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2005 Audi A6 3.2
Quattro
The Good:
Sleek and elegant styling. This sedan feels just right. Very smooth and
stable ride. Good amount of road feel. Plenty of power. Quattro system
feels great in everyday driving. Very quiet at high speeds.
The Bad:
Feeling behind the wheel is not memorable. Dash layout looks dated in this
new model. Competition offers more for the money.
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Apple QuickTime viewer here. Watch the A6 interior, exterior, turning xenon lamps, and MMI system as well
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The new
Audi A6 first hit the US market in October of 2004, with a total redesign
setting a new benchmark in the luxury performance segment. Its aggressive
new front end has since spread to other models in the Audi lineup, giving us
the new face of Audi. The A6 has earned high praise for its poetic exterior
and high quality interior. Today the A6 is offered in sedan and wagon
versions, with either a as tested six cylinder 3.2 liter six cylinder model
priced at $42,620 or a 4.2 liter eight cylinder model priced at $52,220.
With two new Japanese models, the Lexus GS and the Infiniti M series now
available in the market, we wonder if the A6 can still retain its short
lived lead.
Our canyon red pearl effect colored A6 certainly looks beautiful
in person. The car’s sleek lines and rounded shape is much more appreciated
in real life. Beautifully styled headlamps offer Bi-xenon adaptive lamps
for the latest in headlight technology. Rear lamps wrap distinctly around
the back in a jeweled lamp system.
The Audi A6 offers an extremely well done
interior, improving on quality from even the A8. While leather is not
supple in this standard version, it feels very much like BMW leather, thick
and strong. Doors are done in a soft plastic material and we would like to
see more leather on door panels in this price category. Strong feeling
aluminum door handles as well as aluminum trim around every wood panel looks
very nice. A textured cloth roof material looks and feels great.
Roof based controls are covered in an Apple
iMac-like white plastic. This blends nicely with the white LED ambient glow
of the A6’s interior at night, much like the A8. We did not fall in love
with overall shape of the steering wheel, similar to the grille on the front
of all Audi models; it looked more like a Dodge part than a German car
part. An electromechanical parking brake as used on the A8 is just a touch
of a console button away. The glove box also opens by way of an upper
console mounted button, a bit too far away from the glove box itself for our
tastes.
Ergonomics for the driver are first rate
with a slight tilt of the center console to the driver’s side. The
instrument cluster is bright and large featuring red digital display in the
center like in older versions of the A6. It would be nice if this were
similar to the A8 instrument cluster screen, which is in full color. The
MMI screen and climate controls are similar to the A8, but the way it is
gathered and the overall style of the dash looks dated already. The setup
does not look modern or futuristic as we can see in designs from the new M45
from Infiniti.
The MMI system works very well and is one
of our favorite systems available in any car, along with the Audi DVD
Navigation system, which is optional. The advanced MMI with its seven-inch
color display and a fully integrated radio complete with an optional Bose
Surround Sound system shines above the competition. Another standard
feature on all A6 models is the automatic climate control with enhanced
output and optimized noise control, featuring indirect ventilation and
B-pillar outlets, air quality, humidity, and sun angle sensors. There are
still many visible air vents in the front cabin, at a time when we have
become accustomed to wood panels covering up air vent holes in the dash as
in the Phaeton. All Audi A6 models are now available with the Bluetooth
interface for mobile telephones, which can be operated through the
multifunction steering wheel or the MMI system. An optional voice
recognition system can also control the Bluetooth interface, as well as, the
CD player, radio and navigation system.
Perhaps a larger MMI screen and a touch
system would make this even more user friendly. The placement of the screen
just did not look very modern for lack of flow with the dash. The feeling
of most controls using the jog dial is very good and all buttons surrounding
it also feel well made. We found the adaptive headlamps to work great. The
system is based on vehicle speed and steering response and so it is quite
hard to notice while driving. However it keeps light on the road surface
extremely well and is a must have in our book.
All of the car's occupants benefit from a
higher standard of comfort and spaciousness inside. The wheelbase of the
new Audi A6 is up by more than three inches over the car's predecessor to
112 inches. Rear seats are comfortable and there is ample legroom. The
depth of the lower cushions makes for a nicely supported seating position.
The feeling is also quite cozy and secluded with small third quarter windows
and a sloping roof adding a private jet like feeling. The luggage capacity
on all models is 15.9 cubic feet.
