This is NOT your everyday A6. Not in the least.
2013 Audi S6
Are you absolutely sure we can't just keep it?
Web2Carz Contributing Writer
Published: August 14th, 2013
Here's our one-word summary of the 2013 Audi S6:
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!
If you're not into the whole brevity thing, don't worry, we've prepared a longer review, as well:
Oh. My. God. Those were the words most commonly uttered by friends that shared a seat with me in the 2013 Audi S6. People who know a thing or two about cars would look at the S6, with its 4,100-pound curb weight and more technology than a print edition of Wired, and assume that it's a little on the pokey side. Well, those people - my friends included - are dead wrong.
It's fast. Holy hell on a hotplate, it's fast. And it's not just a visceral, butt-dyno kind of fast, either - official numbers put the zero-to-60 time at about four and a half seconds, which is freakish enough as it is - but with the launch control engaged, some outlets are reporting times in the mid-to-high three-second range. That's Lamborghini Gallardo territory. And, unlike the Gallardo, you can actually see out of this car.
Given the S6's high cost of entry - models start at $71K - it's not meant to be just about the speed. It's also endlessly luxurious and packed with the sort of amenities that upper-management suits look for in a car. From the diamond-stitched leather seats, to the quad-zone climate control, to the optional 15-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, to the trunk that can carry either four golf bags or four unruly children, this is a car that can both coddle you and make you very overconfident behind the wheel.
That overconfidence comes from a variety of factors, all of which are summed up in the "Car" menu of Audi's MMI infotainment system. You're able to choose from four different setups - Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, and Individual. Comfort softens everything up and is great for highway cruising, and Auto balances sportiness and civility on the fly for a slightly spirited experience. Individual allows you to choose settings based on your personal preferences, in case you want the exhaust in Dynamic but the suspension in Comfort.
Dynamic, however, is where that overconfidence truly comes into play. The suspension stiffens up, the S-tronic flappy-paddle gearbox moves to more aggressive shift points, and whole other loads of German hexenwerk goes down, resulting in a car that begs to be beaten on. In conjunction with the 255-millimeter-wide Pirelli Pzero summer tires, you're looking at a big-body bahn-stormer that is nearly impossible to break loose - at least before your passenger breaks loose and demands you slow the hell down.
This car is very nearly perfect. So much so, in fact, that I had to hunt for trifles that I could find fault with. I came up with three. First, the steering column makes a perceptible rubbing noise from time to time. Next, the Pirellis transmit a fair bit of road noise into the otherwise-whisper-quiet cabin, but if you've owned a car with high-performance tires before, you know that's the price you pay for superior traction. Lastly, and perhaps most frustratingly, the MMI dial's spin direction is counter-intuitive. It should be clockwise for down, silly Europeans.
Those are nitpicks, though - unimportant little idiosyncrasies that, over the span of ownership, will be forgotten in favor of everything that makes this car so great. It's seriously wonderful. Whether you're feeling aggressive, sedate, or some funky synthesis of the two, the car can match that.
This car will put a smile on your face every time you drive it - until you land at the gas station. While the gas mileage is great for a V-8, hot-shoeing your way down the road will elicit single-digit mileage figures. But for what that gasoline provides, it seems like the bargain of the century.
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Interior
Easily the best-looking interior to roll through W2C this year. The screen doesn't pick up loads of glare, every material is soft and expensive, including the optional carbon fiber trim. The buttons are artfully arranged, and it only takes a day or so to get comfortable enough to use the MMI without needing to look down at the center console. We do wish Audi would ditch the proprietary connector for media devices, though.
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Exterior
It's business-spec subtle-sexy. Audi is doing wonderful things with headlights, and its new LED peepers continue that trend; they're easily the most talked-about feature when strangers came up to check out the car, which they did often. The optional 20-inch wheels fit under the wheel arches nicely, leaving just a bit of gap between fender and wheel for that low, aggressive look.
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On the Road
This thing is a hoot. Whether you're shifting gears in mere fractions of a second in Dynamic, or relaxing with some music in Comfort, you can't have a bad time in any seat. It's comfortable for long periods of time, and the massive gas tank means that a green-footed individual can go nearly 500 miles before filling up. Throw the trunk space into the equation, and you have a fantastic road trip car. Of course, you can afford this car, so you'll probably end up flying to your destination instead, but the option is still on the table.
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Final Thoughts
Writing this review means that I won't have this car any longer, and that's making me really sad. It's one of the few cars that went from scaring me to impressing me in the scope of a few short minutes, and I hope that every future owner of an S6 will - at least once - try to squeeze every last drop of performance-ketchup from this aluminum und steel Heinz bottle. If they don't, they're missing out on more than half of the experience. Buy this car and drive it, not just to the valet booth at the opera, but on a back road that takes you an hour to get to.
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Specs & Price
Engine: 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V-8
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automated-manual transmission
Power Output: 420 hp / 405 lb-ft
Fuel Economy: 17 city / 27 highway (22 observed)
Base Price: $71,900
As Tested: $87,720 (incl. $895 destination charge)
Optional Features: Pearl effect paint, 15-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, Innovation package (adaptive cruise control, heads-up display, active lane assist, night vision), LED headlights with LED daytime running lights, 20-inch alloy wheels, carbon fiber trim pieces
• For more information such as specs, prices, and photos of the 2013 Audi S6, click here: 2013 Audi S6.