Road Test: Audi A6 Two.0 TFSI
By Feann Torr – 6/Mar/2007
Audi is doing some very good things at the moment, and tho’ it’s a shame the German company hasn’t begun to tap into hybrid or fuel cell technology, it is nevertheless building some very clever motors.
While BMW and Mercedes adhere to the traditional rear-wheel drive luxury car ethos, Audi has stuck to its guns and represents with a number of front- and all-wheel drive prestige cars, one of which is just unbeatable and indescribable, the RS Four.
Global sales are continuing to rise – as are Australian sales – and one of the fresh vehicles that Audi hopes will get more of its larger cars into garages across the nation is the fresh Two.0-litre turbo A6.
Priced from less than $80,000, this is a very cost-effective way to get into a ‘decent’ German bahnstormer, but before you insert your knuckle into your keyboard and announce that such a large luxury car shouldn’t be tooled with a 4-cylinder engine, hear me out – there’s more to this story than very first meets the eye.
Even I was a bit worried when I heard the story, which conjured up pictures of a mule attempting to pull a bus. But the white covers and nerdlingers down at Audi are a rather clever bunch, and have taken the world-beating engine from the Volkswagen Golf GTI – a direct injection turbocharged petrol engine – and hooked it up to a CVT, or continuously variable transmission.
The result is a car that produces almost diesel-like levels of fuel efficiency, which is something to behold, while suggesting a sleek and silky power delivery that suits this prestige car very nicely indeed.
Engine: Two.0-litre, inline 4-cylinder, turbo, petrol
Safety: eight airbags (front driver/passenger, front sides, rear sides, curtains), Six pack, ESP, ASR
Drive: Four/Five
Priced from under $80k, the Audi A6
Two.0 TFSI makes a good case for itself
On the open road the A6 is a refined and
comfy cruiser, with a good gearbox
This is no sports car, but it’s turbo
Two.0-litre engine is far from lacking
It’s long, a bit awkward-looking from some angles, and cascades with Teutonic refinement and attention to detail. It’s Audi’s A6, and to put things in perspective it’s rivals include cars such as the BMW five Series, the Mercedes E-Class and the Lexus GS Series. That’s some earnestly dangerous competition.
And where most people equate this car with phat 6- and 8-cylinder engines, invoking pics of these large cars hacking down German Autobahns on a cold Autumn night at more than two hundred forty five clicks, this fresh model is powered by a 4-cylinder engine.
Before you gasp on your bratwurst, let me tell you that this car drives very nicely. It’s top speed of 220km/h means that cars half its size will be overtaking it on speed-limit-free Autobahns in Germany, but that’s not truly an issue here in Australia where even the Northern Territory has abolished its unlimited speed boundaries.
And you know what? 200km/h is bloody prompt, and I would hazard a guess and say that most Australians do a large part of their motoring at around 110km/h and lower, and at these speeds the turbocharged engine in the Audi A6 does the job with a level of civility I’ve seldom encountered.
And if a BMW M5 were to roll up at the traffic lights and it’s driver were to lean over and boast, “My car runs on military grade plutonium, and can reach 250km/h with out even switching into seventh gear,” and you simply asked him to showcase you, would he even be able to?
It’s not as quick as some of the cars in the Audi range either, such as the S6 (the ‘Sports’ A6), which has a colossal Five.2-litre V10 engine, but if you don’t have a predilection for ball-tearing speed you’ll find that this determined 4-banger ticks a lot of boxes.
In terms of its capability to calmly and sleekly accelerate away from the traffic lights it’s almost in a league of its own. The Two.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine is a sleek revving unit to begin with, but coupled with Audi’s Multitronic gearbox (a fancy name for a CVT), this vehicle is considerably smoother than any other mainstream transmission – whether a traditional automatic, a DSG twin clutch system, or even a manual gearbox.
In operation, it’s smoother by orders of magnitude than many others and this makes driving the car not only fluent and far more loosening than most cars, but also adds an another level of sophistication to its already thoroughbred pedigree.
This cost-effective Audi A6 is fitted with German-made Continental tyres, sized at 225/55 R16, which suggest decent grip, and are fitted to 16-inch, seven spoke alloy wheels with slight a concavity providing the car some attractive footwear.
The chunky fifty five profile side walls on the tyres reduce the car’s grip thresholds, but improve its rail, keeping occupants conveniently cosseted even when driving on shoddy roads. Indeed, it drives very sleekly, and reduces pretty much anything the road can throw at you to sleek rolling motions (save for the odd meteorite crater). The suspension is very compliant, and this translates into a relaxed and easygoing urban driving practice.
The damping rates on the shock absorbers are well tuned to permit slew of give, but without becoming dirty or soggy so that you always feel in control and steering wheel inputs feel fairly precise. There is a firmness to the rail at times, and you will feel bumps and lumps when you cross them, but it’s never acute edged or abrupt – always sleek.
Pretty much everything except for deeply corrugated mud roads are treated by the A6, and on the highway at triple digit speeds it’s very quiet and very sleek.
However, the A6 is rather long – measuring almost Five.0 metres – and fairly obviously it’s no nuggety A4, so it doesn’t have the crisp turn-in and precision you get from smaller and lighter cars when navigating corners.
Tho’ it’s long, this 4-cylinder German car is not too powerful, tipping the scales at 1555kg (which is at least 200kg less than a Falcon or Commodore), and as is the case with most Audis it has a fairly vapid attitude through corners. There’s not a lot of bodyroll to speak of, and it is fairly nice to drive through twisting sections of road so long as you don’t thrust too hard as the tyres are not designed for white-knuckled sojourns.
