C6 S6 avant... really want
Discussion
so its been almost one year since the e39 touring went and in its place an 09 r line tiguan with 2.0 litre petrol engine. its the dullest drive ever and the boot space is crap.
im now lusting after an s6 avant but they are pretty scarce.... what should i pay for one? prices seem to vary massively
im now lusting after an s6 avant but they are pretty scarce.... what should i pay for one? prices seem to vary massively
I found it one of the most disappointing cars I have driven.
What was it you liked about it? I was desperate for one for around 6 months, then one turned up locally and was in a lovely deep blue with silver leather and looked stunning. I knew the dealer well and I had the car for the whole day, we took the day off work, booked in for lunch up at the North Norfolk coast, and collected the car around 10am. I can honestly say that by the time we had taken the long way round to get to the pub I already knew I wouldn't be buying it.
It wasn't that quick, rode poorly and the MPG just didn't justify the performance. I also found it felt very hollow, if that makes sense? Everytime you hit a pothole, raised ironwork, lump in the road, it just felt...well not that well put together. Not what you would expect from a 2 year old car with 12k miles on it. I had been in a DMS mapped 535d touring before it but had a hankering for the S6, but it just didn't compare. I may think differently now they are £10k, but I can't see how a 10 year old one will be better.
When you think you could be in an E55 for similar money, there is no comparison. So much better dynamically and a hell of a lot quicker, plus it is a much more solid car.
Be interested to why you thought it was so great?
What was it you liked about it? I was desperate for one for around 6 months, then one turned up locally and was in a lovely deep blue with silver leather and looked stunning. I knew the dealer well and I had the car for the whole day, we took the day off work, booked in for lunch up at the North Norfolk coast, and collected the car around 10am. I can honestly say that by the time we had taken the long way round to get to the pub I already knew I wouldn't be buying it.
It wasn't that quick, rode poorly and the MPG just didn't justify the performance. I also found it felt very hollow, if that makes sense? Everytime you hit a pothole, raised ironwork, lump in the road, it just felt...well not that well put together. Not what you would expect from a 2 year old car with 12k miles on it. I had been in a DMS mapped 535d touring before it but had a hankering for the S6, but it just didn't compare. I may think differently now they are £10k, but I can't see how a 10 year old one will be better.
When you think you could be in an E55 for similar money, there is no comparison. So much better dynamically and a hell of a lot quicker, plus it is a much more solid car.
Be interested to why you thought it was so great?
Anyone else going to have a grump or are we done now?
I like and rate them. It's everything good about an A6 C6 quattro (great cars) with a really stupid engine (in the nicest possible way). If you give even a single hoot about fuel economy you're in the wrong place. If you want a characterful, practical estate car with loads of shove they're really good value now. It's from an era when Audi's model planning logic seemed to go along the lines of "stop when we can't fit any more cylinders in"
Budget for releasing a bit of noise as the standard exhaust system is disappointing.
I like and rate them. It's everything good about an A6 C6 quattro (great cars) with a really stupid engine (in the nicest possible way). If you give even a single hoot about fuel economy you're in the wrong place. If you want a characterful, practical estate car with loads of shove they're really good value now. It's from an era when Audi's model planning logic seemed to go along the lines of "stop when we can't fit any more cylinders in"
Budget for releasing a bit of noise as the standard exhaust system is disappointing.
ok so heres where im at
i like big petrol lumps and am not bothered about economy. my b3s alpina is currently averaging 11 mpg on my morning run and whilst the new barge will do more miles per days its stop start driving whilst my better half ferries the boys around
the tiguan has been a massive dissappointment. arguably it shouldnt have been bought in the first place but you live and learn.
i miss terribly the e39 for all the reasons that people have written about over the past decade about why they are so accomplished
ive seriously looked at the e55 in the past and its still a contender. scarcity is an issue but there are a couple around. the s6 however is a real contender because it ticks the big lump box but is also something akin to a 4 wheel drive which given where we live is a real plus (one of the main reasons for the tiguan) although the e39 with correct fitment winter tyres and wheels was pretty sure footed
ive only read good things about the c6 s6 and whilst id really prefer a mtm stage 1 c5 rs6 with milltek, its not going to happen.
at least on paper the s6 seems to tick the performance and practical boxes as well as being a relatively practical ride for the wife and kids....
my only question is which of the e55 or the s6 would be the better driving experience...because i guess in terms of mod cons and creature comforts the newer audi would win
ride quality is something im happy to live with... not particulary bothered about whether its crashier but am keen to capture a better driving experience even if it means compromise somewhere
i like big petrol lumps and am not bothered about economy. my b3s alpina is currently averaging 11 mpg on my morning run and whilst the new barge will do more miles per days its stop start driving whilst my better half ferries the boys around
the tiguan has been a massive dissappointment. arguably it shouldnt have been bought in the first place but you live and learn.
