A6 Avant - should I try one?
Discussion
in the market for my next company car
want a fast, fun, family car...25k miles a year, 2 kids under 3
I'm in the process of trying BMWs and Mercs but, as I currently drive an A3 which I don't especially rate, I've discounted the A6
have I been premature?
would an A6 Avant 3.0 TDI Quattro Sportline meet my criteria?
want a fast, fun, family car...25k miles a year, 2 kids under 3
I'm in the process of trying BMWs and Mercs but, as I currently drive an A3 which I don't especially rate, I've discounted the A6
have I been premature?
would an A6 Avant 3.0 TDI Quattro Sportline meet my criteria?
Hi. I have just moved from a BMW 530d sport to an A6 Le mans Special Edition 3.0 d quattro. Whilst the handling is not as sharp as the BMW, i find the audi better in every other respect, partic build quality. My BMW was a manual, and the Audi is tipttronic, and i am happy with the Tiptronic. Audi is a quick as the BMW in standard spec and quicker with the £500 i spend on havong it chipped.
The audi is more discreet but has more space, and on another plus point, people now let me out at junctions.
I also looked at Merc E class which i liked, but it was a bit slow.
The audi is more discreet but has more space, and on another plus point, people now let me out at junctions.
I also looked at Merc E class which i liked, but it was a bit slow.
alfaspiderman2 said:
I'm in a E320cdi at the moment on demo which I think is pretty quick
you saying that the 530d and A6 3.0 are quicker?
you saying that the 530d and A6 3.0 are quicker?
I was looking at an E280 which was definately slower. I certainly felt that the BMW and the Audi had the edge over the merc in handling terms if not in ride quality. I like the BMW rear wheel drive handling, the quattro is very sure footed but takes a little getting used too, as all quattros start with understeer that switches to oversteer when near the limit. Limit is probably alot higher than the BMW, and the Quattro gets the power down better for quick get aways.
Still a tricky choice, i really liked the merc, but for my job i also needed a less plutocratic image, and ultimatelu i preferred the audi's handling and build quality.
The A6 is truly enormous, park it up to an old A6 or a 5 series and you'll see.
Personally I find the looks a bit bland although the interior is much nicer than the BMW which pretty poor for an exec car IMO. The BMW is, however, big enough tbh and I think it looks fantastic.
Audi Quattros have far too much grip for much in the way of fun, unless you go for an RS.
Personally I find the looks a bit bland although the interior is much nicer than the BMW which pretty poor for an exec car IMO. The BMW is, however, big enough tbh and I think it looks fantastic.
Audi Quattros have far too much grip for much in the way of fun, unless you go for an RS.
Look at Wayside Audi, for the A6 you want. 7k on the clock on the 55 plate, air susp. (ride is up there with the A8), elec seats, window blinds, dvd nav, phone, xenons, the list goes on. And forget your 3.0 tdi, took one of them out and could not believe the hesitation from standstill at full bore. Any hot hatch would be gone before you could blink at the lights. No no no, what you want is the 4.2. Like me. Yes i have a thread moaning about the service cost, but in every other respect this car is awesome. And you'll get near 30 mpg on a run, 22-24 around town, lovely V8 warble, and the car at Wayside that list at 53k just over a year ago new, is now up at £31995, but has been around for a few weeks. 30k under their nose should buy it. You'll loose less than buying a new Le-mans, the prices for them are all over the shop used.
charge said:
Look at Wayside Audi, for the A6 you want. 7k on the clock on the 55 plate, air susp. (ride is up there with the A8), elec seats, window blinds, dvd nav, phone, xenons, the list goes on. And forget your 3.0 tdi, took one of them out and could not believe the hesitation from standstill at full bore. Any hot hatch would be gone before you could blink at the lights. No no no, what you want is the 4.2. Like me. Yes i have a thread moaning about the service cost, but in every other respect this car is awesome. And you'll get near 30 mpg on a run, 22-24 around town, lovely V8 warble, and the car at Wayside that list at 53k just over a year ago new, is now up at £31995, but has been around for a few weeks. 30k under their nose should buy it. You'll loose less than buying a new Le-mans, the prices for them are all over the shop used.
Hesitation from standstill!! hardly any, there must have been something wrong with the car you drove, the Audi has way less hesitation than the BMW (turbo diesels all do it a bit). In sport mode my A6 tiptronic leaves most hot hatches standing. And i know what a fast car is is like, my other car does 0-60 in 4.5 secs. I agree the Le Mans prices are all over the place, but that allows you to strike a good deal i managed a 20% discount on mine, which should take care of year 1 depreciation.
nicktowe said:
[quote=alfaspiderman2]
I like the BMW rear wheel drive handling, the quattro is very sure footed but takes a little getting used too, as all quattros start with understeer that switches to oversteer when near the limit. Limit is probably alot higher than the BMW, and the Quattro gets the power down better for quick get aways.
