Audi A6 Interior Review
Audi obviously understands that luxury-car buyers like to indulge themselves. So, they offer three different interior "atmospheres." These design motifs -- dubbed "Ambition," "Ambiente" and "Advance" -- each offer distinct upholstery and wood or aluminum trim. Our test model came in Ambiente, featuring sycamore wood.
Everywhere you look in Audi's well-appointed cabin, you'll appreciate the attention to detail. The A6's leather-upholstered seats have a luxurious crinkled look and are among the most comfortable available. The 12-way power-adjustable driver's seat adapts to a wide range of body shapes and sizes. One neat touch for those with lower-back problems is the power lumbar support that can be fine-tuned to lend upper-, mid- or lower-lumbar support.
Other classy touches include map pockets that snap outward on hinges, then close with a smart click. Grab handles retract into little cubbies when not in use. The front and rear seats are heated, and the heating/cooling vents offer separate temperature controls for driver and passenger. The rear seat also is equipped with heating/cooling vents, cupholders and a cigarette lighter/power receptacle. The cold-weather package includes a heated steering wheel.
The stereo serves up top-drawer sound and the controls are well designed. Unfortunately, the trip computer is somewhat bewildering at first, requiring a trip to the owner's manual for guidance. Our favorite feature on the elegant dashboard is the unique red-on-black instrument lighting. At night they give the cabin a warm, high-tech glow. Though startling at first, once you've adjusted to them they offer reduced glare for improved night vision. Fighter pilots have used red gauges for years for this reason. Legibility suffers slightly, but you can fix this by adjusting the brightness down to about the halfway point.
Front-seat legroom is prodigious. The rear seat also offers plenty of knee- and legroom. At 38.5 inches, front headroom is ample. Furthermore, clever engineering has resulted in generous trunk space.
Audi A6 Road Test
When it comes to luxury sedans, the A6 is not the quickest bunny in the forest -- nor is it the slowest. It can do the 0-to-60-mph sprint in about 9.3 seconds, and covers the standing quarter-mile in about 17.2 seconds. Like many German sedans, the gearing is tweaked more for high-speed cruising than for off-the-line acceleration. But the A6 packs more than enough juice for everyday city driving, with ample reserve power for freeway passing.
The 200 horsepower for the base A6 comes from a 2.8-liter, double-overhead-cam V6 engine with five valves per cylinder. That's 27 fewer ponies than Infiniti I30t, 15 more than the Mercedes C280 and equal to the Cadillac Catera. The V6 is hitched to a silky-smooth five-speed automatic transmission with a Tiptronic feature. Tiptronic enables the driver to slap the shifter sideways out of the normal P-R-N-D-3-2-1 gate into a parallel gate that allows sequential upshifts and downshifts simply by tilting the spring-loaded lever forward or backward, much like you would shift a motorcycle. The Tiptronic also improves shifting response. It comes in handy in situations when you want to hold the transmission in one gear, such as on winding roads. It also provides zippy entertainment during those otherwise boring suburban commutes.
On dry terrain, the A6 offers sure-footed cornering. The suspension is extremely responsive and well-controlled, making the A6 a joy to drive on back roads. Torsional (twisting) rigidity of the chassis is 50 percent stiffer than in the pre-1998 version. This allows for a more finely tuned suspension, which translates into a quieter ride and more assured handling, especially on bumpy roads. Excellent on-center feel of the steering is another boon.
Audi's world-class Quattro all-wheel-drive system enhances handling ability on dry pavement by offering more grip, but it is especially appreciated on snow and ice. It can transfer as much as two-thirds of the engine's power to whatever wheel is providing the best traction, thereby ensuring stable and predictable handling in all conditions. Helping out in the safety department are standard four-wheel disc brakes with ABS. The firm brake pedal delivers precise braking feel.
In city traffic, the A6's ride is quite civilized, even refined. It is very stable on the freeway, where high speeds seem to bring out the best in this car. With a low drag coefficient of 0.28, wind noise is low, except for a slight whisper from the windshield wipers. At low speeds, drivers will appreciate quite a bit of power assist in the steering, which makes it a breeze to maneuver through crowded parking lots.
In order to deliver this kind of ride comfort and refinement, the A6 had to give up a little something in the road-dancing department. But the nicely-tuned suspension and deft steering make the A6 a lot of fun to drive, whether you're city-bound or out in the sticks.
Audi A6 Lineup
For the 2000 model year, Audi added two new versions of the A6.
In addition to the 200-horsepower A6 2.8 sedan and Avant wagon, which are priced at $33,950 and $36,900, respectively, Audi has introduced an A6 2.7T sedan with a 250-horsepower twin-turbo V6 that's priced at $38,550. Audi has also added an A6 4.2 sedan with a 300-horsepower, 4.2-liter, five-valve V8 engine at a base price of $48,900.
All except the base A6 2.8 sedan come standard with Audi's renowned Quattro all-wheel-drive system; it's a $1,750 option on the 2.8 sedan.