i miss terribly the e39 for all the reasons that people have written about over the past decade about why they are so accomplished
ive seriously looked at the e55 in the past and its still a contender. scarcity is an issue but there are a couple around. the s6 however is a real contender because it ticks the big lump box but is also something akin to a 4 wheel drive which given where we live is a real plus (one of the main reasons for the tiguan) although the e39 with correct fitment winter tyres and wheels was pretty sure footed
ive only read good things about the c6 s6 and whilst id really prefer a mtm stage 1 c5 rs6 with milltek, its not going to happen.
at least on paper the s6 seems to tick the performance and practical boxes as well as being a relatively practical ride for the wife and kids....
my only question is which of the e55 or the s6 would be the better driving experience...because i guess in terms of mod cons and creature comforts the newer audi would win
ride quality is something im happy to live with... not particulary bothered about whether its crashier but am keen to capture a better driving experience even if it means compromise somewhere
So I recently sold on mine.
Most reliable s/rs car i've owned to date, and with a full non-res milltek, sounds amazing. performance is pretty excellent when on the paddles, and v. easy to drive round town. lots of folks get confused driving these, and in D or even in S, the gearbox doesnt do the engine justice. manual, totally different beast, v. responsive, and thunderous noise.
the suspension is great for a bit of hard driving. but combined with a 2.2+ ton kerb weight, its not exactly a nimble ninja. the suspension is pretty (I would actually say far too) hard, so if you do press on, it works really well, but IMHO its too firm day to day, and there are no real replacement options for it to soften it up (lots of options to lower it, which is not really a good idea imho either)
also, the MMI is pretty badly dated. there is no decent answer to a2dp streaming apart from some form of aux-in bluetooth receiver hack, or a ami + viseeo tune2ait thing, which is ok but still not great.
mpg - if you need to ask about this, don't buy the car. low teens in town, maybe 24 on the motorway if you have a good breeze behind you.
but if you want something fast, sounds great, will be pretty reliable, and takes standard a6 parts by and large, then the s6 is a great car!
Most reliable s/rs car i've owned to date, and with a full non-res milltek, sounds amazing. performance is pretty excellent when on the paddles, and v. easy to drive round town. lots of folks get confused driving these, and in D or even in S, the gearbox doesnt do the engine justice. manual, totally different beast, v. responsive, and thunderous noise.
the suspension is great for a bit of hard driving. but combined with a 2.2+ ton kerb weight, its not exactly a nimble ninja. the suspension is pretty (I would actually say far too) hard, so if you do press on, it works really well, but IMHO its too firm day to day, and there are no real replacement options for it to soften it up (lots of options to lower it, which is not really a good idea imho either)
also, the MMI is pretty badly dated. there is no decent answer to a2dp streaming apart from some form of aux-in bluetooth receiver hack, or a ami + viseeo tune2ait thing, which is ok but still not great.
mpg - if you need to ask about this, don't buy the car. low teens in town, maybe 24 on the motorway if you have a good breeze behind you.
but if you want something fast, sounds great, will be pretty reliable, and takes standard a6 parts by and large, then the s6 is a great car!
RC1 said:
my only question is which of the e55 or the s6 would be the better driving experience...because i guess in terms of mod cons and creature comforts the newer audi would win
ride quality is something im happy to live with... not particulary bothered about whether its crashier but am keen to capture a better driving experience even if it means compromise somewhere
The E55 is very different handling wise, and the interior of the E55, especially if you spend £300 on the latest NTG2.5 Nav system (easy install), is so much nicer than the Audi imho, but that is just personal. ride quality is something im happy to live with... not particulary bothered about whether its crashier but am keen to capture a better driving experience even if it means compromise somewhere
In fact I still think the 211 shape E Class is one of the nicest interiors of any car you can buy, nicer than the newer E Class or E60 BMW.
You are spending £15k, then you are also in to E63 money if you are quick on the ones that come up. There have been a few £15k E63 estates with around 60-70k miles on them.
I'm not knocking Audi Avants, I loved my 3.2fsi Quattro Avant, but it did what it was meant to do, I simply don't think the S6 does what it is meant to do. It felt slower than my mapped 535d, and didn't feel anywhere near as dynamic to drive. If it had returned 25mpg I would have let it off, but seeing 11mpg when pressing on! and then 17mpg average, with 22mpg after restting the obc and cruising at 50mph, just didn't stack up for what it offered.
That's not to say I don't really want a C7 S6 Avant still.
A good customer of mine has a C7 3.0T Avant, he only paid £18k for that a few months back, just under 50k miles on it. He has that tuned and it is seriously rapid, quicker than the C6 S6 that's for sure. I think he said it was showing 380bhp.
Really nice chassis on those too. Maybe worth considering?
Unless you really want that //S badge?
I should add, he is averaging 25mpg and sees 34mpg on a run to London and back.
Edited by gizlaroc on Thursday 26th November 12:26
4 Years into ownership now.
Still not looking to change either as it does everything i need.
Mods to date are, stainless exhaust, RS6 grill & bluetooth streaming via the AV inputs.
Best option for me is advance key and highly recommend holding out for one with this if you can find it. Had a few niggles but nothing i wouldnt say was just general maintenance/wear and tear.
