RE: Audi S6: Driven

[iphonedyou]

TWPC said:

That front grill is gopping! The bloody thing just keeps growing.

Don't Audi and other car makers realise that they can SET standards rather than just follow them blindly? Just because Chinese and American customers want a giant front grill to compensate for other failings does not mean the car designers HAVE to provide it...

They don’t have to, no. But they do have to make money and it’s generally accepted that you do that by satisfying consumer demand.

[21ATS]

I bought a C7 S6 Avant new in 2017 it is the best daily driver I have ever owned. This was after owning 6 consecutive Mercedes.

The reality was I wanted an E500 4 Matic wagon but Mercedes stopped making them a few years ago and everything now is a revvy 6 cylinder unless you buy an AMG. I didn't want an AMG to drive daily, for me it's too much and too shouty.

So the S6 was realistically the only alternative. It took Audi 3 weeks to find me one to test drive as there are so few of them around. If you look on 'How many left' it appears only the S7 has fewer registered (they even sell more R8's than S6's or S7's). RS6's outsold S6's to the tune of 10 to 1, I just didn't like the RS6, it's everything a fast wagon should not be, shouty crackly exhaust, 21" rims bulging wheel arches look at me gggrrrrrr.

The whole ethos of these fast saloon/estates is the should be Q car's, understated, subtle. Only someone who really knows his apples know what is.

So with the new one being a diesel I'll be keeping mine for some time now. I'm glad I took the optional 5 year warranty when it was new.

If I had a gripe it would be the gearbox, unlike it's big brother the C7 S6 (and the S7) came with the S tronic double clutch system. So parking and three point turns can get a bit clunky, it can get wrong footed sometimes at junctions and just not seem to be in gear at quite the right time. To that end the ZF8 speed would be more comfortable and suited to the car.

The flip side is the double clutch gearbox makes the car faster than Audi publicise. With launch control it's hilarious. You only need to look at some of the Road and Track timing results in the USA to see these were actually pumping in the same times as standard RS6's. Which I think is much of the reason the RS6 Performance came into being.

I got a big discount when I bought this car new as an outgoing model, but even then it still shed a chunk of change. But I intend to enjoy mine for many years to come. I still consider it a bargain given it's spec, ability and performance.

Oh and another very big reason I changed from MB to Audi is colour choice. I could paint my car any colour I wanted for not a daft amount of money. Mercedes wanted to charge me £10,700 to paint a car Designo Mystic Blue to match another car I bought a few years ago. Nearly £11K to paint it one of their own colours!

Audi said I could have anything I wanted as long as it was available on open market and not triple layer. So I now own the only Audi S6 Avant in the world (correct at 2017!) painted Bentley Orange Flame Metallic. So that kind of blew the Q car thing out of the water - but what a lovely colour it is.

The C7 S6 is an absolute used bargain. Particularly the Avant. Pick one up whilst you can as I think they are going to disappear now there isn't a suitable replacement.

There's the RS6 and the RS6 Performance. If you think about the S6 as actually being an "RS6 Comfort" it makes a whole lot more sense. At least the C7 range.

Edited by 21ATS on Friday 24th May 22:15

[EyeHeartSpellin]

My 2p. I lease a 2018 V8TT S6. It's the nicest car I have ever 'owned' and the engine is 99% of why I got it. I cant understand why they would release a slower version never mind a Diesel and I have owned loads of Diesels I have no hang up with it (Had the TDi A6 before this).

The S6 to me is for people who want a genuely fast car but also appreciate the Q car vibe. An RS6 is a magnificent thing but where I live it's getting nicked. My S6 is Black Edition with Chrome Mirrors replaced and looks exactly the same as my A6 TDi Black Edition. I love that and I think a lot of other people who don't drive M5s and McLarens everyday do to.

[21ATS]

I have a deep and irrational hatred of privacy glass. I will happily pay not to have it. When I ordered my car the Black Edition had privacy glass which was compulsory. So I went with the standard car.

