An extended test drive of a new shape Audi A6.

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Sun 11 Mar 2012 16:34
An extended test drive of a new shape Audi A6. - a900ss
I have recently had a new shape A6 2.0 Tdi S-Line Multitronic on a 5 day extended test drive and here are my thoughts.

To put a bit of background to this, my company car is due for renewal and I had originally short listed a Merc E and a 5 series for test drives. Unfortunately the E has now been removed from my list so although I wasn’t that keen, I decided to drive an Audi as a comparison to the BMW 5 series. My ‘anti’ Audi stance stems from a new 2004 A4 Sport I had in the past. The suspension on that car was rock hard and I hated the car because of it. From what I have read, Audi S Lines and very hard suspension go hand in hand together so I have never considered them. That and the fact most Audi’s look boring in my eyes….

Anyway, I phoned the lease company and asked for an S-Line as I wanted the worst ride possible; to really see if this car can be acceptable for a family of four and be comfortable doing 30,000 miles per year.

The car was delivered to my home address and looking around it for the first time was a bittersweet moment. It looked fabulous; it was ‘muscular’ if that makes sense and much nicer up close and personal than photos or passing one on the motorway suggested. The ‘bitter’ part was the fact that the car had been delivered on optional 19” alloys rather than the standard 18”. This really would test the ride.

Anyway, once in the car, the quality just oozed throughout. Nice leather on very supportive and comfortable seats (manual rather than electric adjustment though) and a beautiful tactile feel to all the controls. I liked the way the sat-nav popped out of the dash but some of my friends didn’t. Each to their own.

Judgement time - driving it. Popped it into D and away we went.

The car was very quiet and very refined. Just what is needed on a long motorway drive. Surprisingly, it also handled considerably better than I was expecting for a big FWD car. Pressing on (dry roads admittedly), I felt no signs of under steer, something I was expecting from an Audi. The steering feel was poor but I think that is synonymous with all modern cars with electric power steering. I also think that all cars that I could get would also suffer with this lack of feel.

The ride was extraordinary. It just rode over the bumps and ridges. Yes, it was firm but never uncomfortable. Far more comfortable than my current Subaru Legacy diesel.

A definite tick in the box for ride, handling and NVH - what I need in the real world.

Performance was adequate I would suggest. In normal driving it hardly ever got above 2,000 RPM and always felt that it wasn’t even trying. On the motorway 80 MPH was a tad under 2,000 PM. However when you floored it, it was acceptable, nothing more. However, one big caveat that I would like to add is that the car had only done 500 miles and it did feel very tight. I would expect performance to improve as the miles pile on. Likewise economy was poor to average at an indicated 39MPG over 500 miles. This should also improve as the engine loosens up.

To those that think 39MPG from a large car with an auto box is good, please consider my driving is mostly motorway and I normally get very close to the official combined figure for most cars.

All in all, I was very impressed with the car. It is certainly high on my consideration list with the BMW 5. It is better equipped than the 5 SE spec that I can get but I suspect it won’t drive as well. However I think the driving experience between the two cars will be a lot closer that I initially thought, so the extra kit that the Audi comes with may well swing it.

A BMW 520d SE is delivered at the end of the month for a four day test so I’ll let you know my thoughts.

If you have any questions about the Audi, please ask and I’ll try to answer them.

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Sun 11 Mar 2012 16:58
An extended test drive of a new shape Audi A6. - Pat L

Excellent review. Thank you.

Which engine (PS) did you have?

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Sun 11 Mar 2012 17:02
An extended test drive of a new shape Audi A6. - a900ss
They only do one power output for the 2.0 diesel on the A6 now. That's 177HP but I'm not sure what PS that works out as.

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Mon 12 Mar 2012 08:05
An extended test drive of a new shape Audi A6. - TeeCee
They only do one power output for the 2.0 diesel on the A6 now. That's 177HP but I'm not sure what PS that works out as.

Probably 177. PS stands for "Pfederstarke" (spelling?), which is German for, er, "horsepower"....

Actually a PS is about 98.6% of a British horsepower[1], but the terms are usually treated as interchangeable in manufacturer's specs.

[1] Presumably the odd 1.4% accounts for the time the German horse spends in Worker's Council meetings.......:-)

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Mon 12 Mar 2012 16:04
An extended test drive of a new shape Audi A6. - Bobbin Threadbare

Probably 177. PS stands for "Pfederstarke" (spelling?), which is German for, er, "horsepower"....

Pferdestärke, mit umlaut ;-)

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Sun 11 Mar 2012 17:41
An extended test drive of a new shape Audi A6. - Roly93

Good post, I think Audi have BMW on the run in a lot of areas now, I am a BMW guy turned Audi and to me BMWs look gloomy and past it a lot of the time, although I will still doff my cap, to the 5 series.

It seems that motoring journalists when comparing both now always fall back on the old "well it still handles slightly less good than the rear drive BMW" how much less good 1% ??? Yawn.

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Sun 11 Mar 2012 18:27
An extended test drive of a new shape Audi A6. - balleballe

Each manufacturer had it's pro's and con's

I suppose it just depends on one's priorities when purchasing/leasing a car

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Sun 11 Mar 2012 22:14
An extended test drive of a new shape Audi A6. - Avant

Very enlightening - many thanks a900ss.

As I've often said, the Audi v BMW comparison is a matter of personal preference and the way you like to drive.

BMWs need to be driven to the limit to get the best out of them, and they are at their best on twisty B-roads, which for some reason most road testers (not, in fairness, HJ) seem to think is the only way to judge a car's handling. Steering 'feel' seems to be the holy grail.

Audis suit a more laid-back style of driving and the controls are lighter if not quite so precise. I would choose an A6 over a 5-series personally but it'll be interesting to see what you think of them when you've tried both.

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Mon 12 Mar 2012 18:26
An extended test drive of a new shape Audi A6. - csgmart

I am slightly biased here but did you consider the Jaguar XF at all? A great car.

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Mon 12 Mar 2012 21:43
An extended test drive of a new shape Audi A6. - a900ss

I am slightly biased here but did you consider the Jaguar XF at all? A great car.

Two things would stop me getting an XF: Firstly, it's not on my list because it's emissions are more than my company allow and secondly because it has high emissions it will cost me a lot more per month in income tax.

Edited by a900ss on 12/03/2012 at 21:44

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