Comparing The Audi A6 vs The BMW 5 Series

In the premium sedan / touring car market, it’s no secret that your best choices are often from German manufacturers. And within that group, two of the best options are the BMW 5 Series and the Audi A6.

Both cars represent each brand at the top of their game. The BMW 5 Series is their second best-selling vehicle (behind only the 3 series) and has been a mainstay for decades. And in recent years, Audi has developed a formidable reputation for its larger sedans, boosted by its world-beating Quattro All-Wheel-Drive system. But in this head-to-head, which car comes out on top?

The Audi A6 vs. BMW 5 Series

We’ll compare the Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series across several categories to find out where each car is best:

– Practicality

– Performance / Engines

– Driving experience

– Quality / Technology

– Value For Money

Across each category, I’ll talk you through the good and bad points for each model, and finally, my opinion. At the end of the article, you’ll have all the info you need to decide which model is right for you.

Let’s make a start!

Practicality

Let’s talk about practicality first. The A6 and 5 Series are large, luxury sedans/wagons – so practicality is a priority. Recently Audi has stretched its lead in this department, as BMW only offers the 5 Series as a sedan for the US market. So how do they compare?

Let’s look at some key dimensions:

Comparing the 3 models, for practicality, the Audi A6 Avant is the clear winner – and that’s expected. As a wagon, you get more than double the cargo volume compared to the A6 sedan, along with a small improvement in headroom.

There are a couple of surprises, though, mainly from BMW. Their official figures beat both Audi’s in headroom, and compared to the A6 sedan; you get a lot more cargo space. These figures and lower vehicle weight make me skeptical about some of the BMW values, but I don’t see how they can falsify specs that are so easy to check.

Either way, despite the lack of a wagon option, the 5 Series sedan holds up well against its main rival, but you can’t look past the A6 Avant if practicality is key. Let’s hope we get a 5 Series wagon soon to even the playing field.

Performance / Engines

Audi A6

Next, we’ll look at the performance options for both vehicles. Starting with the Audi A6, you get the choice of engines shown below, split across the sedan and wagon models:

None of the A6 models are short on performance – even the entry-level 45 sedan gets you from 0-60mph in less than 6 seconds. The standout is the RS6 Avant, though. It’s one of the most popular performance models from Audi currently on sale, and with those stats, it’s easy to see why. So how so BMW compare?

BMW 5 Series

As we’ve seen, BMW is limited to just a sedan on their current 5 Series, but it doesn’t limit their performance variety. Below you can see the various options available:

As you can see, there are a lot of options on the 5 Series. Like the A6, you get a reasonable amount of power from the entry-level 530i, scaling up to the ridiculous M5 models. I think the most impressive thing about the M5 stats is that I’ve heard people running 0-60 under 3 seconds in the real world, which is supercar territory. In a luxury sedan. That’s insane.

Overall, performance-wise there isn’t much to split the two vehicles. Most A6 and 5 Series owners won’t be going for the high-performance models, and there is barely anything to split the 530i and A6 45 stats. If you’re after the best money can buy, though, the M5 competition has to be your first choice.

Driving Experience: 

What is the driving experience like in the A6 and 5 Series? There are a few ways we can approach this, and we’ll look at how each model performs when pushed to its limit and what they are both like as daily drivers.

Audi A6

My experience driving and as a passenger in the Audi A6 is limited, but I only have good memories. These cars are marketed on luxury and comfort, and you have high expectations.

When we covered the dimensions earlier, it was clear that headroom and legroom were more than adequate for most. The current generation A6 has suitably comfortable seating for front and rear occupants, and you also get an impressive amount of technology to help make driving that much easier (more on that soon).

When pushing the A6 to its limit, you feel the weight of a car that comes in at over 4,000 lbs. Straight-line performance is good, and the Quattro system is top of its class, but it can only do some much with the presence of a large sedan. The S6 and RS6 versions get performance upgrades that include carbon fiber elements for weight saving, better air suspension, and optional ceramic brakes. All these make the S6 and RS6 capable of keeping up with most mid-tier sports cars, even in the corners.

BMW 5 Series

In the BMW 5 Series, you get a feeling why BMW market their cars as ‘ultimate driving machines’. BMW has always focused on the driving experience, and it’s present in the 5 Series.

