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2009 Audi A6 3.0T photos

With the 2009 A6 model, Audi rolls out a new power train, a supercharged 3-liter V-6, providing substantially more power than the company's 3.2-liter V-6 yet getting virtually identical mileage.

Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Wayne Cunningham
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1 of 16 Corinne Schulze/CNET
Audi's midlevel sport luxury sedan, the A6 previously came with either a 3.2-liter V-6 or a 4.2-liter V-8. For 2009, Audi unleashes a third option, a supercharged 3-liter V-6. Although its displacement is smaller, the supercharger gives it more power than the 3.2-liter A6, putting the A6 3.0T in the middle of the model line-up.
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2 of 16 Corinne Schulze/CNET
The A6 shows Audi's distinguishing characteristics from the front, such as the large grille and LED running lights. The latter is an option, part of the Prestige package on this car.
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3 of 16 Corinne Schulze/CNET
The supercharged 3-liter engine puts out 300 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. That's 45 more horsepower than the naturally aspirated 3.2-liter V-6 used in the bottom-line A6. Audi claims 5.9 seconds to 60 mph with the A6 3.0T.
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4 of 16 Corinne Schulze/CNET
Bodywise, the A6 is the same no matter what engine makes it go. From sides and rear, it looks like any other European-designed sedan.
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5 of 16 Corinne Schulze/CNET
The engine choices for the A6 line-up also determine if Quattro all-wheel-drive is present. The A6 3.0T and A6 4.2 have Quattro, while the A6 3.2 is front-wheel drive. This Quattro system is Audi's latest generation, but we are disappointed to see no option for adaptive suspension technology.
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6 of 16 Corinne Schulze/CNET
The A6 is a roomy car, and the trunk is particularly spacious.
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7 of 16 Corinne Schulze/CNET
The cabin tech in the A6 3.0T is unchanged from previous years, a mixed blessing. The 2010 model is slated for a significant update.
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8 of 16 Corinne Schulze/CNET
We like how Audi integrates switchgear on the steering wheel spokes, using rollers for volume adjustment and song/channel selection. There is also a voice command button, but that system has limited capabilities.
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9 of 16 Corinne Schulze/CNET
Audi's center display, a color LCD in the A6, shows useful information while letting the driver keep their attention on the road.
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10 of 16 Corinne Schulze/CNET
The A6 3.0T uses a six-speed-Tiptronic transmission, with modes for Drive, Sport, and manual gear selection. We found Sport worked well for fast cornering.
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11 of 16 Corinne Schulze/CNET
Audi's MMI uses this knob and button arrangement to control cabin tech functions. The limitations of this system are reflected on how tedious it can be to enter information such as destinations.
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12 of 16 Corinne Schulze/CNET
Audi's navigation system is seriously outdated, lacking any outside information sources. Audi will update this system significantly for the 2010 model year.
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13 of 16 Corinne Schulze/CNET
The iPod interface lets you select music by album, artist, genre, and playlist. Audi includes a variety of cables for its music interface, including a USB connector.
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14 of 16 Corinne Schulze/CNET
Sirius radio is included on the A6. There is also a single CD slot on the dashboard that can read MP3 CDs.
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15 of 16 Corinne Schulze/CNET
The Bose audio system is comprised of 13 speakers around the cabin, and uses an eight channel amp. It produces crisp, clear audio.
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16 of 16 Corinne Schulze/CNET
Audi's Bluetooth phone system works very well, giving users access to a paired phone's contact list. We don't like the number entry interface, however, as its rotary paradigm is tedious.

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