Audi

 

The Audi A6 continues a bequest of activating arete and aberrant comfort. The A6 is arranged with technology, acceptable accessibility and alive dynamics. The absorption to detail central and out is impressive.

There is abundant to adulation about the A6. Its berth is aerial and comfortable, with firm, admiring seats. Its administration is crisp, apple-pie and modern, admitting the avant-garde is bedeviled by a massive and arguable grille. Braking and administration are excellent, whether on dry pavement or back hurtling through a torrent of rain.

V6 and V8 versions are available. The well-equipped V6 archetypal delivers alive acceleration, while the V8 qualifies the A6 as a high-performance sports sedan. The S6 is for austere drivers who don’t apperception trading abundance for performance.

Most cars are redesigned every bristles years or so and this latest-generation A6 was launched as a 2005 model. It’s beyond and roomier than the previous-generation version, and appearance badly afflicted styling.

What’s new for 2007: a added able V8 agent for the A6 4.2 and the addition of the high-performance S6.

Underway, the A6 boasts sharp, absolute steering, and a abutting ride. In accelerated corners the quattro models feel like they’re on rails, one of the allowances of Audi’s superb all-wheel-drive system.

Lineup

The 2007 Audi A6 band includes the 3.2 FrontTrak auto ($41,230), the 3.2 quattro ($44,380) and 4.2 quattro ($54,580) sedans, the Avant 3.2 quattro ($47,280), and the S6 quattro auto ($71,280).

The 3.2-liter V6 delivers 255 horsepower, the 4.2-liter V8 generates 350 horsepower, and the 5.2-liter V10 in the S6 puts out 435 horsepower. The quattro models affection Audi’s all-wheel drive and appear with six-speed automated transmissions.

The A6 3.2 comes loaded with accepted features: covering upholstery; copse trim; dual-zone automated air conditioning with pollen filters; AM/FM/6CD/MP3 with 10 speakers; 12-way ability driver’s bench with four-way adjustable ability lumbar support; split-folding rear seats; tilt/telescoping council column; leather-wrapped, multi-function council wheel; leather-wrapped about-face knob; cruise computer; annexation bridle system; and 16-inch admixture wheels.

Options for 3.2 models accommodate exceptional covering upholstery ($1,000); ability aperture and closing rear tailgate ($450); chiral rear and ancillary window sunshades ($250); 18-inch admixture auto with all-season tires ($900); rear ancillary airbags ($350); a DVD-based aeronautics arrangement ($1,600); Sirius accessory radio ($550); a leather-segmented council caster with about-face paddles ($690); acrimonious council caster ($200). Speical adjustment options for the Avant accommodate adaptive air abeyance ($2,300); covering driver’s ancillary dashboard ($1,275); avant-garde action seats ($500); and adaptive cruise ascendancy ($2,000).

The CVT auto is additionally accessible with 17-inch alloys and all-season tires ($750) or 18-inch high-polished alloys and all-season tires ($1,200). Quattro models additionally can be ordered with the 18-inch able alloys ($900). Appropriate adjustment options for the auto accommodate avant-garde action seats ($500); acrimonious council caster ($200); covering driver’s ancillary dashboard ($1,275); adaptive air abeyance ($2,300); and adaptive cruise ascendancy ($2,000).

The S band Amalgamation ($2,750) includes sports suspension, 18-inch admixture auto with all-season tires, gray besom copse trim, S-Line badges, aluminum aperture sills with S band badge, S-Line avant-garde and rear bumpers, headlight washers and a four-spoke multi-function council caster with about-face paddles. An S band amalgamation with 19-inch alloys and achievement radials ($3,350) is accessible on quattro models.

The Exceptional Amalgamation ($1,450) offers a ability slide/tilt bottle sunroof and acrimonious avant-garde seats. The Accessibility Amalgamation ($2,750) includes bi-xenon headlamps, adaptive headlights, a Bose exceptional complete system, auto-dimming autogenous mirror with compass, auto-dimming and electrically folding exoteric mirrors, anamnesis for the driver’s bench and mirror adjustments, Homelink, a accumulator package, programmable daytime alive lights, and a ability angle and telescoping council wheel.

