Audi A6 2.7T Quattro (Manual) Complete Report
Audi’s A6 comes in sedan and Avant versions. It is one of the most winsome mid-sizers to meet pavement, with some of the nicest handling this side of a BMW. In 2000, the moderate performance of this otherwise excellent, 3.0-liter V-6-powered, sedan was improved by the addition of two higher-performance versions: the 250-hp, 2.7T twin-turbo V-6 and the 300-hp, 4.2 V-8, both with Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system. In mid-2003, major muscle came along in the limited-run RS 6-powered by a 450-hp, twin-turbo V-8-which immediately finished first in a C/D comparison test. A five-speed automatic with Tiptronic is standard on the 3.0 and 4.2; the 2.7T comes with a six-speed manual (the auto is optional). For 2004, A6s come wired for satellite radio (the receiver is optional), and a sunroof becomes standard on Quattro models.
The new A3, which shares its hatchback-only chassis with the VW Golf and is powered by a sweetheart of a turbocharged 197-hp, 2.0-liter four, adds a 250-hp V-6 and Quattro in December. The A4 cabriolet gets an S model with 18-inch BBS wheels and a sport suspension. The A4 sedan line is filled out with four new variants: the 3.2 Quattro sedan and wagon, a 3.2 front-wheel-drive sedan with a continuously variable transmission (CVT), and the 414-hp V-8 RS 4. A similar CVT model becomes available in the A6, as does an S-line appearance and suspension package for the 3.2 and 4.2 sedans. The A8 was updated midyear with a sport package and gets the big-mouth grille for 2006, something that has spread across the entire line, except for the TT and A4 cabriolet. All Audis will be set up for Bluetooth wireless connectivity and Sirius or XM satellite radio.
Unchanged: TT.
Dead: Allroad.
Future: R9 Le Mans, a two-seat, mid-engine sports car on Lamborghini Gallardo architecture, is due in early 2007. The A4- based Q5 arrives in early 2008. A new TT is also on a near-term schedule. Audi finally adds an SUV, the Q7, which hits showrooms in early 2006.
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