Drove the new A6 this week (Euro-spec 4.2 w/335hp)....very impressed
07-22-2004, 06:50 AM
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Drove the new A6 this week (Euro-spec 4.2 w/335hp)....very impressed
<center><img src="https://www.audiworld.com/news/04/a6indepth/electronics/header.jpg"></center><p>My dealer had a Euro-spec 4.2 for two days to show to prospective customers..and luckily, I am friends with the Sales Manager. He gave me a "heads up" on the arrival/departure dates...so I could schedule a test drive. I scheduled an oil change for that day and pulled up next to the new A6 as the RTS (Regional Tech Specialist??) was parking it. He immediately glanced over at my A6 avant and said "nice S6 avant"....not that I would ever REBADGE my car as something it wasn't! 
And I replied...actually, "this is just a regular 2.8 avant..with all sorts of goodies". The RTS was a very nice guy and probably spent more time with me than he should have.
Anyway, 20 minutes later, the RTS and I hop back inside the 4.2 and he starts to give me a tutorial on MMI and all of it's interior features. I must say, the MMI is very intuitive...and I really liked it. The jog dial has a nice feel to it and the "Nav", "Radio", "Tel", "Car" buttons allow you to directly access the several different menus etc (unlike the monolithic jog dial in BMW's iDrive). I also liked how you could scroll through your radio preset stations (using the steering wheel)...and it would come up on the instrument cluster display...and the MMI screen.
When you sit in the drivers' seat for the first time...the interior just screams luxury and elegance. I don't know how else to describe it. You feel like you are in a cockpit. It is extremely roomy (I'm 5' 10"; 175 lbs) and you just feel like you are wrapped in a nicely appointed environment; a very similar feel to sitting in the new A8.
I didn't take any pictures because they really don't do it justice. You really need to see this car in person. Yeah...I don't really like the Saturn-ish rear end....but the rest of the car (IMHO) is very nicely appointed.
This is what this particular car had for options etc:
* 4.2 engine with sport package (19" rims like the 2004 A8)
* Sport Seats (kinda looked like the seats in a 2004 A4 Ultrasport...I kinda prefer the sport seats in the C5 A6/S6)..but these felt nice
* Four-spoke steering wheel with RS6-like paddle shifters (I think this is only a Euro option). Very cool in action!!
* No sunroof (weird..a Euro option?)
* The backseat looked really roomy and more "sunken-in" than the previous A6
* DVD Nav (but we didn't have the USA disc....weird).
* The key can be in your pocket and you just press a "start" button next to the shifter. Very cool. Just like the high-end MB.
* I didn't like that there wasn't any oil temp gauge or voltmeter...but the RTS said that the typical A6 owner doesn't car about those types of gauges etc. OK?
I'm sure there are lots of other features that I'm missing...but I didn't have a chance to play with everything.
Then came the test drive. I unlocked the electronic parking brake and proceeded out onto the main road. I immediately "punched" it...and it was very responsive. The tip paddles added a very sporty feel to the experience....but I kind of feel that the 4-spoke steering wheel is a bit "cluttered" with all these jog dials and buttons etc. I took it for a 3 mile trip and it very quickly accelerated to 60MPH (100KM on this particular speedometer)....probably in a matter of 6+ seconds. I've driven the RS6 and a S6 Avant..and this had the same kind of power that I felt from the S6. The handling was very tight/responsive but it didn't feel rough, as I would have expected for running 19's. I would've like to put another 10 miles on the car..but it was 9AM in the morning and the traffic around the dealership was pretty heavy.
In closing, I was very fortunate to have this opportunity to test out the new A6. You can't judge this car based on some pictures in Motor Trend magazine.
I would definitely buy the 3.2 version of the Avant in the 2006/2007 timeframe...as Audi tends to make some sharp looking "grocery getters".
-ted
And I replied...actually, "this is just a regular 2.8 avant..with all sorts of goodies". The RTS was a very nice guy and probably spent more time with me than he should have.Anyway, 20 minutes later, the RTS and I hop back inside the 4.2 and he starts to give me a tutorial on MMI and all of it's interior features. I must say, the MMI is very intuitive...and I really liked it. The jog dial has a nice feel to it and the "Nav", "Radio", "Tel", "Car" buttons allow you to directly access the several different menus etc (unlike the monolithic jog dial in BMW's iDrive). I also liked how you could scroll through your radio preset stations (using the steering wheel)...and it would come up on the instrument cluster display...and the MMI screen.
When you sit in the drivers' seat for the first time...the interior just screams luxury and elegance. I don't know how else to describe it. You feel like you are in a cockpit. It is extremely roomy (I'm 5' 10"; 175 lbs) and you just feel like you are wrapped in a nicely appointed environment; a very similar feel to sitting in the new A8.
I didn't take any pictures because they really don't do it justice. You really need to see this car in person. Yeah...I don't really like the Saturn-ish rear end....but the rest of the car (IMHO) is very nicely appointed.
This is what this particular car had for options etc:
* 4.2 engine with sport package (19" rims like the 2004 A8)
* Sport Seats (kinda looked like the seats in a 2004 A4 Ultrasport...I kinda prefer the sport seats in the C5 A6/S6)..but these felt nice
* Four-spoke steering wheel with RS6-like paddle shifters (I think this is only a Euro option). Very cool in action!!
* No sunroof (weird..a Euro option?)
* The backseat looked really roomy and more "sunken-in" than the previous A6
* DVD Nav (but we didn't have the USA disc....weird).
* The key can be in your pocket and you just press a "start" button next to the shifter. Very cool. Just like the high-end MB.
* I didn't like that there wasn't any oil temp gauge or voltmeter...but the RTS said that the typical A6 owner doesn't car about those types of gauges etc. OK?
I'm sure there are lots of other features that I'm missing...but I didn't have a chance to play with everything.
Then came the test drive. I unlocked the electronic parking brake and proceeded out onto the main road. I immediately "punched" it...and it was very responsive. The tip paddles added a very sporty feel to the experience....but I kind of feel that the 4-spoke steering wheel is a bit "cluttered" with all these jog dials and buttons etc. I took it for a 3 mile trip and it very quickly accelerated to 60MPH (100KM on this particular speedometer)....probably in a matter of 6+ seconds. I've driven the RS6 and a S6 Avant..and this had the same kind of power that I felt from the S6. The handling was very tight/responsive but it didn't feel rough, as I would have expected for running 19's. I would've like to put another 10 miles on the car..but it was 9AM in the morning and the traffic around the dealership was pretty heavy.
In closing, I was very fortunate to have this opportunity to test out the new A6. You can't judge this car based on some pictures in Motor Trend magazine.
I would definitely buy the 3.2 version of the Avant in the 2006/2007 timeframe...as Audi tends to make some sharp looking "grocery getters".
-ted
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07-22-2004, 07:47 PM
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Re: Drove the new A6 this week (Euro-spec 4.2 w/335hp)....very impressed
Question I would have is, is it worth the extra money for the V8 as opposed to the V6, reason I ask is, I have a 2001 2.7T which I chose over the 4.2 because as far as 1/4 times, they were not all that different, and since it was approx $10K more I got the 2.7T. Although I loved the body styling more on the 4.2.
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