The Technology Amalgamation ($4,000) includes articulation recognition, Avant-garde Key, a new Avant-garde Parking Arrangement with rearview camera, DVD aeronautics system, and Sirius accessory radio. A Cold Acclimate Amalgamation ($550) offers acrimonious rear seats, a ski sack and, new for 2007, headlight washers.

The 4.2 quattro adds exceptional leather, 17-inch wheels, high-intensity headlamps, a ability sunroof, upgraded mirrors and upgraded audio to the account of A6 accepted equipment. The 4.2 offers agnate options to those for the 3.2, but the account additionally includes a solar sunroof replacing the bottle sunroof ($790).

A Warm Acclimate Amalgamation ($1,190) includes a solar sunroof and ability rear and chiral ancillary sunshades. Stand-alone options: Sirius accessory radio ($550); carbon cilia inlays ($300); adaptive cruise ascendancy ($2,000); acrimonious rear seats ($225); and gas auto tax ($1,300). Appropriate adjustment options accommodate a accustomed avant-garde bench in Volterra leather; a argent amateur replacing the accepted black; and 18-inch admixture auto with high-performace tires. Additionally accessible is a covering dashboard ($1,275).

Safety appearance accommodate cyberbanking adherence program, anti-lock brakes, Cyberbanking Brake-force Distribution, and Anchor Assist. Passive assurance appearance accommodate two-stage aboveboard airbags, side-impact airbags to assure the torso, arch airbags to assure the arch in a ancillary impact, and alive avant-garde arch airbags to advice assure occupants from a blow from behind. A tire-pressure adviser comes accepted to active the disciplinarian to an under-inflated tire. Rear ancillary airbags are alternative ($350). Quattro all-wheel drive adds to safety, decidedly in glace conditions.

Walkaround

The Audi A6 is a abstraction in accomplished design. The all-embracing attending is upscale, masculine. A behemothic trapezoidal grille dominates the avant-garde of the car. Some like it, some don’t. The car’s absolutely avant-garde appearance has a glace annoyance accessory of 0.28. Aluminum was acclimated for key anatomy panels to save weight, admitting not to the admeasurement of the big-ticket all-aluminum A8.

The 2006 Avant is an abnormally glassy attractive wagon, acclaimed by a coupe-like roofline. The arching accept band and almost attenuated bottle actualize a activating contour that terminates in a acclaim angled appendage apparent by characteristic two-piece LED taillights. All-embracing the architecture accent says European elegance.

Much of the adorableness of the A6 is in the details: Anatomy panels fit carefully calm about the doors, awning and block lid, as able-bodied as forth places such as the basal bend of the appendage lamp. It’s a aftereffect of abutting tolerances. You won’t alike acquisition a elastic band at the top of windshield, nor strips on the abandon of the roof. Aperture jams, the block border and added areas commonly hidden are Chic A surfaces, bland and corrective as on the exoteric anatomy panels. Not anybody will apprehension this akin of detail, but best will faculty a accepted attending of quality.

The new S6 is acclaimed from its less-powerful stablemates by appropriate exoteric and autogenous elements. Audi’s arresting trapezoidal grille gets bifold vertical aluminum-look strips and an S6 badge, an air basin below the grille to augment the big V10, and a addle-brain lip to accommodate added downforce. The avant-garde bumper’s different attending comes from the band of abstracted LED daytime alive lights, and the avant-garde foglamps are congenital into the capital headlights, which affection gray-tinted covers. The rear tailights additionally affection characteristic LED anchor lights. An chip addle-brain juts from the block lid, ablaze aluminum trim about the ancillary windows and top of aperture handles, body-color aperture handles, brushed aluminum rearview mirror housings, body-color alfresco lower aperture flares, atramentous anchor calipers, bifold bankrupt egg-shaped able cloister tailpipes and a chrome band on the block lid are added means to analyze the S6.

The lever-style alfresco aperture handles are stylish, but aren’t as accessible to accomplish as the grab handles that don’t crave flipping your duke over.

Overall, the A6 sets a criterion in affection of abstracts and body quality. It has the attending of a four-door coupe, with clean, abounding lines.

Interior

The wipers are dispatch sensitive. A Bluetooth-enabled interface integrates accordant corpuscle phones.

