NYT on Audi A6

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Audi A6: A Wintertime Wonder Tries for a Hat Trick

By MICHELLE KREBS


  DETROIT -- Audi has been the comeback kid of the 90s. A decade ago, the
German auto maker -- a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG -- was battling consumer
groups' accusations that its flagship 5000 model tended to accelerate without
warning. After inquiries by government agencies in the United States, Canada
and Sweden, the charges were found to be without merit. 

  Still, the damage was done. United States sales, which peaked in 1985 at
nearly 75,000, plunged to barely more than 12,000 in 1991. The safety issue
had taken its toll, along with complaints about inferior quality, high prices
and low resale value. 

  Then in 1996, Audi introduced the sleek A4 sport sedan. Test drivers loved
it and customers lined up to buy it. Then the A8 luxury car arrived, to high
praise for its innovative, lightweight aluminum structure. 

  Now, Audi is writing the third chapter of its comeback story with an all-new
A6 sedan. I concluded, that a weeklong test drive, that Audi may have another
hit on its hands. 

  The A6's distinctive styling and practical all-wheel drive make it appealing
in harsh climates. But in the end, I never connected emotionally with the car.

  At $34,000 and up, the A6 is parked in the middle of Audi's lineup. A4
prices start at about $24,000; the A8 costs upward of $58,000. 

  With a longer wheelbase than its predecessor, the A6 has a larger interior
with more headroom, rear legroom and trunk space. The trunk leads its class
with 17.2 cubic feet, although the figure declines to a still-large 15.4 cubic
feet if the car has Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system. 

  In the marketplace, the A6 intentionally competes in two price, size and
performance categories. Audi hopes the A6 will be an alternative to the $31,00
Lexus ES300, Cadillac Catera and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. 

Since none of those cars offers all-wheel drive, the A6 has an advantage. At
the same time, Audi hopes the car will nibble at sales of some more expensive
models like the BMW 528i, the new Lexus GS300 and the Mercedes E320. Only the
A6 and the E320 offer an all-wheel-drive option. 

  The A6 stands apart from either category in another respect: Its design is
simply stunning. During my weeklong test of a metallic-green A6, people
repeatedly exclaimed, "What a pretty car!" 

  Although the A6 comes only as a four-door sedan, its curving roof line gives
the car the sleek, graceful look of a two-door coupe. The roofline, coupled
with the high "belt" -- the line that runs below the side windows, shows a
family resemblance to the Volkswagen Passat. That car, which is also all new
for 1998 and has a base price of about $21,000, does share the A6's basic
architecture. Still, the A6 has the look of an Audi. 

  Inside the A6, in what auto designers see as a harbinger of things to come
from other companies, three distinctive decors are available at the same
price. Each interior has its own seat upholstery, colors and type of wood or
aluminum trim. 

  Audi has assigned the trio of interiors frivolous names: "Ambition,"
"Ambiente" and "Advance." Ambition, with dark wood and muted colors, is the
most formal of the three. Ambiente, aimed at younger buyers, uses lighter wood
and bolder colors. Advance also has lighter wood but uses warm earth-tone
upholstery. 

  Each interior offers at least two color choices and seats trimmed with
cloth, imitation leather or, at extra cost, real leather. 

  The test car had the Advance interior with tasteful black leather
upholstery. But the effect was marred by a strip of open-pore burled walnut
that ran across the door panels and the dashboard. The wood was real, but it
looked fake. 


  The A6 uses Audi's 2.8-liter V6 engine, which has five valves for each
cylinder and produces 200 horsepower and 207 foot-pounds of torque. While the
car can no doubt keep up with traffic on a German Autobahn, it will not win
many stoplight races. 

  The Quattro, which weighs 231 pounds more than the front-drive-only car,
accelerates deliberately, but is not particularly quick. 

  Only one transmission is available, a five-speed automatic with a Tiptronic
self-shifting feature. The shifter can be used like a normal automatic, or it
can be moved into a special gate where the driver can upshift and downshift
manually -- without a clutch. 

  The A6's new structure is more rigid, improving crashworthiness and making
the car handle more responsively. Lightweight aluminum is used, albeit more
sparingly than on the A8, for the door frames, bumper mounts, side-impact
beams and hood. While the rigid body and high belt line gave me a sense of
being encased in a cocoon, my small children could not comfortably see over
the high window sills. 

  With Quattro, the A6 is particularly appealing in snowy Northern climates.
While the front-wheel-drive version comes with full-time, all-speed traction
control, Audi expects the vast majority of buyers to choose the $1,650 all-
wheel-drive option. The venerable system shifts up to 65 percent of the
available torque to the wheel that has the most traction. The system is always
engaged, requiring no action by the driver. 

  The A6 has a lot of standard equipment, including 12-way power seats with
electric lumbar adjustment for both front seat occupants; dual climate
controls; power mirrors, locks and windows, and cruise control. 

  Safety features include three-point belts for all five passengers, automatic
seat-belt pretensioners, anti-lock brakes, depowered air bags and front-seat
side air bags. Side air bags in the rear are optional. 

  The A6 test car showed meticulous attention to detail. Except for the wood,
the materials were of superb quality, and the pieces fitted together
perfectly. Mechanisms, like the wood panel that covers the radio, glided open
and closed. The doors and the trunk closed with a solid-sounding "clunk." The
only glitch was a rear window that would not close. 

  In fact, owners say Audi's quality has markedly improved. The company rose
to 11th from 20th among 30 manufacturers in the last J.D. Power & Associates
quality survey. In addition, Audis are covered by one of the best warranties
in the business, with free scheduled maintenance for three years or 50,000
miles. 

  The well-equipped test model had a sticker price of $41,225. While that is
some $7,000 less than an all-wheel-drive Mercedes E320, it is roughly the same
as one of my favorite cars, the BMW 528i. Forced to choose, I'd go with the
rear-drive Bimmer.



  INSIDE TRACK: Traction without passion.




Sunday, December 21, 1997
Copyright 1997 The New York Times