The new A6
tested here features a 3.2 liter V6 producing 255 horsepower and 243 ft.
lbs. of torque. The new 3.2 six cylinder features Audi’s direct injection
FSI (Fuel Straight Injection) technology for the first time in North
America. The new direct injection engine delivers a more dynamic engine
with higher torque and power output, and lower fuel consumption. The main
factor contributing to these improvements is how fuel is delivered. Fuel is
not injected into the intake port but directly into the combustion chamber.
The injector, which is supplied by a single-piston pump and common rail fuel
line, is on the side of the cylinder head and controls the injection time to
within thousandths of a second, at injection pressures of up to 110 bars.
Other exciting features of the 3.2 V6 FSI are on-demand fuel supply,
four-valve technology, a variable intake manifold and infinitely variable
camshaft adjustment which gives the driver a dynamic and powerful reaction
to every movement of the accelerator plus a broad useful speed range of up
to 7200 rpm. All this equals muscular torque and a high standard of fuel
efficiency.
The engine
feels strong and sporty. In sport setting the transmission brings alive the
horsepower with higher rev gear changes and the A6 still handles
beautifully. Gear changes are super smooth even in the manual setting where
you can change gears yourself. Though the shifts are not as fast as the DSG
system found in other Audi’s, it is well suited for this base version of the
A6. The 255 horsepower is well suited to a car of this size while 300 would
allow you to pass even quicker on up hill grades but we are all limited by
outrageously low speed limits on the roads of America. The engine delivers
a good 19 miles per gallon city and 26 miles per gallon on the highway with
our car averaging 23 miles per gallon. Zero to sixty can be reached in 7.1
seconds. The quarter mile arrives in 15.4 seconds. Top speed in the US is
limited to 130mph electronically.
The improved fuel economy and dynamic
performance offered by the new Audi A6 also results from the six-speed
automatic transmissions with a wide range of gear increments. All engines
come standard with Quattro permanent all-wheel drive, a typical feature of
all high-performance Audi models. With the power unit and drive train of
the new A6 being fitted longitudinally, all Quattro models come with a
torsion center differential distributing engine torque in a straightforward
but very effective flow of power to the front and rear axles and thus making
a significant contribution to the driving dynamics and superior safety even
in extreme situations so typical of Quattro drive.
The ride is silky smooth. The Audi A6
glides over roads as if it is flying and here is where we see this car
making significant advances to the BMW 5 series. The car is superbly
balanced for a great feel in turns. There is little body lean or sway. The
standard suspension takes on a sports car like feel in curves and
surprisingly becomes silky soft on bumpy roads and on the highway.
Torsional stiffness is improved by more than 34 percent in the new Audi A6.
Audi's dynamic suspension featured on the new A6 is likewise based on
sporting, proven technology: the enhanced four-link front suspension
acknowledged as a particular Audi stronghold and the self-tracking
trapezoidal-link rear suspension carried over from the Audi A8. The result
is a standard of dynamic driving behavior beyond comparison. Like the A8,
the A6 is a sporty and dynamic car, benefiting from speed-dependent
Servotronic and supplementing the precise handling of the new A6 by even
more sensitive steering precision. The Quattro four-wheel-drive system
helps move the car forward with an even feeling and keeps you under control
at all times. Taking turns fast becomes even more fun, and surprisingly the
Audi retains a push from the back feeling when starting from a dead stop.
Our tester
started off at a base price of $40,900. Added to this were a few option
packages such as the Premium package offering glass sunroof, bi-xenon
turning headlamps, Bose surround sound system, and the wood interior trim
for $3,000. The Audi DVD navigation system is $1,500. The Convenience
Package adds $1,000 and offers Homelink, Auto dimming exterior and interior
mirrors, memory for seats and the Driver Information Display in the
Instrument cluster. A Cold Weather package adds heated front and rear
seats, headlight washers, and a ski rack for $900. The 17-inch alloy wheels
are $750 additional. Add $720 for destination and this brings the total to
$48,770.
The new A6
comes with a long list of standard safety equipment. Active safety
components include the latest generation of ESP including brake assist and
Electronic Brakepressure Distribution (EBD). In the event of a collision,
the car's occupants are protected by the robust structure of the body with
predefined deformation and a highly stable passenger cabin. In conjunction
with the seat belts, front and side airbags as well as the Sideguard TM head
curtain airbag system, the driver and passengers are provided with superior
safety and protection. The two full-size front airbags are activated in two
stages, depending on the severity of an accident. Active front head
restraints help to protect the occupants in a collision from behind. The
superb Audi warranty features a four year 50,000 mile no charge scheduled
maintenance coverage for oil changes and other routine items. This is also
the time of the basic warranty, which also includes roadside assistance.
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