New A6 - Tech pack yes or no?

CoastalHawk

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Hi all,
Going slightly mad here trying to work out if the tech pack which brings the bigger center screen and the virtual cockpit is worth the additional cost. The additional cost over the 2-year lease is £606 which is much better than the circa £1,500 list. Just struggling to justify it when I will only have the car for 2 years.
Anyone have it or not have it and have an opinion?
Cheers
 
Yes and yes, the virtual cockpit is truly special in my opinion and the bigger screen (with better processor power apparently) is always a plus. Google Earth maps only with tech pack. Also the tech pack brings the wireless phone charger, and additionally allows you to pair 2 phones to the car simultaneously.

Of course the decision is ultimately yours based on how much these extras add value to your car experience, but in my case I love high tech and wouldn’t have gotten the car at all if this wasn’t available.
 
I would have liked it but couldn’t turn down the offer on mine. Don’t miss it as I don’t use the sat nav much and only have 1 phone. Shame it’s such a silly price for a fancy screen and not much else. (Also something else to go wrong).
 
I’ve regretted many options on cars due to not actually using them in reality, but the tech pack on this car is not one of them. For me the specific benefits that make it worth the cost:
  • VC lifts the look of the interior and, if you use the car’s own nav, it really is much better than looking at the main infotainment screen (though you can’t project mapping from your phone to it)
  • Voice commands are actually useful in this car, not least because the touchscreen layout makes it borderline dangerous to operate certain controls on the move e.g. I use it frequently to adjust the AC temperature
  • Wireless charging box - which actually works, even with my phone’s leather case in-situ - chuck the phone in the arm-rest and forget about it
Clearly some people wouldn’t be bothered about any of those which is fair enough. Even so for less than £1 per day I reckon it’s close to a no-brainer.
 
Thanks all, I think for the money and making it special it’s worth the money. Really appreciate the replies as I wasn’t sure how active this forum was!

Only thing I can’t justify is the comfort pack, I’d have loved the coloured lighting. What’s the standard lighting like is it still special at night?
 
It’s on the list!

So it will be a A6 Avant Black Edition 45 TFSI Quattro in Vesuvius grey with tech pack!

Anything else I have missed?
 
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Sounds nice, cant wait to see the pics.
We're quite restricted in options now, since Audi rationalised the options list. The other worthwhile ones I'm my opinion would hike the price by a lot- comfort & sound pack and panoramic roof.
Storage pack could be a good option though.
 
  • Voice commands are actually useful in this car, not least because the touchscreen layout makes it borderline dangerous to operate certain controls on the move e.g. I use it frequently to adjust the AC temperature
Hi
May I ask what voice commands you use to change the temperature and switch on/off the heating? Also can you switch on/off the stop-start feature by voice instead of having to press the button each time you get in the car? Probably a silly question, can you also start the car by voice providing you have the foot on the brake & the key fob is in the car?
Just trying to ascertain what you can & cannot do by voice!
Cheers
 
Last edited:
Re: wireless charging on the A6 (with Tech pack), does this also improve the cellular signal level, ie the wireless module is connected to an external antenna? I know the A4 B9 came with this feature when it first came out but later on it was deemed to be "illegal" by OFCOM(?) and was removed in future A4 Tech pack versions. I guess the same applies to the A6?
Cheers
 
Hi
May I ask what voice commands you use to change the temperature and switch on/off the heating? Also can you switch on/off the stop-start feature by voice instead of having to press the button each time you get in the car? Probably a silly question, can you also start the car by voice providing you have the foot on the brake & the key fob is in the car?
Just trying to ascertain what you can & cannot do by voice!
Cheers
  • Theres a thread on here somewhere, with some of my trial an error inputs. Most of the commands are MMI/heating related.
  • Not tried doing anything with stop/start, I think it's a good system, especially in queuing traffic where it senses the movement of the car in front and restarts the engine.
  • You need to start the car conventionally.
 
Hi
May I ask what voice commands you use to change the temperature and switch on/off the heating? Also can you switch on/off the stop-start feature by voice instead of having to press the button each time you get in the car? Probably a silly question, can you also start the car by voice providing you have the foot on the brake & the key fob is in the car?
Just trying to ascertain what you can & cannot do by voice!
Cheers

I haven't been in the car long enough to come up with an exhaustive list and I definitely haven't tested the limits of the system, but the stuff I have used is as follows:

For the climate temp I say set temperature to x degrees. You can also say I'm cold and the car will ask you what temperature to set. Heating is always on so haven’t had to switch it on or I’d be surprised if heating on didn’t work. You can turn the seat heating on or off with the simple seat heating on/off.

