Thoughs or input on an A6...

[S&W 10]

Does anyone here have any personal experience with the A6, or comparisons to other AWD sedans?
I'm considering the purchase of a new sedan for my 73 year old parents; they have a 2008 Volvo S80 T6 AWD at this time, but "good old Dad" has been talking about another car lately and I'm leaning towards a 3.0 A6, but my R8 is the only Audi I have any experience with and even that's very limited.

Any thoughts or input will be greatly appreciated.

[mstams]

We've owned a 2006 A6 4.2 V8 and now have a 2009 S6 5.2 V10. Both have been great cars. My wife absolutely loves the S6. We tried the 3.0 when it first came out but thought it lacked the wondeful sound of the other engines. I would think it would be fine for your parents. Big trunk, too.

[S&W 10]

Thanks for your response...My father, although practical, still (even at his age) likes a responsive, well handling car, but doesn't really care much about the stop light drag races and cavernous trunk space is a must, as they travel quite often.
His S80 makes around 280 HP and has a surprisingly large trunk; after comparing several sedans on the European manufactures web sites, the 3.0 A6 seems to be the closest match in size and performance, plus it beats the others on price by a quite a bit. We've yet to actually drive any new models and was hoping to get more owners opinions like yours before I get very serious about making a purchase.

Thanks again!

[SBFV10]

I'm hoping for a new version of the RS6 in the next few years. Now that would be a dream machine to replace my M6 some day!

Steve

[willyjp]

I've owned both, but not lately.

If it were for me, I'd probably go for the A6 for the Quattro...because of where I live, awd is highly desirable AND I'm slightly more partial toward Audis....but if it was for my parents (assuming they were still alive) I might go for the Volvo as I think they're also a very good car

one very attractive feature of the Volvo (right now anyway...may end at the end of June) is that they still have their extremely desirable comprehensive warranty/service contract included that covers literally absolutely everything including routine service and wear & tear items for 60,000 miles; that is a rare and highly desirable benefit if you want a vehicle that's going to offer absolutely predictable ownership costs for 5 years or so

[AnOutsider]

S4 vs S6 -- just bigger right?

[SteveR]

They are very different cars. The S6 is bigger, has a V10, Tiptronic, std Audi quatro, weighs 4500 lbs, and gets 14/19 mpg. The S4 is a more updated platform with a SC V6, DSG, sport differential option which can send 100% of power to any wheel, weighs 4000lbs, gets 19/28mpg, and is quite a bit faster than the S6.

Think of the S6 as a somewhat sporty luxury car with a really nice engine, while the S4 is more of a trackable sports sedan in the vein of a 335i or M3.

[Monkey boy UK]

My mate has the new RS6, what a car, same engine as the V10 R8 but tuned differently, he has a saying, "if the Devil came to earth on his own he would drive a Lambo Murchelago, if he came with his Wife, Kids & Dogs he would drive an RS6"!

I am not suggesting your 73 year old parents should buy one but am making the point the function of the car is what they seem to need with bucket loads of space, I would suggest the big turbo diesel engine all road Quattro for them, economical, fast & practical, & the diesels do hold their value the best of the bunch.

Another lovely new car is the brand new BMW 5 series diesel, not sure if it’s out yet in the USA? have driven the non estate version and it’s a great drive, one of the best looking and spacious interiors I have seen in a car.

Good luck...

[SBFV10]

I wish the car companies would bring MORE diesels over to the US. We loose out on some great cars that ARE available in Europe because the companies are under the impression that WE don't like diesels and would rather have "hybrids".

Crazy....I'll take one ANY DAY!

Steve

P.S. I think that the BMW 5 series diesel WILL be brought over here next year, not with the first 5s. Bummer! If they bring it here with the 4WD option, it WILL be a killer. S.

[S&W 10]

I like diesels as well; although it's not a sedan, I have a 2006 Chevrolet 2500 HD, crew cab, Z-71 with a "warmed over" 6.6 Duramax and Allison 6 speed that makes right at 750 lbs-ft on a chassis dyno and still gets 17 mpg in town and 20-22 on the highway. It consistently runs in the 13.2 range at the local drag strip, not to bad for a vehicle with a 6200 lb curb weight, but it's a little much for my elderly folks and I doubt they would like the ride quality, the climb into the cab, or the higher price of diesel fuel vs 91 gasoline, plus their Volvo is two years newer; which takes us right back to the A6.