Thursday, 24 November 2011

AUTOMOTIVE - DRIVEN: Audi A6 Proves Its Worth

The 2012 Audi A7 has been getting all the awards and accolades, mainly for its unique sports/luxury approach to hatchback practicality.

But I?ll tell you, I just got out of the redesigned 2012 A6 sedan built on the same platform, and I liked it a whole lot better. It has a quieter ride and better drivability, a more-usable back seat with actual headroom and space for three instead of two, and it costs nearly $10,000 less. That?s a lot for a rear hatch instead of a trunk.

The A6 sedan?s routine body styling leaves all the attention going to the expressive A7. (Photo: Audi) The A6 that I drove was set up essentially the same as the A7 test car, with 19-inch wheels, performance tires and sport suspension. A6 and A7 are built on the same platform, have essentially identical interiors and are powered by the same 3-liter turbocharged V6 that produces 310 horsepower.

Yet I found the sedan to be considerably more sophisticated than the hatchback. The A6 had that elegant and sporty character that I love about Audi products, while I found the A7 to be harsh and twitchy. The A7?s sleek hatchback styling is right on, but that?s about it.

So why the difference in drivability between the A6 and the A7? You got me there. When I mentioned it to an Audi PR guy, he looked at me like I was talking in tonques.

While reviewing the A7 last month, I started to doubt my sensibilities. Everybody seemed to be in love with this car, except for me. Happily, I was hanging out recently at the Los Angeles Auto Show with a good friend and fellow auto writer who expressed similar reservations about the A7 without any prompting on my part. So I feel somewhat vindicated.

The Sport Package provides 19-inch alloy wheels and performance tires, plus a sport-tuned suspension. (Photo: Audi) Whatever, I was totally pleased with the A6 and found it to be all that an Audi should be, although the styling could use a dose of passion. Other than the aggressive front-end treatment, A6 just fades into the crowd.

The look is where A7 gains the edge, sort of like the prettier but dumber sibling in a family. A7 has the flash, but A6 has the substance.

The 3-liter engine has plenty of guts, with power delivered in a smooth rush. For 2012, A6 sheds some weight, down about 78 pounds from last year?s model because of extensive use of aluminum in the body structure.

A6 can also be had with a turbocharged 2-liter inline four with 211 horsepower, which is cheaper and gets better fuel mileage. If you want more, go for the performance-enhanced S6 with its mighty 420-horsepower twin-turbo V8, which for 2012 replaces the previous model?s V10.

Both the A6 and the A7 have Audi?s slick eight-speed automatic transmission, which does such a fine job of seamlessly transferring power to all four wheels, essentially unnoticed aside from the notion that it?s shifting constantly. Paddle shifters on the steering column are pretty effective, though you feel as if you?re flapping away forever when downshifting through the many gear ratios.

Source: http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/autos-audi-a6-proves-its-worth/

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