Audi A6

Price Paid:  $52000.00 from Stevens Creek Audi

Year / Model Reviewed:
2008 3.2 quattro

Summary:
Having just returned from driving my A6 in Europe for two weeks (see WARNING below about Audi’s European delivery program), during which I drove over 2,400 miles, I can report my complete satisfaction with the vehicle. Even when trying in vain to make sense of Italy’s road signs (which display far too many route numbers, city names, and regional descriptions, yet at the same time rarely what you need to reliably navigate through to your destination), the car was still a joy to drive.

The A6 is a very comfortable car to drive, whether on a quick hop down the street or a long haul spanning a country. The seats (standard, not sport) hold you firmly in place yet produce no sore spots even after hours of riding. The low noise levels of the cabin aid greatly in limiting fatigue and the controls are well positioned for easy use. The much maligned MMI (main controller for navigation, radio, phone, and car setup options) does require some study, but is convenient to operate and a much better alternative than having 100 or so separate buttons. If you can point and click your way to this review, you can easily learn to operate all of the MMI functions.

The performance and handling of the A6 is impressive. I opted for the 3.2 liter (3,123 cc) instead of the 4.2 to optimize both fuel economy and handling. The extra cost of the 4.2 both to purchase and operate is not easily justified by the moderate increase in acceleration. When I want to accelerate my eyeballs to the back of my head, I hop on my FJR1300 motorcycle. And the 3.2 does just fine in getting up to speed, whether merging, passing, or setting the pace for autobahn traffic.

Driving in Germany is an experience everyone should have. After limiting my pace to 100 mph or so for the break in period, I reached the car’s electronic speed cap of 134 mph several times. In the A6, that seemingly reckless velocity is in reality a rather mundane occurrence while at the same time still very cool. Even at that speed, the car is rock solid with very tight steering and no drift, shake, wobble, or float. And when the time comes to rein in the horses for slower traffic ahead, the brakes are very controlled and predictable. The downside of course is that once my car is back here in the states, my ability to keep within our paltry speed limits will be greatly impeded.

The suspension of the A6 is a surprising combination of road surface sensing and isolation from harsh jolts. The feel is like reading the road with your hands, having the ability to detect any grove, bump, ridge, or even surface composition changes. But that ever present and useful information is easily ignored and imposed on the driver only with substantial impacts with surface imperfections. You always “know” what conditions the tires are encountering but rarely do you have to think about it.

And the quattro all wheel drive is truly remarkable. While I didn’t have any snow to drive on in Europe (Switzerland doesn’t allow cars up to it’s Jungfrau and Schilthorn areas), I did test out the traction control on a dirt parking lot. I stomped on the accelerator and got nothing but a surprising amount of forward acceleration. Any other drive system would have dug a hole and spread a lot of dirt.

Having done a lot of research on quattro at torsen.com and other sites, I summarize its operation with the following: All other four wheel drive systems are like walking on a slippery sidewalk, slipping, and then catching yourself before you fall. Audi’s quattro is like not slipping in the first place. It does this by mechanically and instantaneously sending extra torque to the set of wheels (front or rear) that has more traction. Other systems have to slip first, then detect the slip with ABS sensors, then actuate a clutch which then sends more torque to the wheels with more traction. Audi does use ABS sensors to regulate slip between the left and right wheels on the front or rear of the car, but uses the ingenious and completely mechanical TORSEN center differential to distribute torque between the front and rear pairs of wheels. In most cases, this prevents slip before it happens, rather than trying to play catch up like those systems on BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, Acura, etc.

Strengths:
The exterior styling of the 2008 model contains an extra grille slot below main grill that adds a significant amount of additional flare to the front appearance. Also, the now standard 18” 5 spoke wheels should be easier to keep clean and are an aesthetic improvement over most smaller and higher spoke count wheels.

The interior design features the classic Audi attention to detail with very attractive wood inserts and stitched leather seats. I opted for the lighter beige interior color and the segmented steering wheel which has wood sections to complement those of the dash, doors, and center console.

As for features, those that I most like include the adaptive air suspension (special order only on the 2008 3.2) which allows for selecting comfort or dynamic modes depending on your current whim, and also a “lift” option which provides more ground clearance at lower speeds. The back up camera is ready to go right on startup and is very useful once you get used to its indications. The Bose sound, audio pilot, and surround sound options make for great listening, which is a little surprising for a company (Bose) that seems to be almost entirely focused on marketing. The headlight washers will be great for keeping the lights bright even when driving home from skiing in the mountains through sand filled road spray. The rain sensitive wipers do not have a non-rain-sensing intermittent option, but perform reasonably well in most circumstances. The trunk is large with the entire back seat being able to fold down for all the storage one might want in a sedan or just the left seat to retain the right seating position. The full size spare keeps you riding in safe control in case of a flat. The adaptive headlights really help to illuminate corners, especially on dark nights with unlit roads.

Weaknesses:
WARNING about Audi’s European delivery program: While I highly recommend taking European delivery (go to audiusa.com and look under “experience”), Audi’s program, which just restarted a couple of years ago, is extremely behind schedule. I had to fight very, very hard just to get my documentation two days before my departure, not the two weeks promised on their web site. They seem to be critically understaffed in this area.