Audi A6 2.8 FSI V6 quattro 2008 Review

Road Test

About our ratings

Perception is everything. Sit in the Audi A6 2.8 FSI quattro, revel in the interior, stir up the silky-smooth engine with a handful of revs and think: "What a fantastic car this is -- for about $80,000 tops".

Therein lies the problem. At $89,990, the A6, even equipped with the direct-injection 2.8-litre V6 driving through the six-speed auto box to all four wheels, is ultimately an expensive proposition. Throw in the extras fitted to this particular test car and the price escalates to almost $107,000.

If you're looking at larger prestige cars, there is a number of all-wheel drive models for less money -- and one or two German two-wheel drive models that are half decent, also for less money.

Being frivolous for a moment there's almost $15,000 worth of joy to be had from that beautiful sounding engine and the lovely interior materials and layout... almost, but not really.

If it had to be one or the other, enthusiasts would pick the engine as the best feature of this particular variant of A6. The V6 engine is far and away the best thing about the A6 tested -- although, as said already, the interior trim materials come close.

Developing 154kW of power, the 2.8-litre direct-injection V6 fights well above its weight and sounds as menacing (in a refined and muted way) as anything this side of an Italian V6. It produces a note like a large, fierce dog -- under a pile of blankets. As far as torque and power go, the engine develops plenty of output across a broad range of engine speeds through to the redline, without any of the sort of shrieking, whining or clattering that would drive a motorist to change up a gear.

Peak torque (280Nm) is dieselesque, but delivered across a revrange (3000 to 5000rpm) that exceeds most diesels.

Steering is the first thing to sound a clamour of alarm bells for any first-time driver in the A6. It's as light as a Playstation wheel at parking speeds and it doesn't really begin to provide the driver with any sort of weight once on the move, keeping the wheels at the straight-ahead. If the driver begins to throw it around a bit, the car's steering loads up and provides a bit of feel, but even pressing on, there's a lack of communication from the road.

At low speeds in gentle bends, the car's turn-in is initially stodgy, with the A6 subsequently changing attitude for more neutral handling, but once the speed rises and the driver commits more, it irons out and is significantly more consistent right through a corner.

The brakes too, work better in cut-and-thrust driving than around town. The brake pedal effort and pressure is hard to modulate for gentler driving. It's almost like a two-stage affair, with light pedal pressure not providing enough retardation in traffic, but pushing the pedal a tad harder will provoke a sudden, grabby response. In harder driving, the brakes are powerful and work well, it's just that they don't lend themselves to chauffeur-style driving.

The six-speed automatic transmission is generally very smooth and its sequential shift facility works well, although in the twisty bits there's arguably a gap between second and third. Second is too low and the engine wants to scream, but third is too high to provide the driver with quite the torque required for a fast exit or adequate engine braking. This may also be a symptom of the relatively high engine speed at which peak torque occurs.

Occasionally, the transmission can be caught out with -- for example -- easing up on the accelerator after giving it a bootful, just as the transmission is changing up. This might be an issue with the adaptive shift program, which -- it cannot be denied -- is very well mapped.

Some adaptive shift programs will provide their own surprises at times, but in the Audi, the only surprise is how quickly and effectively the system adjusts to your driving style. Audi was one of the pioneers in the field of adaptive shift transmissions.

As far as the sequential-shift feature is concerned, the paddles on the rear of the spokes are, frankly, annoying. Try using them at night, on a windy country road, with reciprocating traffic cresting a hill and you grasping for the low beam switch at the same time you want to flick it down a gear. The cruise control is placed behind the left spoke and this too, is less than simplicity itself to use.

If the wheel is not absolutely centered, the paddles are not easy to locate. As a general rule, sequential shifting with the lever worked better -- although lowering the headlights with the left hand on the lever will still pose a problem.

We concede the paddles providing some benefit for overtaking, on a straight stretch of road: Need a sudden burst of acceleration? Flick the paddle two or three times and the engine's on the cam, ready to go. Problem with that is you can achieve much the same effect with kick-down anyway.

If the lever is not in the sequential shift plane to the left, the paddles only hold a lower or higher gear for a few seconds, before the transmission reverts to auto mode. Use the paddles with the lever to the left, however, and the transmission (now in sport mode) will hold the gear selected for as long as the driver wants.

The engine's smooth, relatively effortless power delivery caught out the traction control on one occasion, surprisingly. ASR kicked in while the car was accelerating onto a wet patch of bitumen and it did so with a slight accompanying thump.

The suspension is perhaps a little too firm for a boulevard ride, but for general cornering, nor did it fill us with the confidence of lesser cars we've driven recently. While the Audi seemed to have reasonable reserves of roadholding, it didn't communicate just how far the car could be pushed, which is a shame.

Getting away from vehicle dynamics, the Audi has comfortable seats, but it can take forever to adjust them to suit the driver. The tilt adjustment is -- properly speaking -- two-way adjustment (meaning the leading edge of the base can be tilted. Height adjustment moves the seat forward slightly, as well as up, and the driver is likely to engage in a protracted exercise of adjusting the tilt and then reclining the backrest to compensate, followed by the tilt and reach of the steering column, concluding with adjusting the fore/aft positioning of the seat for the best seat to pedal relationship.

Granted, it's a comfortable position once you're there -- but it's getting there that's the issue. Some cars feel comfortable almost from the word go -- and often with little need for extraneous adjustment. In the view of the tester, this Audi isn't one of those cars -- and it practically makes a seat position memory a necessity. Unfortunately, that option will cost you another $2800.

The A pillars sweep back a long way and they feel quite close to the driver's head, contributing somewhat to a claustrophobic feel from the driver's seat, although the A6 is a roomy car. There's probably a bit less headroom in the rear and average-sized adults will find their heads can brush the roof lining just forward of the rear window, but as against that, leg room is very good.

Minor issues that shouldn't have been cause for complaint -- but were -- included an incessant squeaking during braking and cornering -- from the left front passenger seat, most likely. There was a slight wind rustle from around the B pillars (although this wasn't too serious). The headlights on low beam proved somewhat ineffectual and the rear seat headrest height adjustment on one side would not easily adjust to its lowest setting.

In its defence, the Audi's trim materials are beautiful -- one of the tester's progeny was reminded of a birthday cake with the leather in cream and contrasting charcoal. The leather for the steering wheel was soft and pleasant in respect of the tactile sensation and it still looks fairly durable. Woven fabric trim for the roof pillars and headlining appeared to be both attractive and durable.

An MP3-compatible audio system featured a multi-disk stacker in the glovebox and provided magnificent sound. Rear seat occupants were impressed by the vents built into the B pillars.

The electric release for the parking brake is easy to operate and is right there, next to the driver.

There's a key-lock for the 60/40 split-fold rear seat to the boot. That's a good idea if you park such a car in a morally ambiguous neighbourhood.

Although the boot floor was shallow (a given in any car with rear drivetrain components), it extended a long way forward and is usefully large.

The jury is still in two minds about Audi's MMI unit (it's easier to use than BMW's iDrive, but lacks the control redundancy that has been built into the latest generation of iDrive). A funky electric motor drive system of unlatching and lowering the glovebox lid is OK, but seems like unnecessary complication to the tester.

If all this sounds harsh, perhaps it's fair to say that we expected more from the A6 than it actually delivered. There's a lot to like in the car, but for one costing just under $90,000 -- or $17,000 on top of that! -- it's not enough to justify a rave review.

To comment on this article click here