I find setting the nav a faff manually, so entering addresses is useful, e.g. take me to Oxford Street, London. As the MMI is connected to the internet you can input more generic destinations e.g if you say take me to McDonalds the main screen will highlight a handful of your nearest purveyors of filthy but oh so delicious burgers and you just select which one you want by saying the number highlighted against the particular entry. I think you can change the map view and display settings but I haven't tried this.

I also use it to make calls, a simple call John Smith works.

Finally, I have about 10000 songs hooked up via USB and can call up a track by saying something like play Dynamite Love.

All of the above stuff works pretty well though the system can definitely still be glitchy but as I said above, it's quicker and safer to use these commands whilst on the move than trying to use the physical interface.

 
Hi
May I ask what voice commands you use to change the temperature and switch on/off the heating? Also can you switch on/off the stop-start feature by voice instead of having to press the button each time you get in the car? Probably a silly question, can you also start the car by voice providing you have the foot on the brake & the key fob is in the car?
Just trying to ascertain what you can & cannot do by voice!
Cheers
You can say things like "I'm cold" or "I'm hot" and it will allow you to adjust the temperature, or you can say "set drivers temperature to 22 degrees" or turn heated seat on. As far as I can tell you can only use commands for functions that have a soft button in the lower part of the lower screen. Haven't tried stop start but I suspect that will not be possible, likewise turning the engine off or starting
 
It’s on the list!

So it will be a A6 Avant Black Edition 45 TFSI Quattro in Vesuvius grey with tech pack!

Anything else I have missed?

Extended fuel tank is something I would recommend as well as the Storage pack. I have the 45TFSI and it is quite thirsty in London traffic and the extended tank makes a big difference for me. Storage pack mainly for the cargo net to stop all my junk flying around, a must for me.

I got the Comfort and Sound pack as well, not just for the extended lighting but mainly for the B&O sound system.
 
Yes and yes, the virtual cockpit is truly special in my opinion and the bigger screen (with better processor power apparently) is always a plus. Google Earth maps only with tech pack. Also the tech pack brings the wireless phone charger, and additionally allows you to pair 2 phones to the car simultaneously.

Of course the decision is ultimately yours based on how much these extras add value to your car experience, but in my case I love high tech and wouldn’t have gotten the car at all if this wasn’t available.
You can sync 2 phones at the same time with the standard system you do not need the Tech Pack
 
I’ve regretted many options on cars due to not actually using them in reality, but the tech pack on this car is not one of them. For me the specific benefits that make it worth the cost:
  • VC lifts the look of the interior and, if you use the car’s own nav, it really is much better than looking at the main infotainment screen (though you can’t project mapping from your phone to it)
  • Voice commands are actually useful in this car, not least because the touchscreen layout makes it borderline dangerous to operate certain controls on the move e.g. I use it frequently to adjust the AC temperature
  • Wireless charging box - which actually works, even with my phone’s leather case in-situ - chuck the phone in the arm-rest and forget about it
Clearly some people wouldn’t be bothered about any of those which is fair enough. Even so for less than £1 per day I reckon it’s close to a no-brainer.
With the standard setup you can also view the map between the dials, not as flashy as VC but still perfectly adequate.
 
Morning all, much-appreciated comments, think the fuel tank increase for the minimal cost will be a good choice, especially when combined with long euro road trips. How do you find the 45TFSI? The reviews I read were all pretty good hence my decision but always good to get real-world feedback!
 
Morning all, much-appreciated comments, think the fuel tank increase for the minimal cost will be a good choice, especially when combined with long euro road trips. How do you find the 45TFSI? The reviews I read were all pretty good hence my decision but always good to get real-world feedback!

Rather than be that guy that quotes himself, I'm going to be that guy that plugs his own thread. My thoughts on the C8 45TFSI are here.
 
Morning all, much-appreciated comments, think the fuel tank increase for the minimal cost will be a good choice, especially when combined with long euro road trips. How do you find the 45TFSI? The reviews I read were all pretty good hence my decision but always good to get real-world feedback!
You may need to balance the options you would like to have against the length of time you will need to wait for it to be built. If it turns into a completely fresh factory order, I suspect even in this day of anti-diesel, most pre-allocated build slots for UK A6s will be diesel varients, then you could easily be waiting 4 months or more for your car.
 