The A6 does not action abounding places to put stuff. The glovebox is small, abnormally with the accessible CD changer. The cup holders are positioned well, however.

The block is deep. Baggage accommodation is about 16 cubic feet, added than the BMW and commensurable to the Mercedes, but the block aperture is small. Absorption to detail can be apparent central the trunk. Raise the attic animate to get at the additional annoy and you’ll agenda that it can be absorbed up in place, authoritative it easier to abolish or alter the spare.

The Avant action wagon offers the alley amenities of a European-bred sports auto and the versatility of a action utility. The baggage alcove offers a array of configurations and appearance two accepting balustrade recessed into the attic of the bulk area, while four lashing eyes and a baggage net are provided to defended objects. The bulk attic can be bankrupt up and bound in several ways, which provides admission to a lower bulk breadth lined by a artificial tray, an ideal accommodation for stowing wet or addled gear.

It’s adamantine to advance aloft the accepted A6 interior, but the S6 cockpit does this, alpha with a new bearing of sports seat, adipose in Nappa leather, with basic arch restraints and arresting crabbed support. Electrically adjustable in assorted admonition and including lumbar support, they action multi-stage heating. The three-spoke, power-adjustable sports council caster is akin in bland covering and has a color-contrasting double-stitch. The S6 additionally appearance different apparatus cartoon and badging. Aluminum about-face paddles and animate shifter bulge accommodate a high-tech adverse to the accepted blah besom trim or alternative carbon cilia inserts. The berth is ablaze and airy, decidedly with the lighter-colored covering choices.

The covering that comes accepted in the Audi A6 3.2 is nice, acclaimed by a handsome two-tone analysis of light-colored seats and aperture inserts and charcoal birr and aperture trim. Copse trim comes accepted on all models. Exceptional Volterra covering comes accepted on 4.2 models and is alternative on 3.2s. We decidedly like the gray besom trim in the S-Line Package.

The avant-garde seats are adequate and supportive. We never gave them abundant anticipation during a close day of alive from Milan to Lake Como, a acceptable sign. The quiet berth allows for accessible chat alike back alive quickly.

The rear seats are comfortable, too. Audi advised allowance in the rear-seat footwell for beefy shoes, like sneakers on boyish boys, to be able to calmly exhausted by the B-pillar back accepting in and out. This latest-generation A6 is abundant roomier than pre-2005 models.

Up front, aggregate is aggressive about the driver. A centermost animate with a ascendancy animate separates disciplinarian and passenger, and their legs go into abstracted tunnels. The disciplinarian allowances from a nice four-spoke council caster or a nicer, sportier three-spoke caster and a aboveboard apparatus animate amidst by flexmetallic trim. The centermost assemblage is angled against the driver. Climate controls are amid at the basal of the centermost assemblage that are adult but aboveboard and accessible to operate. At the top of the stack, aloft the vents, is a brittle seven-inch awning that displays aeronautics and added functions. The accepted cruise computer and Disciplinarian Information Centermost appearance a agenda dispatch indicator.

Audi’s Multi Media Interface, which appearance a ample bulge and some buttons on the centermost console, controls abounding of the autogenous functions. This eliminates a lot of switches, authoritative for a clean-looking dash. To added abate clutter, the about-face for the glovebox is amid on the centermost of dash. Mastering the MMI takes time and requires account the owner’s manual. Too abounding times, we’ve begin it a distraction, beneath so than BMW’s iDrive system, but added so than Acura’s system.

High technology can additionally be begin in what accept been commonly banal controls. The parking anchor is electronic; cull the about-face up to set it, columnist to absolution it. The awning absolution operates alone back the aperture is open.

Driving Impression

The Audi A6 is dynamically superb. The A6 quattros bear a activity of actuality on rails, allowances of a adamant chassis, a well-engineered sports suspension, and Audi’s superb all-wheel drive.

The ride feels abutting but is accurately damped for aciculate bumps. It’s amid the best in chic in abundance and abreast or at the top of chic in handling.

The adaptive air abeyance optimizes alley captivation and comfort. It’s a astonishing apparatus that absolutely helps accumulate the car deeply attached to the ground.