[E65Ross]

21ATS said:

The whole ethos of these fast saloon/estates is the should be Q car's, understated, subtle. Only someone who really knows his apples know what is.

Edited by 21ATS on Friday 24th May 22:15

Yes, orange with chrome mirrors and 4 exhausts....subtle

[Gez79]

21ATS said:

I bought a C7 S6 Avant new in 2017 it is the best daily driver I have ever owned. This was after owning 6 consecutive Mercedes.

The reality was I wanted an E500 4 Matic wagon but Mercedes stopped making them a few years ago and everything now is a revvy 6 cylinder unless you buy an AMG. I didn't want an AMG to drive daily, for me it's too much and too shouty.

So the S6 was realistically the only alternative. It took Audi 3 weeks to find me one to test drive as there are so few of them around. If you look on 'How many left' it appears only the S7 has fewer registered (they even sell more R8's than S6's or S7's). RS6's outsold S6's to the tune of 10 to 1, I just didn't like the RS6, it's everything a fast wagon should not be, shouty crackly exhaust, 21" rims bulging wheel arches look at me gggrrrrrr.

The whole ethos of these fast saloon/estates is the should be Q car's, understated, subtle. Only someone who really knows his apples know what is.

So with the new one being a diesel I'll be keeping mine for some time now. I'm glad I took the optional 5 year warranty when it was new.

If I had a gripe it would be the gearbox, unlike it's big brother the C7 S6 (and the S7) came with the S tronic double clutch system. So parking and three point turns can get a bit clunky, it can get wrong footed sometimes at junctions and just not seem to be in gear at quite the right time. To that end the ZF8 speed would be more comfortable and suited to the car.

The flip side is the double clutch gearbox makes the car faster than Audi publicise. With launch control it's hilarious. You only need to look at some of the Road and Track timing results in the USA to see these were actually pumping in the same times as standard RS6's. Which I think is much of the reason the RS6 Performance came into being.

I got a big discount when I bought this car new as an outgoing model, but even then it still shed a chunk of change. But I intend to enjoy mine for many years to come. I still consider it a bargain given it's spec, ability and performance.

Oh and another very big reason I changed from MB to Audi is colour choice. I could paint my car any colour I wanted for not a daft amount of money. Mercedes wanted to charge me £10,700 to paint a car Designo Mystic Blue to match another car I bought a few years ago. Nearly £11K to paint it one of their own colours!

Audi said I could have anything I wanted as long as it was available on open market and not triple layer. So I now own the only Audi S6 Avant in the world (correct at 2017!) painted Bentley Orange Flame Metallic. So that kind of blew the Q car thing out of the water - but what a lovely colour it is.

The C7 S6 is an absolute used bargain. Particularly the Avant. Pick one up whilst you can as I think they are going to disappear now there isn't a suitable replacement.

There's the RS6 and the RS6 Performance. If you think about the S6 as actually being an "RS6 Comfort" it makes a whole lot more sense. At least the C7 range.

Edited by 21ATS on Friday 24th May 22:15

You make some good points there, were you only considering 4wd? otherwise I also looked at BMW 550i/650i gran coupe but they're even rarer than hens teeth on the used market and I was worried about the residuals on a 550i as most people haven't heard of them.

. I too find it's a bit jerky when manoeuvring but not as bad as other VAG stuff I've tried

Also I'd say the saloon is better value. I looked for 12 months for a used S6 and identical estates were usually 5k more than a 4dr and the pre facelift estates are 550 a year in tax whereas all the saloons are 300 or so.

But all in all I think it's a great car. Underrated, understated and not that bad in fuel with the cylinder deactivation. The steering is poor but the handing is better than I expected.

Plan to keep mine for many years

Edited by Gez79 on Saturday 25th May 20:02

[pov1]

Very surprised Audi won't sell a petrol version of the S6/S7 in Europe when its been confirmed they will be selling petrol versions for the CA and USA markets.