For daily driving, the 5 Series is just as comfortable as the A6. I’ve extensively driven both a 530e and 540i, and both cars made long-distance driving a pleasure. Like the A6, the current generation of 5 Series has enough tech to almost drive itself, reducing the micro-managing that can frustrate drivers.

Push the 5 Series, and it turns into a different machine. The standard models will give you some entertainment, but they are still large vehicles with soft suspensions.

Move up to the M550i, and you might forget you’re in a large executive sedan for a while. You get improvements in suspension, and the xDrive system can shift to rear-wheel-drive bias to add more excitement. 

Finally, the full M5 version is everything you’d expect from that badge and more. I won’t go into detail on all the M5 extra, and I haven’t had the pleasure of driving an M5, so I can’t give you my fair opinion, but you only need to look at the awards it has won in the last year to understand what that car can do.

Quality / Technology

So far, we’ve looked at the practicality, performance, and driving experience. But what about the kit you get on each model and the quality of the materials?

Suppose you’re in the market for a premium sedan at these prices. In that case, you want a car with a high-quality cabin and amazing technology; traditionally, the Germans have been world-beaters in this area. So how do the Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series hold up?

The Audi A6

The A6 continues Audi’s recent trend of designing incredible cabins. Looking back a couple of generations, I wasn’t a fan of the Audi designs, but I can’t fault most of their choices in the A6.

I can describe the A6 cabin in one short sentence; high on quality, low on buttons. Audi has designed an interior with as few physical buttons as possible. That has created a cabin with impressive touchscreens for almost every function, giving the A6 a clean and premium look.

That technology isn’t without fault, though. The screens are excellent (particularly the driver’s display), but sometimes having a physical button makes things simpler. Changing the temperature, for example, is easier when it’s not on a touchscreen. It also means you must take your eyes off the road to check that you’re pressing the right screen, which isn’t ideal.

Lighting is good with the option of a complete ambient package, and for sound, you can upgrade to a 16-set B&O system. On the exterior, you get LED headlights as standard (which can be upgraded). For more info on the options that you can add, find out more here.

Regarding material quality, it should be no surprise this is excellent. The surfaces are high-quality plastics or metal, and the seats are fantastic. You get some small improvements in the RS6 model, but even in the basic 45 specs, it’s a great cabin. 

The BMW 5 Series

Recent BMW cabins have gone in a different direction than Audi. While the A6 has its clean touchscreen layout, the 5 Series has gone button crazy. The 5 Series has a dual-screen setup that any BMW owner will be familiar with, but the center console has a variety of modes and switches to control every aspect of the car.

Whether this button-heavy setup is better or worse than the A6 depends on individual taste. In my opinion, the 5 Series cabin doesn’t look as premium as the A6, but I think it’s a more practical setup and easier to use.

You get similar options to the A6 in terms of upgraded Soundsystem and ambient lighting options. Exterior options include the impressive BMW Laserlights, but the camera systems in the 5 Series aren’t as good as the Audi offerings.

Material-wise, it’s all excellent here. There’s a wider choice of materials in the 5 Series; as in the A6, everything is high quality, with no hard plastics in sight.

Value For Money

After everything we’ve looked at – which car represents better value for money then? This isn’t an easy question, but let’s start by looking at the prices

With the standard models, you can see how closely matched the A6 and 5 Series are to each other. For example, the 540i and A6 55 versions have a starting MSRP that’s $150 different.

If I was looking at the lower-spec versions, with so little to choose from, I don’t think there is a clear winner between the A6 and 5 Series. For around $60,000-$70,000, you can choose between two excellent luxury sedans. Does the A6 carry the advantage of the wagon option? Slightly, but that will only affect a small number of buyers.

If you’re in the market for performance and have deep pockets, I think there is a clear winner. At the top of the tree, the M5 outshines the RS6 in terms of performance and value for money, in my opinion. Some die-hard Audi supporters will love the RS6 (and it will be a great car), but for $30,000 less, you can have that extra performance that comes with the M5.

Summary

Overall, the Audi A6 vs. the BMW 5 Series is a closely fought battle between two premium manufacturers at the top of their game. This is the best type of competition because it’s clear both brands are checking the quality of the other, and trying to beat it, which is only good news for customers.

If you’d like to learn more about Audi or BMW features and vehicles, check out the below: