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No suspicion necessary, I wanted and WANT an S6 (and know that you do too). Flat out. I'll be sorely tempted to fit myself into the S6 Avant if it comes here. I actually really love wagons (and did so before their current popularity!), but the only one available now is the 2.8. Not a big fan of the Allroad either, so I was left with the 2.7/4.2 choice in sedan body. Upon thorough test drives, the 4.2 was an easy choice for me, in spite of my "nitpicks" about it.
I do actually like the 4 seater aspect of the 4.2's rear seating, and don't even have a beef about the lack of a third head restraint, but why no 3-point belt? It's such a huge safety thing, and can't cost much. Just should have left out the lap belt entirely and *made* it a 4-seater.
My only real and actual defect it that shoulder height-adjustment thing, and boy it sure feels close to just popping into position, but I gave it a mighty good push/pull and no dice.
I agree re: the pricey add-ons. Further, I generally do not like after market performance enhancements. I'm a stocker kind of guy, and I WANT that stock S6 Sedan......pleeeeaasee....Audi, bring it to me, take all my money.....
The S4's seem pretty hot, but if I think that the A6 4.2 might as well be officially a 4-seater, then you can imagine that I'd argue making the A4 series into a 2-seater. The back seats are so tiny.
Anyhow, the bottom line is that the 4.2 is awesome, and a fantastic ride. No regrets at all. I want to get up in the middle of the night and sneak in a drive, waiting for each weekend to roll around it tough (though my lease says 15K miles/year, so I hope the excitement cools a little sometime).
I love the Silver over vanilla/royal, though many people don't. I'd definitely take a look at the combination if you can. If you find silver to be a neutral, or a setting for the interior, I think you'll like it. If you think silver is a shade of gray, and you want to match it, you might not. Noticing that you appear to be of the female persuasion, there's a good chance you would like it. Ladies in particular seem to enjoy my car. (Boy, do I like that!) But for some guys, it just doesn't have enough testosterone. Think: Light, elegant and sporty, not dark and macho.
I do think the Vanilla is striking and with the contrasting blue is beautiful -- if they have overcome the dirt problem of the 1999 model year -- you may like it. It is certainly different. But remember the ribbing -- all of it good natured -- that asks you why you have a bright yellow interior.
I used to smile and say "grow up."
Because of my exterior color preference when I finally bought my new '99 I got Melange interior which is just fine. Certainly doesn't show the dirt except on the lower door panels, which I'm very careful to avoid scuffing. I only wish the technicians at the dealer were as equally careful.
The contrasting cabernet trim in melange interiors is really very subtle, but no less effective. Audi has the best interior designers in the business, by far. Caddy should be so tasteful. And Bimmer? Typical German austerity.
It could be viewed as Germanic, austere, etc. but I find it very elegant and pretty.
I appreciate the general perception that lighter interior appointments may be considered "softer" and perhaps more elegant and even feminine if you will, but I think the black interior with all the wood and red lighting is pretty sublime and beautiful.
The ladies seem pretty impressed with the black interior (ahem, especially my wife!). My guess is that you can't go wrong with any color combo - we're talking about A6's remember!
I've got a contact at another Audi dealership and he told me that the 2.7T have had problems with their turbochargers and are a pain to work on in general because most maintenance (besides the simplest oil changes, etc) require engine removal. This apparently has to do with the turbo-exhaust.
I've got a contact at another Audi dealership and he told me that the 2.7T have had problems with their turbochargers and are a pain to work on in general because most maintenance (besides the simplest oil changes, etc) require engine removal. This apparently has to do with the turbo-exhaust.
Anyway, he said the 2.7T is a great car if you have alot of money for service once the free maintenance runs out.
Has anyone heard of this problem ?
I'm about to special order a pearl-white 2.7T. They tell me it will take about 3-4 months.
Should I wait for the 2002's? Any idea when they will come out, and what new features they will have?
Last year, new model year cars started showing up on the east coast around the end of July. I'm pretty sure it's getting close to the cut-off for dealers to order model year 2001 cars. If you're leasing, you will not have as a good residual as your car will be just about one model year old when you get it. If you're buying, and expect to sell or trade in less than, say, 3 or 4 years, you have the same problem. I don't know what additional features 2002 will have. Some folks have thought 2002 will have a "facelift." Further into the production cycle typically also means better debugged. But, new model year also means higher prices to balance against the lower residuals. If it were me, I'd tell the salesman to wait for '02's.
i have a 2000 a6 2.7t with about 10K miles (silver/grey) and i LOVE the car -- i've been driving about 300 miles a week in pa/nj/ny and it's the best car i've had - smooth and fast, super comfortable, its a real joy to drive (and tremendous value for the money in my opinion compared to a 5-series or certainly an e-class!)
i've have had only minor problems - a broken seat frame on initial delivery, rotor adjustment problem, and the famous faulty fuel gauge. nothing major, just annoying stuff really and nothing too bothersome...
i'm becoming a little concerned about the reliability reports on the turbo, however. has anyone had any specific problems with their 2.7t they can share? any thoughts on extended warranties?
What automaker in its right mind would design a car so that the engine had to be removed for repairs? I have been watching this forum and the forums at audiworld.com, and have never heard anyone say anthing about needing engine removal. You might check over there.
Meanwhile, an engine with a turbo is no more prone to repairs than any other engine, IF YOU USE THEM WITH HALF A BRAIN! A turbo spins at over 100,000 rpm with ultra-hot exhaust gases blasting it!!!! Give it some consideration.
The stories of turbo problems come from the early days of turbos where the yahoos would back out of the garage and floor it, spinning the turbos up before the oil was warm and blowing them.
When you start the engine, drive moderately for a couple of miles to give the bearings a chance to warm up before flooring it! When coming home, drive moderately for the last mile or so, to give the bearings a chance to cool down. Change the oil when you are supposed to!!! And - guess what? you won't have any turbo problems!!! I drove my '85 and '87 turbos each to over 130,000 miles with no turbo problems and few other repairs. In addition, most long-haul diesel trucks have turbos, further attesting to their reliability.
Wait for the 2002's ESPECIALLY if you are leasing.
2002's new features? -- every year there are some subtle features added. For example for 2002 there is supposed to be a change to the brakes: the pressure applied by the pads will be based not just on "how hard" the driver presses the brake; in addition the brakes will be applied harder (automatically) based on the "speed" that the pedal is depressed. The system will theoretically anticipate that you are in a "panic" stop if you apply the brakes very fast, regardless of how hard you press on the pedal. This will help ABS do its job better. Other trim items and options will surely be available too. Check the various WWW sites for the latest and greatest rumors.
Or check Audi World Wide Web sites -- find one in your language and "build your own A6." You will see a list of the options and features that are available in other countries. It is not unreasonable to assume that some of these features and options NOT currently available in the US may be made available or standard here in the States. Here's an "easy" one. In all other countries, front and rear parktronic is available -- currently only rear is avail on A6's -- it is therefore possible that that "option" will be added to OUR list.
My wife and I have had four Audi Turbos between us -- and while we never backed out of the garage and floored the car, we also treated the car like any other car, nothing special (but we always always change the oil and filter about every 3 - 4K miles and we always use the best Premium fuel we can find).
Other than that, we have nothing to complain about.
If you are paying cash -- the "old" /new 2001 will be very attractive. If the discount is HUGE, that will lower the CAP COST and even with a lower residual will lower the lease payment. If you are buying and plan to drive the car until the wheels turn square (as my friend used to say) both options have merit -- the 2001 will be less money, and the 2002 may have more and/or better and/or safer features, options and performance. If I were to "buy" a brand new car that I planned to keep until it was essentially worthless -- I would give strong consideration to buying the 2002.
If I were retiring and using the car less than 12,000 miles a year, and money was a bit more pressing of a concern, I would probably give stronger consideration to the 2001 and perhaps get the extra Audi warranty (to 75,000 miles) and pay for it.
In my case, I say get 'em young (a 2002, especially since it will not be an "all new vehicle") and keep 'em less than 50K miles -- in other words as we say in the Information Technology business -- you will not have the latest and (theoretically the best) greatest technology if you are not making payments. And, while cars do not follow Moore's law (double the speed, power and capacity every 18 months for the same or less money) exactly -- they are technical devices and hence do provide ever greater levels of features that affect comfort, economy, performance and safety as time passes and as new model year cars come to market.
Boy, now that's got to be clear as mud!
Good luck.
Remember though, the pictures and spec's are European. The U.S. car will look a little different with U.S. bumpers, and you can assume we will not have the range of choice available in Europe.
http://www.quattroclubusa.org/news/2001/newa6/
Good Luck.
I wouldn't be too amazed if the turbo engine (soon) is upped in power and torque (2.9T? perhaps) as the HP of the 3.0V6 is now much closer to the 2.7T. For most of us we "buy" torque but quote horsepower. The 2.7T has bags of torque at very low RPM's -- the 3.0V6, while a vast improvement over the 2.8 still will "come on" milder from a dead stop.
The improvements in the A6, as you can tell by the release are both subtle and significant, but not revolutionary (like the transition from the first gen A6 to the current gen).
If you can wait -- I would order a 2002 A6q no matter what it has under the hood, compared to the "comparable" 2001 A6q.