The Servotronic council allows absolute control; the disciplinarian artlessly thinks area he or she wants to go and the car goes there. Grip is excellent. Drive the car to its limit, absurd to do on accessible anchorage after actuality socially irresponsible, and you’ll eventually appointment a baby bulk of understeer. The awful adamant anatomy gives the car the activity of actuality carved from one block of material. This acerbity accustomed the Audi engineers to absolutely tune the suspension. The A6 uses Audi’s accurate four-link avant-garde abeyance and the self-tracking trapezoidal-link rear abeyance acclimatized from the A8.

The collapsed torque ambit of both the V6 and V8 engines gives the A6 a activity of smooth, adult ability and admiration at all speeds.

The 3.2 V6 delivers able acknowledgment from 2000 to 6000 rpm. It offers lots of torque, giving it quick dispatch off the band and acknowledging achievement at all speeds. Audi says the 255-hp 3.2-liter V6 is able of affective the A6 from 0 to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds, which is analytic quick. We were able to calmly assignment through cartage amid Milan and Lake Como and acquainted no charge for the added able V8. This consequence was reaffirmed in a consecutive drive of the A6 Avant 3.2 in Italy’s Dolomite Mountains. Not alone was the V6 in abounding acquiescence with our abundant alive habits, if we hadn’t occasionally looked in the mirror, we couldn’t accept told whether we were alive the auto or the wagon as we raced up and bottomward the agee aerial roads. The V6 gets an EPA-rated 19/26 mpg City/Highway.

The 4.2 V8 appearance absolute bang and produces 350 horsepower, abundant to actuate the A6 4.2 from 0 to 60 in 5.8 seconds, which is absolutely quick indeed. Better yet, the added ability comes with an advance in ammunition mileage. The 4.2 gets an EPA-estimated 18/25 mpg City/Highway, admirable for a sports sedan. The A6 mounts its engines longitudinally, rather than sideways, convalescent the breeze of ability amid avant-garde and rear auto and convalescent alive dynamics.

The six-speed automated manual is cool bland and adds appreciably to the joy of alive the A6 and its acknowledging performance. If the affection strikes you, about-face into the Tiptronic approach and about-face manually, but we begin it formed awfully able-bodied in Drive. It consistently seems to be in the appropriate gear, whether quick dispatch is capital or smooth, quiet canoeing is preferred. The CVT in the front-drive archetypal is additionally decidedly adventurous and is the absolute best for the buyer whose alive area is mostly burghal streets.

Summary

The Audi A6 excels at alive dynamics. It’s a admirable car for quick commuting, bland accelerated travel, and active driving. It’s bland and quiet, acceptable for accessible chat and alert pleasure. It’s appropriate up there with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series in agreement of safe and defended motoring, decidedly back acclimate enters the picture. Back altitude get absolutely slick, you can’t exhausted quattro.

NewCarTestDrive.com editor Mitch McCullough filed this address from Milan, with Greg Brown in Italy’s Dolomites.

Model Lineup

Audi A6 3.2 FrontTrak ($41,230); 3.2 quattro ($44,380); 4.2 quattro ($54,580); Avant 3.2 quattro ($47,280); S6 quattro ($71,280).

Assembled In

Germany.

Options As Tested

Convenience Amalgamation ($2,750) includes bi-xenon adaptive headlamps, adaptive headlamps, programmable daytime alive lights, Bose exceptional complete system, auto-dimming autogenous mirror with compass, auto-dimming and electrically folding exoteric mirrors, anamnesis for driver’s bench and mirror adjustments, Homelink, accumulator package; Sunroof amalgamation ($1,450) includes ability bottle sunroof and acrimonious avant-garde seats; S band Amalgamation ($2,750) includes action suspension, 18-inch alloys, aluminum aperture sills with S band logo, gray besom copse trim, S band avant-garde and rear bumpers, council caster paddle shifters, headlight washers; Technology Amalgamation ($4,000) includes articulation recognition, Avant-garde Key, avant-garde parking arrangement with rearview camera, aeronautics system, Sirius accessory radio; ability tailgate ($450); rear ancillary airbags ($350).

This entry was posted on Monday, January 28th, 2008 at 3:02 pm and is filed under Audi Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.