Still not looking to change either as it does everything i need.
Mods to date are, stainless exhaust, RS6 grill & bluetooth streaming via the AV inputs.
Best option for me is advance key and highly recommend holding out for one with this if you can find it. Had a few niggles but nothing i wouldnt say was just general maintenance/wear and tear.
Just my tuppence worth, I had a test drive in a couple a little while back and can echo a lot of what has been said, although I ended up in the RS big brother.
The space and pace was very good and I really liked the understated-ness of them, they do fly under the radar for that. The exhaust noise is very muted as standard, but I think that is par for the course with most modern cars, so a back box delete or Milltek is the way forward.
They don't have the sensation of speed that other cars have, but boy do they pick up speed if that makes sense. You could plant your foot and rapidly be approaching prison sentence speeds without really noticing. The interior is nice and comfortable and the seats are more comfortable than nearly any other cars I've had or been in (weirdly, the rears are super comfortable!) and it does have all the toys. As has been said, the 2g MMI which is on most cars is a bit basic but functional, and I love advanced key on the RS, great for when you've got your hands full.
Loads of space in the back, enough in fact to fit a 3 seat sofa!
Really good all-round family car.
The space and pace was very good and I really liked the understated-ness of them, they do fly under the radar for that. The exhaust noise is very muted as standard, but I think that is par for the course with most modern cars, so a back box delete or Milltek is the way forward.
They don't have the sensation of speed that other cars have, but boy do they pick up speed if that makes sense. You could plant your foot and rapidly be approaching prison sentence speeds without really noticing. The interior is nice and comfortable and the seats are more comfortable than nearly any other cars I've had or been in (weirdly, the rears are super comfortable!) and it does have all the toys. As has been said, the 2g MMI which is on most cars is a bit basic but functional, and I love advanced key on the RS, great for when you've got your hands full.
Loads of space in the back, enough in fact to fit a 3 seat sofa!
Really good all-round family car.
Edited by VeegasRS6 on Thursday 26th November 13:50
I've had both the saloon and the avant. Loved them both. Sold my avant six months ago with 120,000 miles on for £11500 on an 06.
Spent quite a bit of money on my first saloon.got a bespoke quilted leather interior and Milltek. Unfortunately it was being sold as a Cat D recently.
I wouldn't spend too much on one. These cars seem to take the miles well. High miles, early car, low price on a private sale would be my pick.
Spent quite a bit of money on my first saloon.got a bespoke quilted leather interior and Milltek. Unfortunately it was being sold as a Cat D recently.
I wouldn't spend too much on one. These cars seem to take the miles well. High miles, early car, low price on a private sale would be my pick.
I've got a high mileage early avant for sale now at just under 10k.
Great car to own and live with on a daily basis.It does everything very well but isn't exceptional. My D2 S8 felt more special, smaller, lighter cars are more fun and it's very fast but not rapid.
It's been reliable and cheap to run so far. Although it's not quite an event every time you take it out, I do look forward to driving it every time.
I bought it as a daily driver and a motorway cruiser and it's been fantastic at both. I've had 3x 6ft+ guys sleep in it in relative comfort and drive 600miles the next day.
If I had an RS6 C5 I'd be worried about car park dings and the gearbox and turbos. This, I never worry about.
Great car to own and live with on a daily basis.It does everything very well but isn't exceptional. My D2 S8 felt more special, smaller, lighter cars are more fun and it's very fast but not rapid.
It's been reliable and cheap to run so far. Although it's not quite an event every time you take it out, I do look forward to driving it every time.
I bought it as a daily driver and a motorway cruiser and it's been fantastic at both. I've had 3x 6ft+ guys sleep in it in relative comfort and drive 600miles the next day.
If I had an RS6 C5 I'd be worried about car park dings and the gearbox and turbos. This, I never worry about.
From my perspective
I went from a R35 GTR to a Lotus 2-Eleven (no roof, no doors, no heater blah blah) because I wanted something more tracked focused
Had a small one so no time to trackday so ended up with a 2009 S6 30k on the clock
The way I sum it up is it's 80% of the performance with 100% of the luxury - its big its heavy but fast in straight-line
I went from a R35 GTR to a Lotus 2-Eleven (no roof, no doors, no heater blah blah) because I wanted something more tracked focused
Had a small one so no time to trackday so ended up with a 2009 S6 30k on the clock
The way I sum it up is it's 80% of the performance with 100% of the luxury - its big its heavy but fast in straight-line
Dr G said:
Anyone else going to have a grump or are we done now?
As an ex owner I'm free to express my opinion, no need to grumble because it doesn't match your glowing review of the car.I didn't think the performance warranted the rubbish MPG, It didn't feel that particularly special, I thought the gearbox was crap and compared to other cars of the same period it felt dated to me.
OP, I think there's better cars out there for the money, but others in this thread really like them, so its down to you to decide if it meets your criteria.
Edited by Dele on Friday 27th November 14:01
t Sherlock 
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