Bartek Sikorski

January 2008
8565 to 10030 miles
There’s a new entrant in our long-term test fleet - Audi’s impressive new S6. With a large, weighty chassis and 6-speed automatic transmission, the brawny executive sedan may not be the first car to pop into the mind of a driving purist, but a dream-list of equipment topped off with an Audi-tuned version of the Lamborghini Gallardo’s V10 will make any car-buff think twice. Add kids to the mix or a blatant fetish for lavish interior space and the executive class S6 seals the deal with authority… except maybe on price.


The old Spider Man adage applies… “With great power comes great responsibility.” The power in this case is the aforementioned 435-hp direct-injected V-10, and the great responsibility comes with writing the check for a car with a base price of $72,350. Optioning yours to match our double-black tester will raise that to within spitting distance of the $80,000 mark.


For the record, our onyx S6 is bestowed with Audi’s prodigious Technology package that includes voice-recognition commands, advanced key with keyless start and unlock functions, rear park sensors, trick backup camera with depth and trajectory functions, satellite navigation, and Sirius satellite radio for a cool $3900. It also gets carbon-fiber inlays ($400), the Audi Music Interface that integrates iPod and just about everything else ($290), and stunning black leather trim with silver stitching on the driver's side of the dash ($400). Throw in gas-guzzler tax ($1300) and destination ($775) and this car would have nailed you for $79,940.00 in 2007.


Why 2007? Well, there are two immensely cool things about German super sedans. For one, they're, well, super sedans. Better yet, their impressive depreciation makes for a smokin' used car deal. Our new-to-us 2007 S6 may have cost eighty grand new, but when it arrived with just over 10,000 miles, it could be had for somewhere in the $60s. And while our S6 is not as pristine as it may have been when it rolled out of the dealership for the first time, the savings certainly make it an easier pill to swallow.

Credit Audi's Certified Pre-Owned program. Like most manufacturer-backed pre-driven schemes, Audi's CPO process includes a 300-point inspection, a six-year/100,000-mile warranty from the car's in-service date, and a roadside-assistance program. Picking up a "certified" car not only makes the S6 much more attainable, it also adds a level of security for buyers who would normally avoid used cars.


The S6’s silver-stitched, leather-wrapped wheel in our hands, we’re learning to really like the big black sedan. A slushbox it may have, but Audi’s aggressive Sport Mode makes all the right and politically incorrect gear selections when tackling winding roads. You can also opt for choose-your-own-shiftpoint Tiptronic function with handsome-yet-functional aluminum-look butterfly paddles. This all makes owning the automatic more enjoyable. However, we have noticed that, combined with the car’s electronic throttle, launching smoothly from full-stop is not always so easy. The slight lurching is even more evident when the transmission is in its more aggressive Sport setting.


Back on that aforementioned winding road, the S6 proves itself to be quite nimble for its size and heft. Audi’s suspension engineers have done well to keep the car light and controllable on its feet, though you pay the price with a jarring ride on rough road surfaces.


Inside, the cabin spoils you to no end. Sirius plus full iPod access make long-distance runs like a recent Chicago-to-New York jaunt effortless. Hours spent ogling the leather-skinned dash accented with aluminum and carbon-fiber trimmings gave a particular appreciation for Audi’s continual raising of the bar in cabin quality.

Copious amounts of highway torque didn’t hurt on our long-haul either. The S6 is comfortable at high speeds and its direct-injection helps it hit a respectable indicated 21mpg on the highway. Mash the throttle to pass and the economy drops to the low teens, but the sound of that wanton ten-cylinder chorus is like Rachel McAdams in Mean Girls – beautiful yet mean as a snake. That’s so fetch.

Given its cost and caliber, the S6 isn’t terribly mod-friendly. Nevertheless, it’s open for some subtle upgrades and we’ll be exploring that a bit further in cooperation with our sister website Fourtitude.com. Look for a few subtle upgrades and changes to tailor the car to our own tastes and help it to subtly stand out from the run-of-the-mill.


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