Fuel economy is still terrible! I think the engine needs to loosen up a bit more before making a definitive judgement on it.

Oh, dear.... I promised my wife it wouldn't be too bad! How do you find the performance? Do you miss the torque of a diesel?

I also never thanked you for writing your initial views on the car, it was a great read and did sway me!
 
Fuel economy is still terrible! I think the engine needs to loosen up a bit more before making a definitive judgement on it.

I second the economy. Whilst the car drives absolutely beautifully in my opinion, the economy is worse than expected at 18mpg central London and 38mpg out on the open road is what I am getting so far 1300 miles in.
 
I second the economy. Whilst the car drives absolutely beautifully in my opinion, the economy is worse than expected at 18mpg central London and 38mpg out on the open road is what I am getting so far 1300 miles in.

38mpg on a run is a distant fantasy for me!

Oh, dear.... I promised my wife it wouldn't be too bad! How do you find the performance? Do you miss the torque of a diesel?

I also never thanked you for writing your initial views on the car, it was a great read and did sway me!

I’ve never owned a diesel so I don’t know what I’m missing. Power was never a huge consideration for us; the car needed to have enough guts to not be a pain in the **** to drive daily and be safe overtaking, which it definitely is. But it’s no more than that. I’d recommend test driving the engine if not the car - I know there aren’t many petrol A6’s about, but if you factor in the A5’s and Q5’s with the same unit you might be able to track one down to try.
 
Thanks for all the replies and guidance, put the order in yesterday but have a few days to confirm
..... I have put Vesuvius Grey on the order form but have just seen one in the flesh and it’s almost black.... wife has just taken delivery of a new A4 Black Edition in Daytona which I thought ruled that out as I didn’t want two the same just one a 4 and other a 6 but now I’m really not sure!
 
Daytona over vesuvius easily. Like you say it's almost black but not black. Are you getting an S Line or black ed?
 
Ever though about floret silver? Very underrated colour and contrasts fantastically well with the black trim on the black ed
 
I did think about it but having had so many silver cars over the last 10 years it’s hard to ‘go back’!
 
Red looks awesome in black edition too, see the pics in the picture thread.
 
Not sure my wife would agree on the red!

Just looked at the silver online and it does look good, I’m tempted!

What gets your vote:

Glacier White
Daytona
Silver
 
I’ve added my Daytona Grey pics yesterday so I’m biased at the moment. I discounted White as that was my last cars colour.

In all honesty they all look nice, don’t think I’ve seen the silver in the flesh so maybe that’s the rarest?
 
Not sure my wife would agree on the red!

Just looked at the silver online and it does look good, I’m tempted!

What gets your vote:

Glacier White
Daytona
Silver
Glacier White gets my vote. I've ordered a A6 Avant Black Edition in Glacier White and if it looks anything like my old A4 Black Edition in Glacier White, then I know I'm going to love my A6!




 
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I’ve honestly never been so indecisive, I can only put it down to all three colours looking so good! I’m still no further forward.
 
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I'm loving my Floret Silver, especially on those rare sunny days!

IMG 20190610 234216


20181212 163951
 
The silver does look beautiful. I’m still swaying towards Daytona I think, anyone silver and black edition?
 
I’m over the moon with my 40 TDI S-Line after changing from a 2010 A6 Avant 3.0 TFSI
I really wanted the Comfort & Sound Pack & The Tech Pack but like ScottK, I couldn't turn down the price I got knocked off in a local Audi VIP event.
Still working everything out in terms of controls as touch screen doesnt allow for the “feel” of where the controls are (apart from Windscreen and Rear screen clearing ones), agree its a tad dangerous as you have to look and focus on the controls to change them.
Audi Pre-Sense is good and was shockingly surprised that mind came with Matrix LED Headlights as standard.
Be wary that after 2 weeks of ownership its already got to go in for a software update/calibration of the Audi Pre-Sense and this can only be done at the “bigger” dealerships as the smaller ones don’t have it. I’m booked in to get mine sorted on 23rd.
Economy was a priority this time so didn't even get a Quattro version.
My 3.0 TFSI was lucky to get 300miles to a £95 tank, this tank is £65 and already done 300 miles with another 175mikes left on the range meter.

Already had the rear screen and rear quarters tinted and had it winter protected and had my Thinkware F800 Pro refitted. Just gonna enjoy driving it now for the next 3-4 years
 

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