2006 Audi A6 S line 3.2 FSI petrol

Summary:

Engineered extremely well - yet maybe too well

Faults:

Nothing serious.

Leather has worn very quickly for a car of this price, driver's seat has worn on the sides of the seat.

All well used buttons have had black worn off, and are showing white plastic underneath.

Sometimes the car starts a little rough and feels a bit weak until it’s revved.

Tyres do not last long.

Computer senses incorrectly that bulbs go out.

General Comments:

The 3.2 FSI engine is extremely quick, the responsiveness and power is fantastic. Whether it's from a stop or it's overtaking from 90kmh to 130kmh, it is always ready and impressive.

Comfort is not that impressive. The interior of the car feels a little sterile and a little too German (like Lufthansa). The seats are a little hard and not always that comfy on a long trip. Also sometimes the steering and acceleration is lurchy and not comfort oriented; maybe a control similar to BMW's Adaptive Transmission Control could sort this out (as I'm sure Audi has this too, maybe it needs tweaking).

Handling is very good, and it sticks to the road very well. Sometimes I do not enjoy the over controlled feeling of the Quattro, and prefer rear wheel drive in cornering, but overall in the wet, sometimes this security is nice and well engineered (not really a criticism).

The car looks great and an interesting look - it seems similar to the approach that the BMW 5 and 7 series followed in the early 2000's... but pulled off a lot better. I hope this car doesn’t date as quickly as the previous A6 (Gen C5) has. This is an S line A6, and personally I think it looks better than the more boring looking standard A6.

The MMI interface is easy to use, and works well.

I do not like the way the car beeps when it thinks bulbs are not working or when you go over the over speed, it's a very loud PING, it's not a nice beep, sometimes scares me. Sound system is very good, lack of easy iPod interface is a bit of a pain as I had to get an input installed at $400 NZD, but sounds great.

Fuel economy on long trips is good to okay for the engine size and the fact it has 6 gears. On a long trip, I can get around 8.8-9.5l/100km, but around town it can be around 13+l/100km. Considering how low the engine revs and how it has 6 forward gears, I wonder that the Quattro uses a bit more fuel, and it makes me wonder if this 4WD craze is actually worth it?

Service tends to be about $1200 each time I go to Audi, as this is the second service I have had to pay for (following the ones before as part of purchase deal), it's a bit pricey for the little work they actually do. I may take it to my mechanic I take my other cars to. BUT! I am impressed by its reliability, although nothing should really have gone wrong at kilometers this low.

All features in the car work tremendously well, they feel very well engineered. It is a true example of great engineering, but sometimes it misses that human and the road element.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th September, 2010

4th Mar 2013, 17:59

Oh believe me, something will eventually go wrong with the car that won't be pretty. Volkswagens are all notorious for this. I think the cars are just too engineered, to the point where they perform well and all, but forget about long term reliability.

5th Mar 2013, 12:47

All modern cars, including Japanese cars, will eventually have problems, which will be expensive. Emissions plus CO2 registration/licensing requirements in many countries have forced all makers to use complicated technology to just comply, and make sure they aren't barred from selling the car by legislation, and long-term reliability will suffer.