A6 2.7tdi How good ?

[dinkmatt]

Hi guys I am about to start up my own business as an executive chauffering company and I have a choice of car 1) 06 Audi A6 2.7tdi se with full leather sat nav phone prep and a few other goodies. 2)06 Mercedes E280cdi avantgarde with rougly the same kit. My dilema is that the Mercedes is 4k more than the audi and while i really like the Audi a number of people have said that the merc has a more prestigous air about it personally i prefer the Audi's understated looks and superior build quality I have driven the E270 mercedes and found it good but every chauffer has a merc and i want to be different from the rest but in this game its all about perception and I can't afford to loose business. any thoughts on what you think would be gratefull appreciated

[mat205125]

Purely from a perception point of view, coming from a car enthusiast, I would much rather be picked up in an Audi than in a Merc.

Merc's to me create an image of someone who has bought a car for a badge, and has not read up on the horrific stories of dealer service and shoddy build quality.

Audi on the other hand has an image in my mind of unburstable reliability, design and build quality, however with a slightly unexciting driving experience. The latter is of little concern for your needs, as your passengers would possibly object if you were to be kicking the tail out at every opportunity.

Go Audi every time ..... in black obviously. Ronin Jnr!

[dinkmatt]

thanks for the support Matt Fortunately I am of the same opinion with regards to the status of merc's and also the reliabilty of Audi just unfourtunate that its not in black it silver (used) As for the Ronin jr remark quite like that maybe should change my PH name !!

[Onetone]

Simple answer: You are going to be sat in the car a lot longer than any of your clients, therefore driver comfort must be your top priority. That is something only you can answer for yourself - it's your back and bum! Suggest you arrange to 'borrow'/test each for a full day and see how you get on. For what it's worth, having been a passenger in many merc's over the years, I have yet to experience one that didn't leave me with backache, even after a relatively short journey. Nothing to choose between them other than that - don't let the badge be an issue - that problem is reserved only for BMW's these days.

[paracetamol]

I have a friend who works for a large chauffeur drive company based in Canary Wharf. They used to compete against an outfit that used Mercs and BMWs but then decided to add Volvos and other cars into the mix...well the competitor very quickly lost business as the Investment Bankers insisted it was black Mercs or nothing! My friend took on many new contracts that year!

Saying all that have you considered an A8 3.0tdi. There are loads of these being used for chauffering around London and Audi are happy to support this as they usually have their potential client base sat in the back of them. You may find that you get as good a lease deal on one of these. The other one to consider is the BMW 730d. Again the lease deals are unbelievable and the prestige is still there.

[rory]

I run a chauffeur company and despite being a huge fan of Audis, I would advise you get the Merc.

Rightly or wrongly, most of your clients (who won't be car enthusiasts) will perceive the a Merc as a more prestigious vehicle.

Best of luck with your venture.

Rory

[paracetamol]

Please note that Audi now have a dedicated A8 Chaffeur programme-not sure of the exact details but call customer services and ask for the A8 team

[targarama]

My driver (well not quite - he's used for trips to/from LHR every 2 weeks) runs a E Class 2.7 Diesel at the moment. Not too bad. Interior fit and finish isn't that good IMO, but they seem to be the defacto. He is needing to replace the car soon and is currently leaning towards an A6 (in black of course). New A6s look very 'exec'. I agree that an A8 3.0TDi would be even better.

I was standing at LHR Terminal 3 a few weeks ago waiting for my ride watching the various cars coming and going as you do. A goldish coloured new A8 glided in and dropped his punter off. That car was easily the most prestigious/best looking car of all the cars there - lots of Mercs/BMWs etc.

Audi means understatedness, whereas Merc means taxi. If any of your potential customers have ever been to Germany on business they'll always associate E class mercs with being basic taxis. Nothing wrong with them, but nothing 'special' about them either.

[PaulFFox]

A key thing to remember in the ride quality and whilst the A6 in SE form is pretty good, you need to have the smaller wheels which really don't look quite so good on the A6. You could of course have the adjustable suspension (as per A8)..

The other think to remember is the interior on the A6 by far the best quality and also the biggest in class...

Wouldn't be put off by the "Audi" image - depends on the client, in some way it sais a lot more for you as a company (sensible choice with a cool brand) than the Merc (as mentioned above)

A6 2.7 Multitronic - lovely smooth engine / gearbox combo.

[dinkmatt]

Hi guys
Thanks for all the replies, would love to be able to get a A8 as I feel its one of if not the best lux exec on market at moment but can't stretch to that much just yet. Have decided to go with the Audi A6 as its understated and still has a good image plus I want to differentiate my business from the normal suppliers out there. Its basically fully kitted apart from the air suspension, so hopefully should help me get off to a good start.
So if any of you PHers are looking for a exec chauffer service in the Bristol/South west area in the future e-mail me and we work out a good price for you ([e-mail]). Again thanks for all the advice.

Gordon Matthews
Prestige Private Hire

[paracetamol]

dinkmatt said:

Hi guys
Thanks for all the replies, would love to be able to get a A8 as I feel its one of if not the best lux exec on market at moment but can't stretch to that much just yet. Have decided to go with the Audi A6 as its understated and still has a good image plus I want to differentiate my business from the normal suppliers out there. Its basically fully kitted apart from the air suspension, so hopefully should help me get off to a good start.
So if any of you PHers are looking for a exec chauffer service in the Bristol/South west area in the future e-mail me and we work out a good price for you ([e-mail]). Again thanks for all the advice.

Gordon Matthews
Prestige Private Hire

Are you sure about not being able to strech...Audi UK will do anything they can to sell/lease an A8-you just need to push hard. I achieved a 20k discount off my A8s both of which were 1 month old. They ended up being much cheaper than the equivelent A6!