Audi A6 review (24/07/2013)
When the German company contacted me to test its new A6 Bi-turbo, I had no great expectation. âTheyâve just delved into their bag of tricks to breathe new life into an old turbodiesel engine,â I mused to myself, thinking there was nothing to get excited about. How wrong I was.
Even given my fondness for Audi, when the A6 Bi-turbo wheeled into the driveway, I was bowled over. The new A6 is a pretty car, having gestated maturely from the original, frumpy âass-like-a-Belgian-Blueâ A6, but the Bi-turbo version will âtake the eye from your headâ. It looks sensational.
From the eerie, faintly intimidating LED lights, via the platinum-grey, front-spoiler lip to the diffuser lip and on through the S-Line bumpers and the side-ventilating grilles, the side skirts, and on to the shapely rear end, with its demonic, LED light clusters, this thing really looks great. Then, you take in the S-Line sports suspension (dropped by 30mm over the conventional A6) and the magnificent 19â twin-spoke alloys and a body cloaked in a menacing-looking, quartz-grey metallic overcoat and you have something that not only breathes muscularity and purpose, but oozes elegant beauty and naked malevolence.
And thatâs just when it is standing still.
Now, I cannot vouch for what it looks like when it is on the move â because I was driving it â but judging by the amount of heads it turned, it is as dramatic-looking on the move as it is at rest.
But the drama does not end there. Under the hood, Audi has done a job on its standard V6 TDi to boost power to 230kW (310bhp) â see panel â and give the unit a new outlook on life. The benchmark figures, of 5.1 seconds for the 0-100kph dash, and the limited top speed of 250kph, are indicative.
This impressive impetus has been achieved by two turbochargers operating sequentially. A smaller one kicks things off for low-rev and a larger one takes over around 3,500rpm for upper-end push. The results are pretty eye-popping.
The Ingolstadt engineers have tuned the exhaust note. It emits a feral rasp that would (and does) frighten small children and people of a nervous disposition. This means the car scores on two fronts: first, there is the performance and, second, there is a primeval pleasure in the aural soundtrack.
Now the roads of the deep south and south-west of this country might not be to everyoneâs tastes, but if you want to find out what a car is made of, then they will provide the answer. I chose two separate trips â one from the wilds of the Mizen peninsula to Waterville, and the second from Waterville back to Cork, to see what the Bi-turbo was made of. It might not sound too much of a chore for a car with a base-line price of 72k but, believe me, these roads form a monstrous test for something that has lofty aspirations.
The initial sprint, from the Mizen out through Toormore, along Dunmanus Bay and on to Bantry, is instructive, but through Glengarriff and onto the Caha Pass, you find out what the A6 Bi-turbo (or the Bi-TDi, as it is known in Audi-speak) is made of. With its bottomless realms of power, it clocks up absurd speeds up over that hill and down the far side, through Bunane.
Sure, there are signs of understeer under pressure, but I have always said the 4wd quattro system is prone to this, particularly in high-powered versions, and only reassures you in really tricky conditions.
But once you know what to expect, this A6 delivers driving pleasure in spades.
The road from Kenmare to Waterville is not instructive, primarily because of bus and/or tourist traffic, but, after a good nightâs rest, the leg back to Cork, over whatâs locally known as âThe Ballaghisheenâ, that doughty mountain pass from New Chapel Cross, via Glencar to Beaufort, really displays what this thing has to offer.
This engine, the eight-speed auto tiptronic gearbox, the all-wheel drive, and the beautiful, wailing exhaust note make this A6 an outstanding prospect, whatever is being asked of it. And that road asks a lot, let me assure you.
Audi had not got the same reputation as some of its rivals for ability to make really smart sporting saloons, but that has been rectified once and for all, with what is a truly exemplary piece of kit.
71,320-85,758, as tested.
Audi has beefed up their three-litre, V6 TDi to produce an astonishing beast.
230kW (310bhp) between 3,900 and 4,500rpm. Max torque 650Nm, between 1,450 and 2,800rpm.
6.4 l/100km (43.7 mpg)/169g/km.
the spec on this car, including the expensive goodies from the S-Line parts bin, such as sports steering, adaptive suspension, and the sports rear-differential, really jack up the price â by more than 14k.
undoubtedly an expensive machine, but it truly
delivers in spades.
****
