If you have $40,000-plus to spend on a luxury sedan, there are plenty to choose from. Why consider the A6? With its incredibly detailed cabin, a choice of two strong engines and good crash-test scores, it’s an appealing alternative to more expensive offerings from BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
Aside from its large snoutlike grille, Audi hasn’t taken many gambles with the A6′s exterior styling, which has a reserved but classy look to it from many angles. The sedan has an aggressively raked C-pillar that flows into the short rear deck lid, which is flanked by LED taillights. If you don’t want to attract a lot of attention when you drive, this car fits the bill.
A number of different wheels are offered. Front-wheel-drive A6s have standard 16-inch alloy rims, while Quattro all-wheel-drive versions get 17-inch wheels. Even larger 18- and 19-inch wheels are optional.
A conventional steel suspension and an optional adaptive suspension that uses air springs are available, and a sport version of the steel suspension that’s firmer and lower is included with the S Line package. Other S Line performance modifications include a choice of either 18- or 19-inch wheels. My test car had the S Line package with 19-inch wheels and summer tires.
The A6 with the S Line package rides wonderfully on smooth pavement, as most cars do. On anything but perfect roads, the experience is a bit less pleasant; every pothole, highway expansion joint, bump and pavement crack is transmitted back to cabin occupants through the sport suspension and the super-low-profile P255/35ZR19 tires. In exchange for tolerating the punishing ride, you’re rewarded with a car that exhibits very little body roll when flung into a corner. For a potentially less-brittle driving experience, consider the less-aggressive tires and the non-sport suspension.
When you take into account the performance focus of the S Line’s suspension, it’s hard to understand why the steering wheel doesn’t engage the driver — there’s little sense of what the tires are doing at the pavement, and the lack of effort needed to turn the wheel doesn’t encourage sporty driving.
The A6 can have either a 3.1-liter V-6 or a 4.2-liter V-8 that gains 15 horsepower for 2007. The base, front-wheel-drive A6 with the V-6 engine uses a continuously variable transmission that can simulate gear changes by switching between predetermined ratios. V-6 and V-8 models with Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system get a six-speed automatic transmission with a clutchless-manual mode for driver-initiated shifting.
Though it lacks the rush of the V-8, the gutsy V-6 moves this two-ton sedan easily and pulls strongly when accelerating on the highway. For all but the power-obsessed, the V-6 should be fine.
The six-speed automatic’s shifts are almost imperceptible during leisurely driving, but become appropriately firm when the car is driven hard. Kickdowns happen in an acceptably short time frame when the gear selector is left in D, but dropping it down to S makes the transmission more responsive and the engine controller rev the engine before a downshift so that the S mode’s more aggressive gear changes are smoother. I wasn’t expecting this from the transmission, and it was a nice surprise. Steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles are included with an optional four-spoke wood and leather steering wheel, and also come with the S Line package.
Noteworthy stand-alone options include a power rear sunshade, manual sunshades for the rear side windows, a heated steering wheel and adaptive cruise control.
Unlike the BMW 5 Series, Infiniti M and Mercedes-Benz E-Class with which it competes, the A6 doesn’t fit neatly in either the performance-luxury or the comfort-luxury subgroup; it has characteristics of both, but the end result is a car that isn’t likely to fully satisfy either camp. While the attention to detail on the inside is a big plus for me, I can’t help but be concerned about the A6′s troubled reliability record and what it might mean for a 2007 A6 owner a few years from now.
Audi A6 Engines
3.1-liter V-6 4.2-liter V-8
Horsepower (@ rpm) 255 @ 6,500 350 @ 6,800
Torque (lbs.-ft. @ rpm) 243 @ 3,250 325 @ 3,500
Required fuel Regular unleaded (87 octane) Premium unleaded (91 octane)
EPA-estimated
gas mileage
(city/highway, mpg) 21/29 (FWD)
19/27 (AWD) 18/25 (AWD)
Source: Manufacturer
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