dougpaper

Just kidding. Just sold my 2004 Audi A8, and was ready to purchase a 2011 A8 what a car. Instead i am picking up a brandy new 2012 A6 with innovation cold weather and some other goodies on thursday. I have 3 kids in college and they kept telling me that i am taking a step backwards and the dealer i am purchasing from has a demo 2011 A8 close to what i am paying for the A6. Guess what after reading about this A6 they are damn great cars and other than a few things just as good as a A8. You lose some of the snob appeal but this is one solid car.

I cant wait.

The G Man

The A8 is a bit too big for my personal liking and the A6 interior is almost the same as the A8. The backseat in the A8 is much roomier, but who cares. I will never sit back there The most important difference, the A6 is ton more fun to drive than the A8.

BugeyeRX

I test drove the 8, it was a boat! Maybe when I'm 80.

ericgl

Congrats! From my perspective, if you don't need the additional room, the A6 is the better choice.

R_A8

I traded my 05 A8 in on the A6 and I am very happy. The A6's handling and ride are great. Much sportier that the A8 even though I had the standard wheel base not the A8L, and also had the S8 suspension settings programmed into the car. It handled much better than than the unmodified A8L I drove, but I still like the A6 better.
I thought that I would lose some torque and speed in the trade as well, but am very surprised by the 3.0T. It's every bit as quick as the 4.2 in the larger car, if not a bit quicker.
A couple things you give up are adjustability in the drivers seat and rear passenger room. Even though I did not have the L, the rear passenger leg room in the A6 is slightly less than the standard A8, but two college boys fit fine back there. The middle seat, on the other hand is not big enough for a third like it was in the A8. All that said, the innovations in technology that are available now in the A6 far surpass the 2005 A8. You get rid of the problematic TPMS issues and your mileage will improve, (even with your foot in it).
Bottom line: Unless you have 3 adults that you frequently put in the back seat, grab the A6 and don't look back...

PJRed2008

Agree. I also don't see any snob appeal in an A8 unless you have the A8L with the grossly overpriced back seat package and a full-time chauffeur.