Tuesday 21st October 2014
Audi S6: Review
Another blink and you'd miss it facelift from Audi, but is the more powerful S6 any better?
Four exhausts about the only giveaway to power
However, it was launched as part of a general A6 facelift rather than a separate model. Not necessarily a bad thing but the implication was clear: the normal A6 models were definitely the priority rather than the fast ones with turbocharged V8s. So the press conference was very much focused on the efficiency gains of the new Ultra models (with emission from 109g/km, if you're interested), the nice new headlights and some fancy infotainment options. The S6 slide was there to mention another 30hp and a five per cent improvement in CO2.I Spy
An S6 remains quite hard to spot in everyday traffic with characteristically discreet 'S' bumpers, wheels and badges. In a press launch rank of new Audis they're far easier to identify; just look for the A6 that actually has the keys available. In the mad rush for diesel wagons that people will actually buy, the 450hp V8 saloon gets rather overlooked. Suits us.
A lovely place to go very fast
That's always been the thing with big, fast Audis, hasn't it? Regardless of actual dynamic ability, they're fundamentally quite cool things. A combination of subtly aggressive styling, bombastic performance and a few choice movie roles (remember that RS6 in Layer Cake?) have made them quite desirable things.In one of the first non-surprises of the S6 review, the interior is superb. The materials are great, the driving position is without fault and everything you touch (wheel, gearstick, paddles) feels of impeccable quality. From inside it's not hard to see why around 50 per cent of Audi customers don't take a test drive.
Tick the boxes
Non surprise number two of fast Audi assessment: the powertrain is fantastic. It's easy to look down on the S6 when the RS6 makes nearly 600hp but remember that 450hp was RS6 power the generation before last. Not exactly slow then. But the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 matched to a seven-speed dual-clutch auto is simply brilliant. Peak torque (406lb ft) runs from 1,400-5,700rpm so the any gear performance is mighty but then maximum power is there from 5,800rpm-6,400rpm too, meaning it's really worth revving out if possible. All the while there's a distant V8 rumble from behind and a great sense of satisfaction that, even on the autobahn, not an awful lot is quicker. Sometimes the S Tronic isn't the most responsive going down on the paddles but for the rest of the time it's an ideal partner. There's potentially 30mpg available too.
Quick, stylish, a bit numb - the typical fast Audi
Configurability is the name of the game for the S6's dynamics. In the Individual mode, six parameters (engine, transmission, noise, sport diff, steering, suspension) have three different settings. A day simply isn't enough to test them! There are four presets also, ranging from Efficiency to Dynamic through Comfort and Auto. Blimey.As if to suggest things shouldn't be fiddled with, there isn't a Drive Select button in the S6. It would be a lot easier than going into the 'Car' sub-menu, and fill up those blank switches nicely... And wouldn't you know it, the S6 seems to work best left in Auto mode. In complete contrast to its appearance the dynamics just lack any real subtlety, the modes an uncomfortable exaggeration of their names. In Efficiency it almost feels comatose, coasting at every opportunity, steering disconcertingly light and suspension floaty. Then Dynamic ramps everything up a little too far, the air suspension fairly unforgiving and the throttle pedal overly sensitive.
Sport diff will send some power back. Eventually
The brakes were going to come in for special praise here, powerful but with decent feel and modulation. But look, there are those grey calipers with 'Audi Carbon Ceramic' written on them. There weren't any S6s available with standard discs. Make of that what you will.Too much of a good thing
But in Auto the S6 is quite a pleasant thing. The standard air suspension feels far more at home away from urban environments, dealing with single compressions at higher speed better than multiple imperfections round town. There's no cause for complaint from the steering accuracy in that setting, even if it's entirely numb from the rim. Brake late, change down if you really must go even faster and get on the power early. Not too early though. The S6's standard Sport Differential will neutralise understeer eventually and slightly with a bit of power sent back but this is not a 4WD car from the Audi school and not the GT-R one.
The supersaloon is fundamentally quite a simple concept so it seems rather a shame that the S6 is quite undone by its complexity and configurability. Somewhere around that Auto setting there's a nice car, one that would prove equally adept on the autobahn, in the city and on more interesting roads. Even as standard it's likeable, fast and discreet and desirable. But in an attempting to be a car that suits every scenario, the S6 is actually compromised in too many.
AUDI S6
Engine: 3,993cc V8, twin-turbocharged
Transmission: 7-speed DSG, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 450@5,800-6,400rpm
Torque (lb ft): 406@1,400-5,700rpm
0-62mph: 4.4sec
Top speed: 155mph (limited)
Weight: N/A
MPG: 30.7 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 214g/km
Price: UK price TBA, 75,400 euros (£59,850) in Germany