Re: Edmund's Review of the '98 A6

[Vikram Kumar <vikram@mindspring.com>]

As a recent '98 A6 owner I should mention that I am biased towards to the A6. I read the Edmund's Review when it first came out and was somewhat disappointed by the negative review.

Christian J. Wardlaw's review of the A6 was unusual due to the fact that it's the only negative review I have read on the A6. Someone on the net mention that the A6 received the Automotive Journalists Award in Canada. I think Chrisitian misses the boat when he suggests that the A6 should have come with a stick. This car was not designed to be sporty. It's an elegant, spacious, smooth cruising sedan with a cutting-edge (futuristic) design. The next generation A4 will look very similar (front what spy photos/designs I have seen). The car looks like it was carved from a block of steel with it's rounded, chamfered edges. 
Christian is however correct when he mentiones that the A6 is low on power and somewhat sluggish when the car gets moving. The sound of the engine does permeate into the cabin, however,  it's not too loud. The transmission shifts like a dream and cruising on the freeway is virtually noise free. 
I'm almost certain that if you poll '98 A6 owners on why they decided to make the A6 purchase, 0-60 times was not one of their top priorities. Neither was mine. Sure, it got more bells and whistles that competing cars like the Mercedes Benz E-320 and BMW 528i. Thoughtful fetures abound in this A6, however. It's got AWD, costs thousands less (try 12K less), has more interior room and comes with included scheduled maintenance for the entire duration of the warranty period. Try finding an automobile with all of this for less than $40K. I did, and when it came down to it, the A6 won !!!

Vikram Kumar
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1998 Audi A6 Quattro
1997 Honda Accord EX-V6L
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Note: The above comments reflect my opinion on the A6.