Audi S6 2014 Review

The Audi S6 for this test came equipped with a couple of potentially useful options for a large family sedan – Audi Parking System Plus with 360-degree camera, and a pack comprising active lane assist, side assist, park assist, adaptive cruise control with pre sense plus. The two options together lifted the price of the S6 from $168,900 to $176,660 (plus ORCs).

But depending on the prospective buyer's sense of spatial awareness and penny-wise/pound-foolish approach to car buying, it might be hard to justify the added outlay. It's not like prudent drivers will scratch paint, dent panels and kerb rims (or back over small domesticated animals). As for lane-keeping and side assist technology, it can be disconcerting for the driver.

In our previous review the S6 was not at its best in tight turns. Certainly it's more a grand tourer than a nimble street fighter. The S6 would turn in promptly at higher speeds and delivered surprising grip. It couldn't match a Panamera GTS I had driven previously, but there wasn't that much in it. Although the Panamera is a larger car – and nearly double the price – it was like the S6 in being powered by a turbocharged V8 driving through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to all four wheels.

At the limit of adhesion it was the outside front tyre of the S6 that would start to shriek first, with the car in the Audi Drive Select 'Dynamic' mode. More often than not S6 buyers will prefer to leave the car in 'Comfort' mode, but once in a while there's a real need for immediate acceleration – like launching across a busy intersection from a Give Way sign, for instance. That's when you want 'Dynamic' mode or at least the dynamic settings for engine and transmission in the 'Individual' mode. Without those, the S6 will sit for an unsettling fraction of a second before tearing away. And that fraction of a second is just enough for a 'life flashing before your eyes' moment, followed immediately by a heavier jab at the accelerator.

The engine is otherwise subtle in its power delivery and, until the driver is familiar with it, feels like it runs out of revs very fast with the foot firmly planted. In lower gears it just reaches redline so ridiculously soon that you find yourself thinking: 'Is that it?' and checking the tacho ahead of the next gear change.

Whether starting up or revving out, the S6 engine croons a muted engine note that is still identifiably a V8's... Not for the S6 the pompous bellow of the 6.2-litre Benz-AMG V8 or the attention-seeking scream of BMW's (E90) 4.0-litre V8, however. That, in fact, may be the one problem with the S6; it's just a little too inconspicuous. Not for me, I hasten to add; I love its 'fly under the radar' looks and sounds. It's still an impressively capable driver's car and can be hurled around in a way that belies its bulk, in faster corners at least.

Picking when the engine changes to four-cylinder mode I found to be nigh on impossible. There's some whiz-bang technology (Active Noise Control and active engine mounts) to iron out any roughness in the engine's demeanour when it drops into fuel-saving mode. Some object to this sort of technology on principle. It's much the same argument as the old CD versus vinyl debate, but in the case of the S6 you get the V8 mellowness without the four-cylinder chaff cutting.

Bolted to the engine is the seven-speed S tronic transmission, which is certainly one of the better dual-clutch units available. While it had that certain dual-clutch character about it, the S tronic was as smooth as a ZF automatic, but could also snap into another gear with incredible speed.

Unlike some earlier Audis I've driven, the S6 offers a great driving position. Adjusting the wheel to the appropriate arm's length and the seat with respect to the pedals takes little time and is spot on. The well shaped seats are firmly supportive, but not uncomfortable, and the quilted-look leather is disarming. Getting in and out of the car is no trouble whatsoever either. There's just enough contouring in the design to elevate the seats to a new level, but there's also just enough cushioning that they don't feel rock hard over an extended drive.

The S6 is also a pleasant place to be if you're a passenger rather than a driver. As one would expect, there's plenty of room in the rear for adults, and the boot is commodious and practical also.

I'm still grappling with some of Audi's recent ergonomic design choices, but the S6's interior designers have mostly got it right. However, the engine-start/stop button is located closer to the front passenger than the driver and glare from direct sunlight will obscure the fuel gauge (specifically the string of LED lights that sequentially dim as the fuel level drops). Overall, however, the Audi's switchgear layout and functionality won't pose a conundrum for the ages. Owners will quickly adjust to the design.

The optional Active Lane Assist system struggled to determine where lay the side of the road, but was up to the task of keeping the car tracking true on freeways. The head-up display presented a graphic for the road, with both sides lit up when the on-board safety system could detect them, but on a typical country road – where the shoulder was indistinct – the head-up display would show the left side of the 'road' dimmed, so the driver was always aware that the system should not be relied on to steer the car in that circumstance.

In the previous review of the S6, fuel consumption of 12.7L/100km was described as "not especially good." While I do argue that the V8 is the best feature of the S6, around-town fuel consumption figures between 15 and 17L/100km were not uncommon. On the open road – given enough kilometres – the Audi V8 would cruise below 10L/100km in cylinder-on-demand mode, but fuel economy was not its strong point – as we've now noted, twice.

But the S6 is such a lovely, relaxed car – considering its performance potential – and for that it remains worth consideration in this price bracket.

*Overseas model shown for illustrative purposes.