As far as treating goes this vehicle is rather nice for a front-wheel drive car exhibiting fairly progressive steering, however I do think that feedback – through the steering wheel and the seat – is average. What I’m attempting to say here is that this is no sports car, yet has decent capabilities for something so large, and the steering is less wooden than Audi’s of yore which is a promising sign. In general it goes about its business in a silent and unflustered manner.
With it’s tall doors and slender window line there’s not too much glass around the car which means it won’t get stinking hot under the Australian sun, but at the same time visibility is pretty good. The A-pillars are fairly chunky, and can make turning (and surveying) into right angles a little worrisome, but no more so than most large sedans.
Power wise, the Two.0-litre turbo engine manages to cut the mustard, but it isn’t as quick as when coupled with a DSG (direct shift gearbox) and a lighter chassis, such as the VW Golf or even an Audi A4. The engine’s power has been diminished by 22kW to 125kW, but this permits the engine to reach its sweet spot at lower revs and when coupled with a CVT, or Multitronic gearbox in Audi speak, it works very seamlessly and suits the cars character very nicely.
You do get a subtle turbo thrust as the torque wave builds when you floor the accelerator pedal, but because this a CVT (which doesn’t have to keep switching gears to get to high speed), it exhibits a much steadier, smoother flow of power and as such you never indeed get the forcefulness that characterises this fine Two.0-litre engine in smaller, sportier models. Ultimately, it’s not as involving to drive as when it’s coupled to smaller car, and the Two.0-litre turbo engine doesn’t give you a thrill like in some models but it’s a superb cruiser and ridiculously slick.
Unlike some of the more expensive Audi A6 models this thing is front-wheel drive, so you miss out on Audi’s awesome Torsen 4WD centre differential, but it’s not all bad, as the car does get the usual complement of airbags, the all-important electronic stabilisation program (ESP), plus other electronic driving aids such as Six pack, and a traction control system (ASR). Audi has even done away with the traditional hand-brake lever, substituted by an electronic push-button version.
The brakes? They’re neither brilliant nor terrible, falling tightly under the ‘ample’ descriptor. If you indeed fang the car hard, the 312mm/302mm ventilated front/rear brakes will fade, but for most jobs the brakes do a good job and combine with Six pack and brake assist to ensure your heart rate never climbs too high – even in the moist.
On the entire the car is very accomplished, providing a relaxed but responsive drive. It’s a very slick operator, which adds to the sense of luxury andvery efficient too, which is always a boon. It’s no bahnstorming sports sedan, but at the same time it doesn’t carry the high price tag either.
Engine: Four.Five/Five
Engine: Audi Two.0-litre TFSI Inline 4-cylinder Turbo
The longitudinally mounted 1984cc L4 engine features an all-aluminium construction (cylinder head and engine block). Dual overhead camshafts (DOHC) actuate a total of 16-valves (4-valves per cylinder) and variable valve timing is also part of the package.
The 4-cylinder receives a boost in power from its puny turbocharger and air-to-air intercooler. The petrol-powered motor has an Ten.Five:1 compression ratio and will accept only ninety five RON unleaded petrol when packing the seventy litre fuel tank.
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km (combined cycle)
Max Power: 125kW @ 4300rpm
Max Torque: 280Nm @ 1800rpm
Sliding in underneath the Two.4-litre V6 Audi A6, this bargain-priced large German prestige car is in fact quicker than its V6 sibling in a straight line, while suggesting better economy too. So why bother suggesting a slower V6 model? No idea.
So, it takes 8.7 seconds to reach 100km/h from standstill, which ain’t lightning quick, but at least you be left behind by that Toyota Yaris over there.
It features the same Two.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine that has won numerous international awards and can also be found on vehicles like the VW Golf GTI, some Audi A4 models and it’s even being used on the upcoming Audi S3, albeit in a far more potent form.
However the A6’s motor has the same Ten.Five:1 compression ratio of the Golf GTI’s Two.0-litre turbo engine, it makes less power – 125kW versus 147kW – and as well as accepting ninety five RON fuel (premium grade) it makes its power much lower in the rev range, improving driveability.
With this fresh Two.0-litre engine, Audi has one of the widest powertrain choices in its class, with everything from 4-cylinder petrol, to 6-cylinder diesel and even the range-topping Five.2-litre V10 engine, borrowed from the Lamborghini Gallardo.
Being the entry-level A6, I was astonished at how nimble the Two.0-litre was when coupled to the Multitronic gearbox. You just kittle the throttle and even at low revs like 1500rpm the car accelerates.
At 100km/h on the freeway the engine ticks over at about 1750rpm, which is a fair effort for a puny 4-cylinder turbo engine pulling more than one-and-half tonnes of steel and aluminium. And with a large seventy fuel tanks it’s cruising range is very outstanding too.
If you drive it cautiously, you can extract massive distances from the one tank; it has diesel-like levels of fuel efficiency. During this test I had covered 100km of urban driving with about half of this on the freeway before the needle even dipped below the total gauge reading. The model we tested was also fitted with Adaptive Cruise Control so that when cruise control is active the car uses a radar system to slow the car down when it detects other cars in front of you, so even on the highway you don’t need to touch any pedals.
This radar-based cruise control system works very well, but at the same time I felt that it made me a bit lazy and lethargic on the freeway, with the only input required being through the steering wheel. Still, one can always turn it off if one believes it contributes to inattentive driving patterns.
Acoustically the engine is very quiet, and not half as rorty as the Golf GTI, but it fits in with what this car is attempting to achieve. Fuel economy is very incredible and is one of the best things about this car, and having the fresh sub- $80,000 A6 model on the books means that Audi can do battle across far broader market spectrums.