I like the BMW rear wheel drive handling, the quattro is very sure footed but takes a little getting used too, as all quattros start with understeer that switches to oversteer when near the limit. Limit is probably alot higher than the BMW, and the Quattro gets the power down better for quick get aways.
And how often are you near the limit in real world driving? Hmmmm?!
Nicktowe,
Its not about how fast a car your used to (when i tested the 3.0tdi A6, my second car was a 997C2S), but the reponce. I jumped out of a 540 touring to test the A6 3.0Tdi. I got to a T jcn. onto an A road, saw a gap, buried the throttle, and i swear, nothing happened for what seemed a good second before it moved off, i was sinking in my seat with an Artic bearing down on me. And I thought, this stinks!
And i only got 25mpg on the test route as the salesman thoughtfully re-set the computer to show the great economy. Right.
Sorry, I'm sure there are plenty of Wiesel owners that love em, but it all whiffs of cheapskate to me. You can blow 40k on a motor, then worry about the few mpg difference?
Its not about how fast a car your used to (when i tested the 3.0tdi A6, my second car was a 997C2S), but the reponce. I jumped out of a 540 touring to test the A6 3.0Tdi. I got to a T jcn. onto an A road, saw a gap, buried the throttle, and i swear, nothing happened for what seemed a good second before it moved off, i was sinking in my seat with an Artic bearing down on me. And I thought, this stinks!
And i only got 25mpg on the test route as the salesman thoughtfully re-set the computer to show the great economy. Right.
Sorry, I'm sure there are plenty of Wiesel owners that love em, but it all whiffs of cheapskate to me. You can blow 40k on a motor, then worry about the few mpg difference?
Edited by charge on Tuesday 17th April 14:25
charge said:
Nicktowe,
Its not about how fast a car your used to (when i tested the 3.0tdi A6, my second car was a 997C2S), but the reponce. I jumped out of a 540 touring to test the A6 3.0Tdi. I got to a T jcn. onto an A road, saw a gap, buried the throttle, and i swear, nothing happened for what seemed a good second before it moved off, i was sinking in my seat with an Artic bearing down on me. And I thought, this stinks!
And i only got 25mpg on the test route as the salesman thoughtfully re-set the computer to show the great economy. Right.
Sorry, I'm sure there are plenty of Wiesel owners that love em, but it all whiffs of cheapskate to me. You can blow 40k on a motor, then worry about the few mpg difference?
Its not about how fast a car your used to (when i tested the 3.0tdi A6, my second car was a 997C2S), but the reponce. I jumped out of a 540 touring to test the A6 3.0Tdi. I got to a T jcn. onto an A road, saw a gap, buried the throttle, and i swear, nothing happened for what seemed a good second before it moved off, i was sinking in my seat with an Artic bearing down on me. And I thought, this stinks!
And i only got 25mpg on the test route as the salesman thoughtfully re-set the computer to show the great economy. Right.
Sorry, I'm sure there are plenty of Wiesel owners that love em, but it all whiffs of cheapskate to me. You can blow 40k on a motor, then worry about the few mpg difference?
Edited by charge on Tuesday 17th April 14:25
My A6 goesv off the line pretty quickly and even quicker when rolling, ie overtaking. Maybe £500 on the chip helps, but of course a 4.0l petrol will be quiker than a 3l diesel. But a 3ltre petrol, will be slower for overtaking. Torque is important and a diesel has loads of torque. Remember audi won Le Mans last year with a diesel that wiped the floor with the petrol cars. I love my petrol G33, but for everyday i reckon the diesel audi is good. Also mine averages 34 mpg, and i drive quite hard.
My business partner drives an S$, and he was surprised at my A6, in that it is alot quicker than he thought it would be.
As for mpg, i guess i am not that fussed, if i was a chepskate, i would have spent 10k on a car.
Also, the A6 is quicker than my wifes Leon Cupra R, and thats not exactly know for tardiness.
leosayer said:
The OPC asked for a fun fast car, Audi Quattros are a lot of thing, but fun generally isn't one of them. The BMW and Merc with loads of power to the rear wheels, has the potential for a lot of fun.
How often in the real world is there an opportunity for fun as a percentage of the total amount we all drive. I love my A6 and I have had it for over a year now and still love looking for excuses to go for a drive in it. Like Nick's it is chipped and the overtaking capacity is phenomenal, whether it is wet or dry, it even still catches me by surprise now and then. I still get high 30's consumption, once again driven hard for a lot of the time, and the only slight downside is that the front tyres went away at 14k but the replacements seem better so far.
