Driving Impressions
reviewed by
In terms of dynamics, the new A6 is a superb automobile. It delivers that feeling of being on rails that we've come to expect from Audi, benefits of its rigid chassis, well-engineered sports suspension, and quattro all-wheel drive. The quiet cabin allows for easy conversation even when driving quickly.
The ride feels firm, but is nicely damped for sharp bumps. It's among the best in class in comfort and near or at the top of class in handling. Audi's servotronic steering allows precise control; the driver simply thinks where he or she wants to go and the car goes there. Grip is excellent. Drive the car to its limit, which is hard to do on public roads without being socially irresponsible, and there's a small amount of understeer as is typical of a front-drive based chassis. The highly rigid chassis gives the car the feel of being made from one block of metal and allowed engineers to precisely tune the suspension. The A6 uses Audi's proven four-link front suspension and the self-tracking trapezoidal-link rear suspension adapted from the A8.
The flat torque curve of both the V6 and V8 engines gives the A6 a feeling of smooth, sophisticated power and responsiveness at all speeds. The V6 delivers strong response from 2000 to 6000 rpm. It offers lots of torque, that force that propels you from intersections and up hills, giving it quick acceleration off the line and responsive performance at all speeds. Audi says the 255-horsepower V6 is capable of propelling the A6 from 0 to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds, which is reasonably quick. We were able to easily work through traffic between Milan and Lake Como and felt no need for the more powerful V8. Audi says the 335-horsepower V8 can accelerate from 0 to 60 in 5.8 seconds, which is quite quick. Unlike most cars based on front-wheel-drive platforms, the Audi A6 mounts its engines longitudinally, rather than sideways, improving the flow of power between front and rear wheels and improving driving dynamics.
The six-speed automatic transmission that comes on all models is super smooth and adds considerably to the joy of driving the A6 and its responsive performance. It always seems to be in the right gear, whether quick acceleration is wanted or smooth, quiet cruising. If that isn't good enough for you, select the Tiptronic mode and shift manually among seven ratios. But we found it worked exceptionally well just leaving it in Drive.
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