Faults:

Leaking cam gaskets (repeating problem). The car smells like burnt oil all the time.

From the first day I picked the car up, I've had problems. Left and right CV boots wore out. Went to replace the brakes, and only the dealer had the pads for the front at a cost of $112.00!

At 80,350 mile my cat converter goes bad and the dealer wants me to pay $3000.00 to change! And did I mention that the warranty for the cat is 8 years, 80K miles...

Faults:

Brake caliper on rear sticking at 60k miles; cleaning would not sort this, so had to be replaced. Rear brake pads done at the same time.

Nearside lower wishbone replaced as bushes were worn and causing a knocking noise; apparently common on this car.

General Comments:

Grip is fantastic with the car being a Quattro, traction is rarely an issue. Pulling away quickly from junctions, roundabouts etc can be done as quickly in the wet as it can in the dry.

Handling is OK, the car always reminds you it weighs the best part of 1700kg, even though the Sport spec it does pitch under braking and cornering; it's not meant to be a hot hatch though so this is to be expected.

Initial turn in tends to remind you this is a large car; once on the open road though, and the car is setup for a bend with the power applied, the car grips very well, the weight shifts back and it feels much more neutral.

Over winding A and B roads, the slightly softer suspension allows bumps to be soaked up with little detriment to the attitude of the car mid corner. This is a very safe capable car at crossing ground quickly in all weathers, but don't buy it if you're looking for something which can be grabbed by the scruff of the neck, like a Clio 182.

Performance for a big car is OK at low speeds, and adequate once up and running. The first 3 gears are hideously short, and the car never really feels like it's getting going till 4th. After this point the 3.0 shows its worth and it'll happily take you to license losing territory. Overtakes are dispatched safely with a real world benchmark of 60-80 covered quickly and effortlessly. Being a large capacity engine allows any gear to offer decent shove; 40mph in 6th will give meaningful pull, and to overtake from 60 you never need to change out of 6th unless the gap is small.

The engine is responsive, but likes a drink. Motorway touring gives about 27 at best, but drive it hard and it'll get 20. Normal use returns about 24. It's poor, but worth it; the car needs the V6 to make it feel like the executive car it is; it's creamy smooth, never intrusive and always feels powerful. The 2.4 is underpowered, the 4.2 fantastic, but even thirstier.

Ergonomics are typically Audi, as is the fit and finish. It's comfortable car to be in, and the equipment is good. The sports seats offer good support, and with rake and reach adjustment, a good position can be found. The gearbox is a bit clunky, and the pedal spacing isn't the best, but otherwise it's very good.

Faults:

Window track (passenger front) replaced at 58k.

Turbos, diverter valves, all hoses replaced (with K04s) at 60k.

Timing belt done at 60k.

Clutch upgraded at 63k.

Control Arms replaced at 74k.

CV joints replaced at 74k.

Coolant reservoir replaced at 74k.

Washer fluid tank line keeps popping off, giving a low washer fluid light, I think the barb on the tank fitting must be worn/broken.

Intermittent check engine light, always a random misfire code. Pops up randomly from time to time, though I have never felt/heard the engine misfire. So far it seems to be benign and easily escaped by simply unplugging the negative lead of the battery and resetting the computer.

The passenger rear window sometimes sticks down in cold weather (55 degrees or less outside seems to be about the threshold) and requires some help getting up.

The front center cupholder is sticky and also has to be helped up, but this is not really even an issue as the cupholder itself still works fine.

Passenger door pop open compartment sticks closed and then pops open sometimes, though this is a result of being kicked accidentally once, the driver side one functions as it should.

General Comments:

This is an incredibly unique and efficient car, I've never experienced anything like it. The 2.7T V6 and 6 speed manual with K04 turbos and GIAC software make it a force to be reckoned with. The biggest thing people new to driving it notice is the incredible, freight train like torque it produces. I can punch the throttle in 6th gear at 80mph and accelerate almost as fast as if I had changed down to 4th or 3rd and done the same thing. It is also unbelievably surefooted with the AWD, and when it breaks traction it's smooth and predictable in its understeering.

Don't be fooled though, this is an extremely fast car (I'd conservatively estimate it now makes 320-350 horsepower at the crank, and probably more torque than that, so it must be maintained as such. It does seem to have a habit of wearing front tires fast, but I suspect the control arms, which were worn before, contributed to this, and it might be gone with the next tire change. At 60k miles it was very expensive, requiring new turbos and other gear to the tune of $6k or so. At 74k miles the bill ran around $2k. That is expensive, but it had to be done and the car has many more trouble free miles ahead now. It also requires premium fuel and 7 quarts (a hell of a lot of oil capacity for such a small V6 if I do say so myself) Mobil One 0-40w oil, the latter of which can be tricky to find at times.

The interior quality on this car is spectacular. I drive a lot and use the interior features a lot, and have only had minor problems (see above). This really surprises me for all the gadgets this car has (power everything, heated seats, moonroof, HVAC system, optional premium sound with Bose subwoofer, cruise control, memory and lumbar equipped power seats, auto dimming mirror, f/r defrost, central locking with keyless entry, tons of lights etc). Material and build quality seem to be top notch too, everything fits together nicely and is well designed. The only low points are the shifter knob (pops off sometimes as a result of a press fit design, should have just used a bolt) and the placement of the rear cupholders (in the front/thigh area of the center seat, makes them useless when the backseat has 3 in it).

I said I thought this car was amazingly efficient, and I do. I manage 20.5mpg all around on average, something I consider absolutely unheard of for a two ton AWD 300+hp luxury sedan. I do think the 6spd manual has a lot to do with the good fuel economy, it enables super low rpm cruising in situations where you don't need to take advantage of the surplus of power under your right foot. I've done as well as 26mpg on extended highway trips at 80mph or so. I still have been unable to find a car that can match the space this thing provides with the excellent economy and stellar performance. It is a downer to that I have to put premium in it, I think the only way I could like this car any more is if it was a hopped up diesel I could run on veg oil to save fuel costs.

Finally I appreciate the low profile the car carries even with its reserves of power. Mine looks nearly stock with the ubiquitous Bright Silver Metallic/Black Leather combo (just has BBS rims, Kamei grille and Hella smoked taillights) and with stock exhaust a muted rush of air from the turbos is all that's audible, even under hard acceleration.

If there's anything to really dislike about the car it's mainly for lack of option packages. My car is especially rare (but I doubt ever a collector car) because it is an ultra rare 6 speed to start with, but then is equipped with the Comfort interior rather than the almost always on manual cars Sport interior. In this case, I wish my car was more common. I love the interior, but the extra bolster of the Sport seats is well needed. Mine also lacks navigation, which would have been nice to have, but as of 7/15/07 I've never seen a manual 2.7T A6 equipped with navigation. Maybe I should just get a TomTom or something.

I plan to keep this car as long as it practically can be run. And with the engine real strong (I've never been able to catch it burning one drop of oil, not even after almost 4000 miles between oil changes and 100+ degree weather. I think it's a real strong unit and will be boosting up hard to its 7150rpm (thanks GIAC!) redline for many years to come.