German Car Zone

We tire quickly of most midsize sedans that inhabit our long-term fleet, too often relegating them to airport duty and grocery runs once the patina of newness wears thin. Blame, too, the variety our fleet offers, the beguiling lure of sports cars or the sturdy functionalism of sport-utes stealing whatever attention a sedan might otherwise muster.

Not so with the Audi S6, a rock star among four-doors.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that a 435-hp, direct-injected V10 monster propels those four doors down the road, the car reaching 60 mph from a standstill in 5.4 seconds while Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system provides confidence from below. We cannot dismiss, however, how much else about the car kept us coming back--its spaciousness, for one thing.

“Spent more than a week in the car, and there is very little I’d want to change,” said one editor. “Amazing how much the trunk holds, and being able to fold down the rear seats opens up more usable space, making this car not only a screamer but quite practical as well.”

It also offered one of the most comfortable rides in our fleet, despite a stiff sport suspension that crashed its way over every road imperfection. “The stiff and heavily bolstered seats might seem at odds with comfort, but I found the driver’s seat fit like a body glove after a few minor adjustments,” said one editor, echoing just about every logbook entry during the year.

The list of amenities suited us perfectly, too. The Sirius satellite radio and easy-to-manage navigation system saw almost constant use and fed a penchant for long road trips and cross-country treks. In fact, in its first three months with us, the S6 racked up more than 8,000 miles--beyond the 1,300-plus piled on during European delivery. In that stretch, the only maintenance required involved a burned-out running light.

During the Audi’s second quarter in the fleet, we received some wonderful assistance from the folks at Tire Rack in finding a set of appropriate snow tires, a difficult task given not only that the S6 came with 19-inch tires standard but that the amount of power put out by the V10 required rubber of the extra-load-bearing sort.

Full article: autoweek