My A8 has gone in to the dealer to have a new gearbox and torque converter fitted. Minor problem with the lockup mode but it requires that the trannie be replaced. No bother. Nice to have a new one when I get it back.
Anyway. I have a brand spanking A6 2.0tdi as a (dis)courtesy car so I thought I'd let you all know what I think of it.
Build quality & ergonomics
Typical Audi. Everything is well screwed together with no rattles or squeaks and the doors shut with a satisfying clunk. All the controls are well layed out and easy to read with one exception. The indicator idiot lights can't be seen when the steering wheel is in a comfortable position. Other than this it's pretty faultless. The seats are good with excellent side support but not really enough adjustment of the base pad. It can go up and down but can't tilt.
Design
I like the shape and the interior has a satisfyingly modern feel to it. It's very airy in side with plenty of space for storing stuff. A major complaint I have is with the electronic parking brake. I have this on my A8 and coupled with the auto transmission it's ace. On the A6 however, with a manual box, it's a royal pain in the backside. You have no feel with it and the thing is so slow to engage it makes rolling backwards when stopping on a hill an absolute certainty. Why they added this feature is beyond me because it detracts from the overall useability of the car which is usually something Audi does very well.
Equipment
This is a poverty spec example so has no interesting kit at all. It has the MMI display but as there is no Nav, TMC, phone, TV or Air-Suspension it is only used for chaning radio stations and tracks on a CD. What a waste of a nice 7" high-res display. An interesting point is that even though the car already has the display, the navigation option still costs £2k and the TV reception £400!.
What it does have is: Remote locking, Auto wipers and lights, electric windows, a CD changer and that's it. To me that seem a bit stingy on a car costing £25k.
Engine and drive
It's a diesel which means I hate it by default but am always willing to be convinced. The amount of torque it produces is an eye opener. Its in-gear accelleration would outstrip my A8's 4.2 V8 even though it weighs more due to the steel construction. As with all diesels, the fun and games are all over by 4,500RPM when the power hits a brick wall.
The drive isn't bad although the ride is a bit fidgety and not that comfortable. It seems to handle well but the FWD transmission (no quattro on this one) completely ruins what could have been quite a rewarding car to drive. The wheels spin at the slightest whiff of throttle and it torque steers like a Rover 825. Not what I would want from a mis-size exec.
Overall impression
A poor car IMO. For the money it does well against rivals such as the BMW 520d and Jaguar S-Type 2.0d but it lacks something which makes it a very poor buy. That something is a sense of occasion. In the BMW you know where you are even if it's missing a lot of the kit you get on the high spec examples. In the Jag you feel cosseted. In the Audi you just feel like you are in a car. It has no soul.
So, would I buy one?
Hell no. For the same money one could have a BMW 325iSE which is a vastly more accomplished car in every way. What about an Audi A4 2.0TFSi Quattro? Much better IMO. Yes these cars are from a class below but this brings me to my final point: Why do people buy the povery spec version of a car when they could have a mid-range example from the class below for the same money which will have more kit and usually drive better? I guess it's a bragging thing. In some people's eyes an A6 is better than an A4 even if it's a 3.2 FSI Quattro A4 and 2.0tdi A6.
Anyway. I have a brand spanking A6 2.0tdi as a (dis)courtesy car so I thought I'd let you all know what I think of it.
Build quality & ergonomics
Typical Audi. Everything is well screwed together with no rattles or squeaks and the doors shut with a satisfying clunk. All the controls are well layed out and easy to read with one exception. The indicator idiot lights can't be seen when the steering wheel is in a comfortable position. Other than this it's pretty faultless. The seats are good with excellent side support but not really enough adjustment of the base pad. It can go up and down but can't tilt.
Design
I like the shape and the interior has a satisfyingly modern feel to it. It's very airy in side with plenty of space for storing stuff. A major complaint I have is with the electronic parking brake. I have this on my A8 and coupled with the auto transmission it's ace. On the A6 however, with a manual box, it's a royal pain in the backside. You have no feel with it and the thing is so slow to engage it makes rolling backwards when stopping on a hill an absolute certainty. Why they added this feature is beyond me because it detracts from the overall useability of the car which is usually something Audi does very well.
Equipment
This is a poverty spec example so has no interesting kit at all. It has the MMI display but as there is no Nav, TMC, phone, TV or Air-Suspension it is only used for chaning radio stations and tracks on a CD. What a waste of a nice 7" high-res display. An interesting point is that even though the car already has the display, the navigation option still costs £2k and the TV reception £400!.
What it does have is: Remote locking, Auto wipers and lights, electric windows, a CD changer and that's it. To me that seem a bit stingy on a car costing £25k.
Engine and drive
It's a diesel which means I hate it by default but am always willing to be convinced. The amount of torque it produces is an eye opener. Its in-gear accelleration would outstrip my A8's 4.2 V8 even though it weighs more due to the steel construction. As with all diesels, the fun and games are all over by 4,500RPM when the power hits a brick wall.
The drive isn't bad although the ride is a bit fidgety and not that comfortable. It seems to handle well but the FWD transmission (no quattro on this one) completely ruins what could have been quite a rewarding car to drive. The wheels spin at the slightest whiff of throttle and it torque steers like a Rover 825. Not what I would want from a mis-size exec.
Overall impression
A poor car IMO. For the money it does well against rivals such as the BMW 520d and Jaguar S-Type 2.0d but it lacks something which makes it a very poor buy. That something is a sense of occasion. In the BMW you know where you are even if it's missing a lot of the kit you get on the high spec examples. In the Jag you feel cosseted. In the Audi you just feel like you are in a car. It has no soul.
So, would I buy one?
Hell no. For the same money one could have a BMW 325iSE which is a vastly more accomplished car in every way. What about an Audi A4 2.0TFSi Quattro? Much better IMO. Yes these cars are from a class below but this brings me to my final point: Why do people buy the povery spec version of a car when they could have a mid-range example from the class below for the same money which will have more kit and usually drive better? I guess it's a bragging thing. In some people's eyes an A6 is better than an A4 even if it's a 3.2 FSI Quattro A4 and 2.0tdi A6.
(stupid engine to put in an A6 IMO)
