Saturday 17 December 2016

The 2017 Audi A6 is the great luxury sedan we forgot about



The current Audi A6 is getting old. This generation was first sold as a 2012, got a mild facelift for 2016, and is likely to be replaced for 2018 or 2019. So 2017 may be its last year, but it's still my favorite mid-size Germano luxury thing. I just had to be reminded of its existence.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz have been making big noises in this segment recently, with a new 5 Series on the way and the recently launched E-Class, and that apparently distracted me enough from the A6. There's also the fact the Audi is starting to look a bit anonymous on the road. It's still handsome, sure, but it doesn't stand out like the related A7. The 2016 refresh did just enough to keep it looking contemporary, though, and for 2017 all A6s come standard with the S Line appearance package. That helps.

What struck me about the A6 was that it doesn't feel dated inside. Everything is laid out nicely, it's just comfortable, and you can see out of it. The one I drove had the beautiful layered walnut trim – it looks like pin-striped wood. (And no, it wasn't painted this bright blue, although you can get that on a special-order car if you pay $3,900 for Exclusive paint.) There are no huge screens inside, and the A6 won't get Audi's Virtual Cockpit until the next generation, but I didn't miss any of that. All of the excitement of Virtual Cockpit's beautiful reconfigurable screens, and I had forgotten that the display between the gauges it replaces had a perfectly pleasant Google Maps view already. It's the same basic functionality as Virtual Cockpit here, you just can't press a button to minimize the real-life gauges. And I'm fine having actual gauges.

I was somewhat surprised, however, to see Apple CarPlay pop up when I plugged in my phone. (It's included for 2017 as part of the Audi smartphone interface, which comes with the Premium Plus trim and above.) Using CarPlay is a bit weird without a touchscreen, just like it is on other Audis and Mercedes products, but the nice thing about CarPlay is that you really don't need to interact with it much, since there isn't much to interact with. Oddly, the touchpad on the center console doesn't work to navigate from CarPlay tile to tile. I got over that pretty quickly and just turned the dial when necessary.

There's also a feeling that nothing's missing when you drive it, that Audi couldn't really add much to improve the experience. The car is incredibly smooth and comfortable going down the road. This particular A6 had the base 252-horsepower 2.0-liter and optional all-wheel drive, which comes with a ZF eight-speed auto. And guess what? It's perfectly fine. Better than fine, actually, because this four-cylinder is refined and the transmission makes up for any lack of power you might otherwise perceive. There's nothing particularly complicated about any of it, and I liked that. I generally geek out about new tech. Am I becoming a Luddite?

The 2017 A6 was surprising for how little the good stuff has changed and how well it has kept up with the times, even though it's about to be replaced by a new version. Audi usually takes a year or so to bring a new product to the US after it's been launched in Europe, and in this case I won't really mind the wait.

Tuesday 6 December 2016

Honda's NeuV concept fires up its 'emotion engine'

 
Enthusiasts frequently talk about cars as though they have personalities and feelings, despite that not being the case. However, Honda's latest concept aims to change that. It's called the NeuV, and Honda describes it as an "automated EV commuter vehicle" that will be able to have emotions. Kind of.

In conjunction with a company called Cocoro SB, Honda endowed the NeuV with what is called an "emotion engine," but it's not what allowed you to play Gran Turismo 3 about 15 years ago. According to a press release from July when Honda announced the collaboration, the technology will allow the car to react to its owner's conversations and emotions, with the goal being that the owner forms a deeper emotional bond to the vehicle.

The prospect of a car that have feelings is one that leaves us unsure of how to feel ourselves. At least for the sake of the car, we hope the system works well at generating affection, because the shape sure doesn't. Though the transparent panels are interesting, it's hard to get excited by a machine that shares more design cues with the Whirlpool line than most conventional automobiles.

As for the idea of emotional cars on a larger scale, it could be awesome, or unsettling. It would be really cool to take a sports car with emotions out for a spirited drive, and for it to feel as happy and joyous as we are behind the wheel. It would be like having a real life Herbie from The Love Bug. However, we also wouldn't want our cars to become upset with us, and it's hard not to conjure images of Christine or HAL 9000 when thinking along those lines. If a future Honda refuses to open your doors, start car shopping immediately. In the meantime, we'll be looking forward to learning more when it debuts at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show.