[21ATS]

E65Ross said:

Yes, orange with chrome mirrors and 4 exhausts....subtle

When I ordered I'd asked if they'd colour code the mirrors but they wouldn't. It was odd as it was an option on some S models but not others.

[21ATS]

Gez79 said:

You make some good points there, were you only considering 4wd? otherwise I also looked at BMW 550i/650i gran coupe but they're even rarer than hens teeth on the used market and I was worried about the residuals on a 550i as most people haven't heard of them.

. I too find it's a bit jerky when manoeuvring but not as bad as other VAG stuff I've tried

Also I'd say the saloon is better value. I looked for 12 months for a used S6 and identical estates were usually 5k more than a 4dr and the pre facelift estates are 550 a year in tax whereas all the saloons are 300 or so.

But all in all I think it's a great car. Underrated, understated and not that bad in fuel with the cylinder deactivation. The steering is poor but the handing is better than I expected.

Plan to keep mine for many years

Edited by Gez79 on Saturday 25th May 20:02

We need an Estate. This is my daily and I have a wife with a wheelchair and a large dog.

My wife's disability rules out SUV's due to the height of getting in an out and our large dog rules out hatchbacks, so we're right in estate territory.

BMW don't or didn't back then sell a 550i touring. I did consider an Alpina B5 Touring but to my spec is was over £100k with frightening depreciation that made the S6 look like a bargain.

I briefly considered a Ferrari FF but I lost my bottle. It was frighteningly fast with frighteningly large running costs when something goes wrong, and something will go wrong. Seeing as I'd discounted RS or AMG products for being too much a Ferrari was way too much.

4wd because we live in the country on roads that are not gritted, so in winter if we do get back weather I need at least one car that can keep us mobile. I bought a second set of standard S6 alloys and had winter tyres fitted to them so I have an all rounder.

[Alucidnation]

Only a PH ‘journalist’ would compare a wafting luxo barge with a Focus RS ffs.

[anonymous-user]

Shiv_P said:

. Rich people don't want to be with commoners at the fuel station. Range allows less time at the fuel station
As for the A6, it seems to be the best mid size saloon on sale

Said nobody in an Aston, Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo.

The A6 will drive like an Audi set up for wafting. The 5 series, equivalent Jag etc will be far better drivers cars.

Audi will sell loads.

[Shiv_P]

yonex said:

Shiv_P said:

. Rich people don't want to be with commoners at the fuel station. Range allows less time at the fuel station
As for the A6, it seems to be the best mid size saloon on sale

Said nobody in an Aston, Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo.

The A6 will drive like an Audi set up for wafting. The 5 series, equivalent Jag etc will be far better drivers cars.

Audi will sell loads.

I'm sure if Aston/Porsche etc owners could have less time at the fuel station, they would!

[herebebeasties]

Max_Torque said:

It's probably a reflection on the incredible performance of modern cars that a car with 350 horses that gets to 60 in 5 seconds is effectively described as "a bit tardy"..........

I think it's a reflection of the fact that elsewhere in VAG you can find various four wheel drive barges that are basically as quick for pretty much half the price.

There's the S6-sized Skoda Superb 280/272 (actually bigger inside), the S4-sized Golf R or Seat Leon Cupra R estates (probably also more practical), and a Seat Ateca if you would also entertain the SUV option. Those now all (incl. the Superb, with the just-announced facelift) have the same kind of bang-up-to-date virtual cockpit tech that used to be reserved for Audis, seven speed DSG boxes and all the rest of it. Like the S6, they're all knocking on the door of five seconds to sixty, but unlike the S6 aren't powered by the diesel antichrist. According to the article, it's not like the S6 itself is fun to drive. So what's the point, other than the snob appeal? Yes, there's a clear gap between such things and an S6 (or S4), but is that gap really worth a whole thirty thousand pounds?

IMO it's hard to see how they'll shift many of these as they're just not differentiated enough any more, whilst still commanding the seriously premium price tag. This thing is now all badge.

