AutoWeek NL on the S3 and A6 4.2

[Tom Nas <tnas@euronet.nl>]

'Bomb scare'

Changing a regular car into a stealthy rocketship seems to be something of
a specialty for Audi. This generally includes an 'S' in the name.

Since Audi comes up with an 'S' version of almost every car sooner or
later, Audi fans were looking forward to the rapid version of the A3. Audi
has come up with something special- they had to, as the 1.8T quattro with
180 hp was recently introduced, and they had to top that.
Of all S models, number 3 is by far the most noticeable. It's easily
distinguishable by its wider wheelarches, the 17in alloys and the small
spoiler lip above the rear screen- not to mention the fatter bumpers. Looks
quite mean... the piercing beams from the standard Xenon headlights fit
quite well into the picture.
Compared to the exterior of the S3, its interior is less special. OK, it
has a couple of fat Recaro bucket seats for the much-needed extra support
in fast corners, and the plastic panels in the centre console and the doors
resemble a Steinway grand piano. On the other hand there are no oil and
turbo pressure gauges. The dash with its grey dials is the only other
distinguishing feature of the S3.

Power package
Under the skin Audi has tried really hard to make this car a proper 'S'.
This has been effected by borrowing heavily from the TT. The most powerful
TT engine, the 225 hp 20v, can also be found in the S3. To keep the TT as
the most powerful model, the engine's maximum power output has been reduced
to 210 hp. You can't really speak of a torque curve for the S3: the maximum
of 270 Nm is at your disposal from 2100 rpm and remains so until 5000 rpm.
Like the ultimate TT, the S3 puts its power on the road through a six-speed
transmission and a quattro drivetrain. Distribution of the power to the
front and rear goes through a Haldex coupling. To imporve weight
distribution, this coupling is placed next ot the rear axle differential.
The quattro drivetrain takes care of an ideal power distribution without
any need for driver intervention.

Tough choice
Of course we've verified that the S3 does what its slightly mean exterior
promises. It does. The S3 is a particularly angry piece of equipment which
resembles a lion going for the kill. The turbo engine is at full strength
slightly over 200 rpm and rewards every push of the accelerator with lots
of acceleration. Less than seven seconds takes you to 100 km/h (62 mph) and
top speed is near 240 km/h. Unfortunately, around 3000 rpm there's a nasty
resonance in the S3's engine- which comes out at exactly 120 km/h in 6th:
our national highway speed limit.
The S3 feels very good indeed. The quattro drivetrain does a very good job
of getting the hps onto the asphalt, the six-speed transmission is a joy to
use, the suspension communicates with you perfectly without being rock-hard
and the steering is pleasantly firm and direct. It should be, because Audi
wants close to Dfl 90k (approx $45k) for it. That's about Dfl 25k more than
aforementioned 1.8T quattro. And for the same amount this S3 costs you can
also buy a TT- add Dfl 10k and you've even got the fastest TT. That's what
we call a TTough choice...



Ahhh....6 4.2: V8, 300 hp!
Looking briefly at Audi's latest variation on the A6 theme, nothing special
meets the eye. Appearances deceive, because this is a wild animal of a car
with a 300 hp V8. Which didn't fit the A6's engine compartment
straightaway- the front end needed to be lengthened by 37 mm and Audi threw
in an all-new aluminium suspension with wider track. To get all this to fit
under the A6 garb, some body changes had to be made. The front end gets a
slightly different look, with a chrome strip around the lower grill as a
giveaway.  The wider track required wider wheelarches, and the fenders
(along with the hood) are made from aluminium now.
With this car, Audi's aiming for the BMW 540i or the Mercedes E430. This is
clear from the character of the car: although it's very fast, it's not
exactly the successor of the S6. This is still a comfortable long-distance
cruiser. The V8 propels the hefty over-1600 kg A6 effortlessly to highly
illegal speeds. The Tiptronic automatic transmission changes gear almost
imperceptibly and you can also select your own gears, if you so desire.
The quattro drivetrain gives you impressive roadholding- take care not to
become overconfident.

The A6 4.2 is an extraordinarily fine, stealthy long-distance limousine for
the happy few. Its Dfl 163,500 price tag puts it even closer to the A8 4.2
than the already impressive A6 2.7 twin-turbo.