Here's to a 2002 S6 (stick shift) Sedan in the United States! OK, I guess I can wait till 2003, if I must.
iniaudi
handsomejoe1: i don't think the 2.7t is $7K more than the 2.8, i think its only about $3K or so and though it's hard to tell the way edmunds reconfigured their site(!) i think there are a few more std. features on the 2.7t. in any case, esp. w/the quattro, the car is very heavy (nearly 4000 lbs.) and i think the 2.8 is pretty underpowered...every day i drive the car, i'm glad i anted up for the turbos. not sure if this has changed, but the car definitely had bigger brakes in 2000 and (maybe??) a slightly firmer suspension. the wheels are also excellent....
daytime running lights -- i just asked my service manager this question and he called the guys in auburn hills to verify but he said it could be done at a cost of $125 or so (some extra wiring and a relay). drl is std. in canada (mandatory i believe) but not in the us on audis. not sure if it's worth it or not. my volvo has drl and i definitely miss it on the audi.
silver 2.7t/tungsten
The warranty includes a "refundable if unused" feature; includes a premium for 4WD; and also includes a $75 premium for 0 deductible. It's an exclusionary warranty in that it very clearly states upfront what is not covered (the normal wear and tear items). My servicing dealers both say that Heritage is good and reliable. My broker through whom I bought the car also says that, based upon Audi's reputation for expensive parts, an extended warranty on one is always a good investment.
ajs
'01 2.7T Silver/Onyx, Tip
Premium,Pref Lux,Cold weather, Bose,6CD
Personally, I could do without DLRs, but would love to have auto on/off lights whose brightness adjust to the extent of darkness outside (with a manual override). This seems more practical while still providing an element of safety. If GM can do it in its Blazers, why not Audi with the A6?
I've known people with cars in this league from competitors who couldn't wait for the lease to expire. One coworker was so dissatisfied with his Mercedes he traded it on a Volvo - and couldn't be happier.
As for Consumer Reports - I encourage you to read the 2001 Buying Guide. Page 170 lists the Audi A6 at the top of the upscale sedans - over Lexus, Lincoln, BMW, Saab, Volvo, Infiniti, and Acura. Pages 334 through 336 lists recalls for automobiles including various models of Acura, Mercedes, Infiniti, BMW, and Toyota/Lexus.
In my view Consumer Reports is a great guide. I've used it for years and it has definitely made me a better consumer. When I make a big investment - like with the Audi - I consider all aspects - first hand reports, test drives, dealership, written reports from a number of sources, etc. In my opinion, you'll be very happy with the Audi - performance, comfort, and reliability.
The passion expressed in this forum, the "generally" favorable Consumer Response words (they are there), the Car and Driver and Car and European Car write ups have done nothing but bolster my opinion (very positive) about Audis and specifically the A6.
Besides, EVERYTHING, mechanical will break eventually -- my Audis are no exception, but they are fantastic automobiles -- especially for the price!
However, they do extensive testing (on cars they actually PURCHASE) using criteria that the "performance" magazines ignore such as how hard it is to change the radio station without looking, how high you have to lift a suitcase to push it into the trunk, whether or not you have to lift yourself to adjust your seat height (VWs are notorious for this), how easy it is to find the horn in an emergency, do the climate controls use knobs or sliding switches, etc. I like this kind of data when car shopping.
They touch on performance but let the hot rod mags dwell on that aspect. Basically, they let you know if there is anything inherently wrong or poorly designed in the car. The other mags tell you if it can beat a Corvette in the quarter mile.
Back to reliability; if not enough owners/subscribers respond to get sufficient data for a certain make/year, then they don't list anything about it. They are very good with the scientific statistical analysis they do get. They cannot afford to survey every single owner, and they admit this freely. They're not trying to assassinate any manufacturer with the reliability ratings. They simply report what the owners/subscribers experienced.
Clear as mud?
My 2000 Honda Accord sides so much better.
If it is Genuine Audi, I would take it to my dealer -- Northland Porsche/Audi.
My experience -- totally new suspension I bought and had shipped from Germany, chips, tires, wheels, filters, stereos, etc etc etc is that the Dealer "does it right." Not always the first time, but always right!
So, if this is something of concern and you don't want to live with it being wrong, go to the Genuine Audi Dealer.
No, I don't work for an Audi Dealer, even tho as I write this I seem to be shilling for them.
Do not run naked (that is sans warranty) -- these cars, and I love them dearly, are breathtakingly expensive to maintain and repair out of warranty.
Been there, done that, OUCH!
Still, this is no different than a Bimmer or Mercedes or Saab or Volvo would be under similar circumstances.
Good luck.