2006 Audi A6 3.2 Quattro Test Drive

Now I'm not one to recommend anyone getting plastic surgery, but, man, Audi's new-for-2005 A6 is quite a nice job. It's also a lot bigger. Big improvements in both handling and ride result from increased chassis stiffness (+35%), by lengthening the wheelbase (+3.3 inches) and by re-distributing the weight. A new 6-speed Tiptronic automatic and Quattro fulltime all-wheel-drive are now standard with both the 3.2L (V-6) and 4.2L (V-8) equipped models. MSRP: $41,620; Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles.

Audi rolled the dice big for the 2005 model year when it re-styled the front of its bread-and-butter A4 and A6 models. The result is the new love-it-or-hate-it trapezoidal grill, which is similar to the one introduced earlier in the Europe-only A8L with 12-cylinders. To some the new grill evokes Mick Jagger's big, sloppy, irony-laden lips; to others it calls up the Joker's evil smirk. Regardless, Audi wanted to - indeed, needed to - do something to get people talking about their cars more since they were still being badly outsold by archrivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz in almost every market except perhaps Ingolstadt (where they're made).

I didn't personally really know what to think when I first saw the new grill. I have to confess I actively disliked it. But after spending a week with the new A4 which also sports the new style grill followed immediately by a week with the A6, I have more or less come around to accept it. I think. Which is a good thing because apparently the trapezoid grill is here to stay. At least until the next styling cycle, which is typically five years for Audi.

Over the last few years, Audi has been designing and installing some of the best interiors in the business. The one in the new A6 is no exception. It's a stunning example of the automotive craftsman's art. It's both comfortable and convenient yet very high tech-y.

The i-drive type control button has been lifted from last year's A8. It works extremely well and its operation can be deciphered by anyone whose e-quotient (electronic intelligence) is sufficiently developed to figure out how to send and receive an email. Even I caught on to it fairly quickly. If you want, you can order the full interactive navigation system with the V-6 model. This one comes standard with the V-8.

Besides being exceedingly glam, the interior of the new A6 is positively cavernous. Sitting in the back seat I found myself instinctively looking for the intercom to contact my colleague, Philip Powell, way up in the driver's seat. With the almost eerie silence at 60 mph, however, I found little more than a whisper accomplished the same thing.

The A6 now uses a really neat and very convenient keyless entry and engine activation system. When I first saw this feature sometime last year, I thought it was overkill. Now I'd want one on my own car.

The 2006 A6 3.2 Quattro has an ultra-sophisticated FSI (fuel stratified injection) V-6 engine. A great deal of high technology has been packed into this engine as well as a lot of power - 255 horsepower and 244 lb-ft of torque. All of which is delivered to the road via immense (alas, optional) 245/40R 18inch Conti-shod alloys by a new six-speed Tiptronic transmission with adaptive shifting that actually adapts to your driving style.

At just over 4,000 lbs the 3.2 Quattro is no lightweight, yet throttle response is instantaneous with the V-6 and acceleration is terrific in all speed ranges up to and including 60 - 80 mph. Which makes it all the more difficult to understand why anyone would feel they "needed" the extra power provided by the 4.2L V-8. I mean if the V-6 will do everything you ask of it and for $10k less, why buy the V-8? OK, you get more than just two extra cylinders when you order the V-8. Audi also tosses in a lot of stuff that would be optional on the V-6. It's just that I think less always trumps more when you're talking engine capacity, especially when the smaller will do virtually everything the larger will do and for less upfront and on-going cost.

I like the new A6. Even the price is not too bad if you exercise some prudence with the options list. The front fascia with its oversize grill takes a bit of getting used to for most of us, however. An unabashed fan of the styling of the last Audi A6 (especially the 2005 Allroad), I've been grumbling as much as anyone. Yet even I'm starting coming around.

The new A6 is a brilliant (if a bit oversized) mid-luxury German sedan. It doesn't make quite the statement of say, the Audi A8L, but it still stands out from the 5-Series and E-Class sedans that seem to come bundled with real estate licenses here in Vancouver.

While the real world fuel economy numbers (as opposed to the EPA's fictitious ones) are not a heck of a lot better with the 3.2 V-6 than with the 4.2 V-8, I’d still choose the 3.2 V-6. It's less cluttered with unnecessary gadgetry, which leaves the driver more time to focus on driving.

If you'd really like to own a new A6 but still want to make a statement about national fuel security or conservation or global warming or maybe just eco-trendiness, you'll have to wait until Audi sees fit to bring one of its stunning common-rail (clean) diesels over here. Which, come to think of it, may be worth the wait.