Edited by herebebeasties on Sunday 26th May 20:52

[Shiv_P]

herebebeasties said:

Max_Torque said:

It's probably a reflection on the incredible performance of modern cars that a car with 350 horses that gets to 60 in 5 seconds is effectively described as "a bit tardy"..........

I think it's a reflection of the fact that elsewhere in VAG you can find various four wheel drive barges that are basically as quick for pretty much half the price.

There's the S6-sized Skoda Superb 280/272 (actually bigger inside), the S4-sized Golf R or Seat Leon Cupra R estates (probably also more practical), and a Seat Ateca if you would also entertain the SUV option. Those now all (incl. the Superb, with the just-announced facelift) have the same kind of bang-up-to-date virtual cockpit tech that used to be reserved for Audis, seven speed DSG boxes and all the rest of it. They're also all knocking on the door of five seconds to sixty, and aren't powered by the diesel antichrist. According to the article, it's not like it's fun to drive. So what's the point, other than the snob appeal?

IMO it's hard to see how they'll shift many of these as they're just not differentiate enough any more, while still commanding a seriously premium price tag. This thing is now all badge.

You get a considerably nicer interior
Better NVH (not to say superbs etc are bad)
Proper quattro 4WD not haldex

[herebebeasties]

Shiv_P said:

You get a considerably nicer interior
Better NVH (not to say superbs etc are bad)
Proper quattro 4WD not haldex

This is all true. It's far from being a Bentley, though - is it really worth another thirty thousand pounds? When it had a V10 under the bonnet it was much easier to argue the case.

[silentbrown]

herebebeasties said:

When it had a V10 under the bonnet it was much easier to argue the case.

I'd agree with that, even if I think your £30K difference figure is pretty suspect.

If I was buying a fastish A6 I'd skip the S6 and look at the 55 TFSI, which is basically the old S4 (turbo) engine in an A6. 340bhp and around £10K cheaper than the S6. Plenty.

[Shiv_P]

herebebeasties said:

This is all true. It's far from being a Bentley, though - is it really worth another thirty thousand pounds? When it had a V10 under the bonnet it was much easier to argue the case.

True. But don't forget the greater discounts to be had on the A6s, the fact they hold money better than cheaper VAG counterparts, the interior is actually a big step up, and the fact that for the most part it is just a better car in every way than a superb 280

[herebebeasties]

silentbrown said:

I'd agree with that, even if I think your £30K difference figure is pretty suspect.

If I was buying a fastish A6 I'd skip the S6 and look at the 55 TFSI, which is basically the old S4 (turbo) engine in an A6. 340bhp and around £10K cheaper than the S6. Plenty.

Good shout. I spec'ed one of those on Audi's configurator to Superb 280 L&K equivalent equipment and it's around a £23k price difference. Still a fair chunk. You pays your money...

[anonymous-user]

herebebeasties said:

Good shout. I spec'ed one of those on Audi's configurator to Superb 280 L&K equivalent equipment and it's around a £23k price difference. Still a fair chunk. You pays your money...

carwow.co.uk will provide a more accurate price

[MartinGLeeds]

What's happening..............our world is-a-changing.

When you look at things like this, I for one, also bemoan the fact that Audi (trust me they won't be the only ones to do this. They're just the first to break cover) are getting us used to the fact that we aren't going to be allowed the performance we once had.

It's coming, I can get my head round dropping engine sizes, no worries, the saving grace is that power output had gone up as well thanks to the use of forced induction.

Now........not only have they dropped engine size, they have pushed in the black smelly stuff but more worryingly the drop in power 100bhp.

That's the kicker the power & performance drop (they haven't gone and made it lighter to compensate).

This is the test to gauge people's reaction on a low volume seller (I have a small interest - i bought the low mileage S6 mentioned in a previous S6 review when it 1st came out about the change to diesel) because in 2022 we are all fked anyways with the new laws governing performance/speed.

This my friends is just the start of things to come.