Roll out the red carpet – Audi’s latest A6 is ready for its close-up

And let me be balanced about it: I tend to associate BMWs with dark blue –and Mercedes with silver tones, especially in their larger cars.

There, I have just managed, in a mere 49 words, to potentially pigeonhole and unintentionally insult three of the world’s big-name executive brands about the colours of their cars.

So, before my inbox catches fire from searing missives pointing to a profusion of palettes adorning their beloved motors, let me stress I’m only telling you about my default setting. Not theirs. And, yes, for the record, I have driven some daring-coloured vehicles from their respective and respected stables.

All this psycho-babble was brought on by a strong sense of surprise at the colour of this week’s review car.

The vehicle in question was the Audi A6 saloon 2-litre diesel.

Yes, there it was waiting for me in wonderful red. Grenadine Red metallic, to be precise. It’s funny, but I don’t recall driving a red A6 before. Goodness me, even the sun broke cover from behind a wintry grey sky for a few minutes.

Now, I would have had the A6 down as a decent car following the classic saloon lines of a well-appointed executive motor. I hadn’t driven one for a long time, certainly not with the most recent uptakes and tweaks, and certainly not in red. It can be informative to renew acquaintance with a model that, not being particularly new in the true sense of the word, has slipped a bit from one’s consciousness.

My test was made all the more edgy and relevant by the recent introduction of all-new rivals for executive buyers from BMW and Mercedes.

The latest 5-series, reviewed here recently, is a strong A6 competitor, as is the fresh-off-the-production line Mercedes E-Class – introduced here only this week.

While the Audi is a little bit longer in the tooth than both, the A6 has managed to keep quite fresh. These executive carmakers tend not to go mad on design, preferring subtle advancements of line and shape; as Mercedes put it at the launch of the E-Class this week, they go for evolution not revolution.

And I have to say the choice of colour for the test car gave it a great lift – as some design lines and elements that would be downplayed by ‘grey’ colours – were highlighted by the brighter red. If admiring glances are anything to go by, Audi has something going with red.

But I know people who wouldn’t touch a red motor, especially not in the executive class. Their preference would be grey, silver or black.

That is reflected in the popularity of sales overall – from small car to large SUV. According to SIMI statistics, grey is way ahead across the board, with around 50,000 choosing it as the colour for their new car this year. Black is a distant second on around 24,000, blue is registered by more than 17,500, white by 16,000 or so and RED comes in with more than 10,600. Then there is a big drop to green on 2,000 or so.

I know people who wouldn’t touch a green car if you gave it to them for nothing. Bad luck, they say. Come to think of it, I had a green Ford Cortina that gave trouble and a light green Hillman Avenger that thrived on let downs.

Anyway, I liked this A6 interior, now with the Virtual Cockpit Plus, with the S Line adornments that added neat little touches. Maybe the dash/interior doesn’t have the enormous breadth of smart graphic displays that the Merc or Beemer now boast, but it is still well covered with its own take on infotainment and car-performance data.

There was plenty of room for two tall adults behind, with seating throughout the car broad and luxurious.

I was sitting in it quite a bit for one reason or another and was glad of the thigh and lower-back support.

Colour and equipment are a big part of the package, but it stands to reason that you also want the mainframe of handling and drive to at least match up.

The two-litre diesel in this instance had a lot of power (204PS) yet it was near silent even when I kicked down the accelerator fairly sharp. I liked the smooth tone of it and the snappy reaction to being pressed for pickup. It’s a decent diesel – and 7spd transmission.

The irony of it is I didn’t have any big journeys planned as it would have been absolutely ideal for a drive to Mayo or Derry or Cork or anywhere there are friends. It was doing 4.55 litres/100kms, 60mpg and I have no doubt I would have got more if I had more leg-stretching runs.

Yet, the A6 S Line is expensive at €76,000 or so. But then rivals have climbed in price too. I’m not saying I’d buy it, but if I was contemplating it, I would almost certainly specify red.

Factfile

AUDI A6 Executive saloon, 2-litre diesel (204PS) 7spd auto, Grenadine Red metallic, front-wheel drive.

Total including €7,349 options: €76,845. A6 diesel saloon range from €58,925.

Spec includes 21ins wheels, ambient lighting, front electric sports seats, rear-view camera, auto climate control, Matrix LED headlights, Audi sound system, Virtual Cockpit Plus, Valcona leather, broad spread of safety and comfort items.