DeerHunter

I've used this phrase many times before: "Horses for courses".

If you live in temperate climes and want the last word in performance, choose a RWD vehicle with a 50:50 weight distribution. It may not be any faster than alternatives, but it will "feel" more satisfying to drive.

If you live where it rains or snows for a good part of the year, any decent AWD system (of which Quattro is one of the best) will be significantly quicker, if not safer, when condtions are bad.

Audi killed the competition with Quattro in the '80s, until growing discontent from perennial losers forced the series to either disqualify AWD or keep adding weight until Audi was uncompetitive. In the recent Car & Driver Lightning Lap, the RS5 felt cumbersome and was written off by drivers as an also-ran, until they saw the lap times.

In keeping with "horses for courses", I have a much-modified Miata for summer use and the S6 for winter and summer passenger-hauling duties. Of course, I live in the Great White North and the climate necessitates this dual-vehicle requirement.

irenesbob

I have a 2013 A6 2.0 Quattro Tiptronic Premium Plus and I find it feels less cumbersome/nose heavy than my bud's 2013 A6 3.0 Premium Plus and much less so than my 2010 A6 3.0T Premium Plus with Tip. Now, with my puny 18" wheels and tires the ultimate grip might not be there, but in the twisties at moderate speeds it is much lighter on its feet and turns better than the 3.0's I have driven.

qqq1970

Nose heavy yes. That said at 55/45 C7 is an improvement over 57/43 of C6 and 59/41 of C5. BMW 535xi is 53/47. I came from C5. While I miss C5's natural steering feel, it exhibits plowing when pushed to the limits. I don't find plowing a problem for C7.

It is noteworthy that in Car and Driver, Motor Trend, Road and Track, and Edmunds comparison tests, while A6 3.0T does not win all tests, all four tests confirm A6 3.0T beats 535xi in objective instrumented measures (0-60, skid pad, slalom, braking).

If Audi continues its current trend, maybe next gen C8 will match BMW weight distribution. With lighter curb weight and better Cd (0.26 vs. 0.30), it may eclipse BMW as the new ultimate driving machine.

Fairfax 4.0T

Yes, the C7 is a nose heavy car. According to someone on this tread, it's 55/45 front/rear weight distribution. No, it's not a great car on the race track because of the understeer. To get 50:50 weight distribution, I have a Porsche 944 turbo track car.

But really, "substantial understeer" on the street? I think you'd only notice this substantial understeer when the front tires are squealing. Who drives like that?

You also said "After the sharp turn it is hard to keep the car in the same lane, it just understeers dramatically." One of the features of understeer is it's predictability. The car keeps plowing forward. So, I'm at a loss that the C7 is hard to keep in the lane after a sharp turn. This certainly is not a trait of understeer. Why is it hard to keep in the lane??

The C7 is a large 4 door sedan. But come on, I sense some exaggeration, trolling, or a lack of ability to drive. Have you ever driven on the track to improve your driving skills?

Jim

salvadorik

Jim, thanks for taking your time and replying to me. The reason I created this thread is just I got a bit disappointed after driving several cars I recently drove (Mercedes C class, Camry and Ford Fusion). Now I realize that these cars are smaller in size (maybe with exception of Camry) and they have different driving dynamics but ALL OF THEM where were not cumbersome to drive especially at turns. No doubt that A6 is way faster and is a lot more superior in other terms.

Now let me try to explain what I meant. Lets assume a situation on the intersection when the traffic light is about to turn red and you accelerate to be able to make it while it is still yellow. You turn left or right with a relatively high speed (around 30-40mph). Every time I do this I feel a huge weight pulling me to the opposite side of the turn (i.e. pulls to the right if left turn or pulls to the left if right turn). I always have to struggle and steer more in direction I am making a turn order to keep the car on the lane on which I am supposed to make a turn. The car always wants to move forward and does not eagerly want to follow the turn trajectory so it needs more steering input. Now this along with a good amount of body roll makes C7 a bit more cumbersome to drive compared to its competition. On the straight line C7 is awesome and on slight twisty roads it is still great.

Please note I don't track my car and all the complain above comes from street driving. I don't drive too hard or try to race with others.

I hope it does make more sense now.

qqq1970

I am surprised Camry has less understeer than A6, considering it is FWD.

salvadorik

Jim, since when sharing the driving experience qualifies as "trolling"?

Fairfax 4.0T

Sorry that I was a little cranky in my earlier post. It seems that you are describing understeer, but it certainly seems odd that you think the C7 A6 has worse handling/understeer than a Camry or a Fusion. Also, understeer while accelerating in the 30 to 40 mph range on a public road seems to me like it could not be too severe, but you are feeling something you don't like. Further, if you are accelerating, that would transfer some of the weight off the front, allowing the rear tires to do some pushing. I'm assuming your car is all wheel drive.

You don't by chance happen to have active lane assist on your car, and are fighting the lane assist function?

As to the track, many local Audi Clubs (and other organizations) have programs where you can safely take your car out on the track and see how it handles. This will give a good/safe experience of understeer, and maybe a little oversteer.

As to the troll comments, not that you'd do this, but you can imagine some BMW loyalist posting about much the A6 sucks because it can't turn like a BMW. But again, that's not you.

Jim

Fairfax 4.0T

The Edmunds review at http://www.edmunds.com/audi/a6/2012/...ison-test.html puts the handling of the 2012 A6 3.0 with Sports Package on par with the BMW 535. If they experienced the same thing as you, I'm sure they would not have said the favorable things about the handling.

What suspension/engine/options do you have on your A6?

salvadorik

I have 2012 A6 3.0T with 19-Inch Sport Package (Sport suspension and 19 Inch Summer Tires, Michelin PSS in my case).

I don't have anything to post here but there are a lot of good credible reviews pointing out to C7 being nose heavy and understeer including S6 by the way.

Me being a true Audi lover and having tons of arguments with my girlfriend over what/who is more important (my car or her) I would not want to discredit my car for no reason. I posted here what I truly experienced on my daily drive.