Audi S6 5.2 FSI V10: PH Carpool
Stealth looks, V10 engine - does the reality of S6 ownership live up to the promising dream?
Car: Audi S6 (C6) 5.2 FSI V10
Owned since: June 2014
Previously owned: "BMW M3 (E92), BMW 335i Convertible, Focus ST, Nissan Skyline (R34), Mazda RX-7."
About where the stealth aspect ends
“After moving to a new area without a garage or secure parking I was looking for something a bit more low-key than my old bright orange Focus ST. The Focus was quite modified by the time I came to move it on so it was important my next car would be comfortable while still having some poke to keep me interested. As I do low mileage I wasn't really fussed about mpg so that meant I could discount diesels straight away and look at something with a big petrol engine.
“My car ‘to-do’ list was missing a few things. I'd never owned a saloon car, a 4WD or a V10 so it made perfect sense for me to tick all three boxes in one go. It took a while to find an S6 saloon that had the facelift rear end. It’s personal taste but I think the early C6 platform rear ends look horribly dated now. Most cars I could find were Avants and I really couldn't justify owning an estate. It was hard enough to convince myself that a 26-year-old single childless male needed a saloon car but I managed to win myself over by saying I was just planning for the future.
“I eventually found OV58 EOF, a lovely facelifted saloon in a rather inconspicuous colour. It was everything I wanted and I bought it within the hour of looking at her.”
Looks like a TDI, doesn't go like one
“I've had my fair share of warranty and dealer visits while owning a high performance German car before so I was fully prepared for how ruinous this car could become. However, the only small bit of information I missed out on was the infamous inlet coking issue. It plagues the 4.2 FSI V8 unit in the RS4 - I won’t go into too much detail here as you can find this all out with a quick Google but sadly it seems the 5.2 FSI V10 unit also inherited the problem. Admittedly, if I had known about this before, I might have walked away from the idea of owning one entirely...”
Things I love:
“Well obviously the engine - who wouldn't love the idea of a 5.2 V10 in a saloon car, right? Other than that then I'd say the interior, Audi really knows how to make a nice place for you to sit in, the seats are a beautiful combination of leather and Alcantara (quite rare in the S6 i've been told) with just the right amount of carbon fibre surrounding the transmission tunnel and on the dash trim. I've even started to come around to its bland looks and rarity. Nobody really seems to remember that there was an S6 and as such I get asked quite a lot about the engine, usually, ‘What is it? V6? V8?’" so you can imagine their startled look when you reply 5.2 V10!
Compulsory 'class leading interior' mention
Things I hate:
“This section was actually the hardest to write, so much so that it was the last bit I wrote. The most obvious thing that sticks out is the Audi MMI system; I find it has too many buttons and sub-menus to navigate just to change some mundane setting that I could have sworn took me half the time when using BMW iDrive.
“Now, if I'm being really harsh, the gearbox. That almost deserves an entire thread itself and I can already foresee that being the biggest issue people have with this car in the comments section. It’s always left me feeling a bit confused - why did Audi stick such a stonking motor inside an executive saloon and then pair it with the most rudimentary automatic gearbox they could find? It muddies the water between what this car is supposed to be. Is it a luxury saloon with a silky smooth V10? Or is it supposed to be a sporty M5 competitor? I don't get it and I don't think anybody else got it either because depending on how much faith you put into HowManyLeft.co.uk there are only 330 S6s on the road at the moment compared to around 2,800 M5s.
Facelift version preferred for its prettier rump
Costs:
“What do you think? Just because these are cheap to buy doesn't mean they are cheap to run! That said, 20mpg after 2,000 miles of mixed motorway and weekend hooning isn't to be sniffed at.”
Where I've been:
“As mentioned I've only managed to cover 2,000 miles in five months so can’t give any really interesting tales but it’s been a mixture of motorway driving and some weekend drives to various gatherings. It’s performed admirably every single time.”
Blink and you'd miss it, in every sense
“I would love to trade up to an RS6 but until I have a garage I can leave it in for days at a time I'm quite happy to sit with the S6. It’s going to have the inlet removed soon so it can be checked and cleaned for the coking issue that I mentioned above as in some cases its been known to rob up to 40hp. I'd also like an exhaust as the standard one is quite muted. But anyone who is familiar with how I said I wasn't going to touch my Focus ST and then seeing how it ended up won’t be surprised to see this thing on air ride and 20-inch alloys by summer next year! I really don't know.”
Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!
yes
It is pretty special though.
I wouldn't get too hung up on the coking issues. I ran a B7 RS4 from new for 3 years and followed all the forum nonsense about this issue. Yes, like lots of direct injection engines you'll get some sooting up of the inlet manifolds but IMHO, I think it's more down to the owners not fully understanding how much power the 4WD system takes up and that these are heavy cars.
Enjoy it for what it is.
Its not an RS6 so why would you be comparing to an M5 and don't you mean E63.
It looks so unappealing but very Q car .. could even take off the rear, front and side badges for ultra stealth
“Do I think the M5/C63 is a better car? Without a doubt. Do I care? Not really, it does everything I want it to do.”
I'm also suprised because I think the RS6 is the Audi equivalent of an M5/E63 and not the S6. I'd say an S6 is an E550 or 550i competitor. It's a big all rounder with a big engine. It does sound good and if subtle is what you were after it's probably the car for you.
Having had a number of VWs in the family i came away bamboozled by the MMI in an Audi A5. Was really surprised; thought the layout would be the same as a VW (or Porsche, for that matter).
Its not an RS6 so why would you be comparing to an M5
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