Audi S6 adds spice to company’s fleet
MUNICH, GERMANY – While Audi’s mortal A6 and A7 models are well balanced and a lot of fun to drive, it’s the S-badged derivatives that really spice things up. It’s not so much the fact that the stallion count rises dramatically that’s important – it’s the package as a whole. The new S6 and S7 are the latest examples of just how good things get when the engineers are given a little leeway and the purse strings that typically bind a fertile mind are relaxed.
The S6 earns a more aggressive style that is accentuated by the front and rear bumpers, the trunk-mounted lip spoiler, rear diffuser and the four chrome-tipped oval tailpipes that peep out below the rear valance. Inside, the tester arrived with aggressively bolstered sports seats emblazoned with the S6 logo and some very nice trim upgrades. It speaks to the S-ing of the new car. In the grand scheme of things, it is a mildmannered makeover that serves to keep the S6 a semi-sleeper.
As with the A6, the S6 makes good use of aluminum to keep its mass down. Everything from the front fenders, hood, trunk lid and doors to the front strut towers, bumper bars, firewall and rear crossmember are aluminum, which cuts the body mass by 15 per cent when compared with the same car constructed of steel. In the end, it makes for a stronger, lighter car that has a better power-to-weight ratio.
Beneath the brightwork, the S6 comes with Audi’s adaptive air suspension as standard fare. The sportier suspension and variable damping lower the ride height by 10 millimetres, which improves the precision of the handling without compromising ride comfort. To ensure the requisite grip level – and add to the look – the S6 wears P255/40R19 tires or optional P255/35R20S. Take the latter as they fill out the wheel arches with more authority and sharpen the car’s response to driver input. Likewise, the inclusion of large vented discs gives the driver the needed retardation. For the more aggressive driver, there’s a fade- immune ceramic brake option.
Audi drive select is standard equipment. This allows the driver to tailor the characteristics of the gas pedal, shift points, steering effort and suspension in five stages. The optional torque-vectoring sport differential and dynamic steering, both must-take features, can also be tweaked through drive select.
Sitting beneath the hood is a new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. It is essentially a detuned version of the motor that gives the bigger S8 its mustard. As such, it is about as subtle as a sledgehammer in a silk purse! First, it cranks out 420 horsepower, each of which has to motivate only 4.5 kilograms of automobile. However, what puts the spice in the drive is the 406 poundfeet of torque that’s available anywhere between 1,400 and 5,300 rpm.
The new engine is part of Audi’s downsizing philosophy. When compared with the outgoing 5.2L V10, the new 4.0 TFSI (turbocharged, direct injection) is sportier, yet it reduces fuel use by up to 25 per cent. Audi promises an average fuel consumption rating of 9.7 litres per 100 kilometres for the S6.
The massive drop in con- sumption goes much farther than just lopping off 1.2 litres and two cylinders from the outgoing engine. The new powerplant features idle stop and cylinder deactivation, which means the engine shuts down four of its eight cylinders when the loads are low. To counter the sometimes gruff noise, vibration and harshness that accompany the reduction in the number of active cylinders, Audi employs an active noise cancelling system. Four microphones in the headliner record the cabin’s ambient noise and a computer uses the profile to generate a counteracting noise that’s played back through the sound system. It works to perfection! This and the active engine mounts mean the occupants remain oblivious to the changing cylinder count.
The long and the short of it, with the emphasis being on the latter, is a run from rest to 100 kilometres an hour in 4.8 seconds. However, it is the alacrity displayed in the passing move that blows my socks off. The S6 spans the 80-to-120km/h gap in a blistering 3.7 seconds!
The engine’s power is fed to the road through a fast- shifting seven-speed twin-clutch (S tronic) transmission with paddle shifters and quattro all-wheel drive. Forty per cent of the power flows forward, with 60 per cent going to the rear, which imparts a rear-drive feel. The combination brings speedy shifts and virtually nothing in the way of wheelspin from a standstill when the gas is nailed.
Handling is superb, especially with the dynamic steering and sport differential along for the ride, and the response to driver input is so refined it takes a stupid act to upset the S6’s composure.
Perhaps more impressive is the manner in which the powertrain does its thing. Unlike so many turbocharged engines, the S6’s is devoid of turbo lag. When the driver rolls on to the throttle, the reaction is instantaneous.
The S6 will be launched in Canadain September. Pricing has not been announced.