the audi a6

[Dave Eaton <dave.eaton@minedu.govt.nz>]

during the course of the recent driving course i attended i had the opportunity
to drive a full range of the new a6's.  2.4 v6 fwd and 2.8 5 valve fwd and
quattros.

impressions of the cars:-

1) the look of the car is different and pleasing to the eye without imho being
beautiful.  different though, and pleasing for an executive car.

2) quality is exceptional.  excellent fit and finish, cabin ambiance is top
notch, the use and choice of materials likewise, and the leather pleasing. 
wood inside the cabin is generally good, better if you stay away from the oak!

3) the engines are surprising.  my pick of them would be the 2.4l v6.  it has a
good slug of power, and better tractability than the 2.8.  throttle response
was better as well, making it easier to punt fast.

4) tiptonic autos take a little time to get used to, but are worth the effort. 
after the frustration of having to stand on the brake pedal to engage gear
(thank you america), and some disappointment in the slowness to kick down, you
realise that that is precisely what the tiptonic is for.  you really can punt
the car as though it were a manual holding 6,500 rpm in 2nd gear through a
slalom without the auto thinking it knows better.

5) handling of the fwd cars is a pleasant surprise.  good turn-in, little body
roll and not too much understeer (although it was always there).  i didn't have
time to play with esp though.

6) the quattro is the better handler with better braking and higher exit speeds
as you would expect.

for those interested, the s8 is a beautiful car, big 18" wheels, absolutely
perfect paint, beautiful interiors and a stonking v8 with good throttle
response.  in walter rohrl's hands, it was a very stable cornerer, and was
excellent under brakes.

some high-powered business types were there and, according to the importer, 3
s8's were sold over the course of the week!

for those interested the lap times of the various cars were :-

1) a6 2.8 quattro (me) 1:36
2) a6 2.8 quattro (walter) 1:32 (i think walter was being kind)
3) 20v ur-q (walter) 1:28
4) s8 (walter) 1:27.5

on the hot lap with my ur-q walter missed a gear change, and was still getting
used to the car, so i would expect the time to better that of the s8.

-dave
'95 rs2
'90 ur-q