Colquhoun wrote: ”A smooth but powerful diesel engine, a sumptuous cabin and a fully-loaded equipment list made the Audi a clear winner at the top end of town…

“Many judges were impressed by the feeling of solidity and quality exuded by the Audi, one opining it was the only one of the three “that feels like a $100,000-plus car”.

“It was the only contender in this contest with all-wheel-drive, a decisive advantage in accelerating out of slower corners in the wet weather encountered during our testing.

“The Audi also had the most resolved ride over the patchy bitumen of our 30km test course, cosseting its inhabitants better than its competitors.”

In a fitting tribute to such a popular car, Drive’s millions of readers also voted the Audi A6 3.0 TDI as the winner of the “People’s Choice Award”, ahead of the 44 other cars that Drive tested across all categories.

Managing Director of Audi Australia, Uwe Hagen, was pleased to accept the award on behalf of the entire Audi team.

“We are absolutely thrilled that our brand new A6 has been honoured in this way. To have won these awards against such strong competition is a great achievement. To have such an important new model officially recognised for its strong performance, handling and premium qualities is a real win for the Audi brand and the Audi dealer network in Australia.”