texas

I am about to order a 2001 A6 2.7T. I am new to this site and have read a few of the postings (very helpful). Can anyone give me some overall opinions on the car. I was also cosidering the E320 and the new BMW 530i. Thanks.

Jim Will

I basically considered a few other cars before I bought my 2.7T 6 spd. The BMW 528 and a SAAB Viggen. Neither could offer the perfomance the 2.7T could, and the A6 in general is a much bigger automobile, and space was a major deciding factor for me also (I take lots of long trips and I'm not exactly a small person..

texas

Thanks for the info.

Coloraudi

5 months ago, I was in the same boat. I considered the Lexus GS300, the A6 2.7T, and the 528i. After lots of agonizing and test driving I determined this:

1. The Lexus is silky smooth and quiet. If you want cabin isolation, top notch service and reliabiltiy, and can live with less exciting handling and acceleration (though I didn't drive the GS400 for price reasons) this is a car to consider. Styling in and out is OK, but IMHO, not great.

2. The 528i was a great driver. Very sure footed, outstanding feedback, perfectly balanced, less than stellar interior and fit and finish and underpowered (this should be somewhat corrected in the 530i). Exterior styling is nice (more agressive than the others) but due for an update IMHO.

3. The A6's handling characteristics were in between the others, not quite as stellar as the Bimmer's mostly due to the balancing (Audi's sport package is very good however), but much better than the Lexus, and nothing to be disappointed about whatsoever. Acceleration in the 2.7T is awesome. The ability to get on the gas quicker out of a hard corner than the others is truly exhilarating with no fear of oversteering (Thank you very much Quattro!), fit and finish inside and out is currently best in the industry, control layout, again, best IMHO. Rear seat room...best. Safety features (ESP, rear/head airbags, Quattro)...best.

Because I live in Denver, the twin turbos are going to consistently provide the best power at all altitudes out of those three cars, and the Quattro isn't something just "foofy" to me. While we usually have mild winters here, it does snow and Quattro is a definite advantage.

Overall, the 2.7T is hard to beat from a price/feature standpoint and I believe provides the most bang for the buck. I've had my 2001 now for just 5 days and am totally loving it. After break-in period, it'll be even more fun! So far, I've got no regrets choosing the Audi.

My suggestion: Take what everyone says with a grain of salt and spend as much time as you can test driving them yourself. Depending on your budget, location, how you will drive the car, and what is important to you will make the decision easy. It was for me after getting some good wheel time with my 3 choices. Just go drive 'em (and I do mean drive 'em...put them through their paces!) and the answer will come ;-)

grove

I looked very hard at the same cars he did, and some others, and came to the same conclusion.

GB27t

I agree with all the other postings to date. I looked at the 528i, and the MBE320. What sold it for me was the performance of the 2.7T, quattro, and the interior.
I also agree that the 528 while better handling in the curves, just left something to be desired in other areas.
As others have said, drive the others cars a lot and get a good feel for them. Then choose.
I have 3200 miles on my 2.7T and love driving every mile of them. No regrets whatsoever.<p>Greg

Ming/Melange 2.7T

FastFast

Nice, but no Audi has an absolute boost
pressure regulator that compensates for the
altitude, so, in fact you lose as much power
as any regular engine, well maybe a bit less.

There is only 1 Turbo system that can compensate
for altitude, and it's not German.

Fact of life...

texas

Thanks, I am actually looking at the Ming/Melange or Black/Melange.

texas

I am planning on test driving the BMW 528 (530 not out yet) this weekend to compare. I definitely like the Audi interior the best. Thanks for the info.

DOC

My seat of the pants dyno would suggest thats completely untrue. When traffic conditions permit, both of my Audi turbos will hold at over 100+, without a lot of effort, at both Georgetown and at the tunnel approach, without nearly the loss of power suffered by normally aspirated engines.