Audi Launches Chinese-Exclusive Long-Wheelbase A6L

Another area where the A6L leads the way is with its quattro all-wheel drive. Though Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW

The A6L is the first Audi to be built in China with a V8 motor. (Photo: Audi of America)

5-Series competitors are available with '4Matic' and 'X-Drive' all-wheel drive respectively, Audi has the upper hand with over twenty-five years of AWD experience.

The A6L will be offered with quattro on vehicles equipped with the 3.0-liter 218-hp V6 and the 4.2-liter, 335-hp V8. As a side-note, the A6L is the first Audi to be built in China with a V8 motor. Other powertrain configurations include FrontTrak (FWD) mated to a 170-hp 2.0-liter TFSI engine (as featured in the upcoming VW GTI) and a 2.4-liter, 177-hp V6. Customers can choose between a manual transmission, the Multitronic CVT gearbox, and two automatics.

As with the standard A6, the 'L' model boasts high-tech features

The A6L comes equipped with front, side and head airbags to ensure that passengers are safe in any situation. (Photo: Audi of America)

including ZF's Servotronic power steering, multi-function steering wheel, light/rain sensors and the MMI multimedia system - in Chinese, of course. Although quattro and an advanced stability control program are standard, the A6L comes equipped with front, side and head airbags to ensure that passengers are safe in any situation. The super-rigid chassis of the long-wheelbase A6 should perform equally as well as the regular model in a collision, and would without a doubt obtain the same five-star crash test rating in the EuroNCAP front and side impact tests.