I was recently in exactly the same quandary and tried a 530D,an E320CDI and an A6 3.0TDI Avant. I have ended up putting a deposit on a 535D Touring despite a long held anti-BMW prejudice!
I found the Mercedes to easily be the most comfortable and spacious but I felt far too young to be driving it. The Audi was originally my firm favourite and there were many aspects to it that I liked but I just could not build any enthusiasm for it and, if I`m honest, I found it dull to drive. I then tried a 530D, a car whose looks have grown on me, and found it by far to be the most enjoyable drive - typically the lure of more grunt has bu**ered the budget though!
I can fully understand why anyone would buy an A6 - they are an excellent car but if you are an enthusiast or at least serious about the driving experience then, IMHO, the BMW is much the better car.
I found the Mercedes to easily be the most comfortable and spacious but I felt far too young to be driving it. The Audi was originally my firm favourite and there were many aspects to it that I liked but I just could not build any enthusiasm for it and, if I`m honest, I found it dull to drive. I then tried a 530D, a car whose looks have grown on me, and found it by far to be the most enjoyable drive - typically the lure of more grunt has bu**ered the budget though!
I can fully understand why anyone would buy an A6 - they are an excellent car but if you are an enthusiast or at least serious about the driving experience then, IMHO, the BMW is much the better car.
ettore said:
I was recently in exactly the same quandary and tried a 530D,an E320CDI and an A6 3.0TDI Avant. I have ended up putting a deposit on a 535D Touring despite a long held anti-BMW prejudice!
I found the Mercedes to easily be the most comfortable and spacious but I felt far too young to be driving it. The Audi was originally my firm favourite and there were many aspects to it that I liked but I just could not build any enthusiasm for it and, if I`m honest, I found it dull to drive. I then tried a 530D, a car whose looks have grown on me, and found it by far to be the most enjoyable drive - typically the lure of more grunt has bu**ered the budget though!
I can fully understand why anyone would buy an A6 - they are an excellent car but if you are an enthusiast or at least serious about the driving experience then, IMHO, the BMW is much the better car.
I found the Mercedes to easily be the most comfortable and spacious but I felt far too young to be driving it. The Audi was originally my firm favourite and there were many aspects to it that I liked but I just could not build any enthusiasm for it and, if I`m honest, I found it dull to drive. I then tried a 530D, a car whose looks have grown on me, and found it by far to be the most enjoyable drive - typically the lure of more grunt has bu**ered the budget though!
I can fully understand why anyone would buy an A6 - they are an excellent car but if you are an enthusiast or at least serious about the driving experience then, IMHO, the BMW is much the better car.
My BMW was agreat car to drive, good for tailslides, but build quality was poor, interior was poor, and there are times in the wet when i wanted to get away quicky without wheelspiing or traction control cutting in. The BMW drives like a smaller car and is very agile. If i hadn't already had the Beemer that would have been my choice, but i was fed up of the issues after 2 years with the car.
Don't get me wrong, i don't hate Diesels, infact i took out a 535d touring before i bought the Audi, and thought the lump was it least as powerful (especially mid range) as the 540 V8 i was replacing.
But the 535 had that lorry like idle noise, and a rock hard secondary ride. You shouldnt feel your cheeks wobble on a fairly flat road in an excec.
Very interesting about the chip too, what extra bhp do you get, and how do the dealers view em reguarding warrantee, or can't they tell/ dont know? If for example the turbo went pop, could they void cover on it?
But the 535 had that lorry like idle noise, and a rock hard secondary ride. You shouldnt feel your cheeks wobble on a fairly flat road in an excec.
Very interesting about the chip too, what extra bhp do you get, and how do the dealers view em reguarding warrantee, or can't they tell/ dont know? If for example the turbo went pop, could they void cover on it?
charge said:
Don't get me wrong, i don't hate Diesels, infact i took out a 535d touring before i bought the Audi, and thought the lump was it least as powerful (especially mid range) as the 540 V8 i was replacing.
But the 535 had that lorry like idle noise, and a rock hard secondary ride. You shouldnt feel your cheeks wobble on a fairly flat road in an excec.
Very interesting about the chip too, what extra bhp do you get, and how do the dealers view em reguarding warrantee, or can't they tell/ dont know? If for example the turbo went pop, could they void cover on it?
But the 535 had that lorry like idle noise, and a rock hard secondary ride. You shouldnt feel your cheeks wobble on a fairly flat road in an excec.
Very interesting about the chip too, what extra bhp do you get, and how do the dealers view em reguarding warrantee, or can't they tell/ dont know? If for example the turbo went pop, could they void cover on it?
I`m no expert but DMS claim around 340bhp and over 550Ib/ft of torque for a 535D, so I suspect it would be quite rapid. Plenty of posts on PH about these if you search.
Gassing Station | Audi, Seat, Skoda & VW | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff