I test drove the Audi A6 4.2 last week and it went straight to the top of my list. That surprised me, since I test-drove the new 3.0 Supercharged and I thought it was a big let-down.
The 4.2 V8 has such a wide powerband starting lower than most anything and keeps it coming absolutely forever. And in the A6, it has become one of my favorite packages. In terms of driving feel, it comes closest to the Lexus IS-F. Crazy?
Well they are in the same price range. Both have fantastic interiors and torque delivery. Plus, my A6 was the last generation, and didn't dwarf the Lexus by as much. Finally, they are both extremely stable at any speed. Audi's air-ride is adjustable, but I kept it on the stiffest setting all the time. I took as many corners as possible and the ride was still sublime.
Since I don't typically go full-throttle unless someone needs to be punished...
I've found that 99% of the time, the most satisfying ride has the best response at half-throttle. And here, either the 4.2 or the Lexus 5.0 would be delivering equal amounts of low-end torque to my butt-dyno. Real world = same difference. Plus the Audi doesn't come with 4 redundant overdrive gears. One thing I'll say for the IS-F though; it does sound terrific. The A6 I drove needed improvement in the exhaust category. Such a shame, since the S and RS cars sound good.
I would certainly own a used one of either car. The biggest difference is: for now, only the Audis come pre-owned. I'm almost positive I'd take a used RS4 over an IS-F as well. Though honestly, I am completely over manuals until I move to some mountainous region.
Which brought me to the other half of my story. My intention yesterday was to look at a 2006 Audi S4. Wanted to feel what the 4.2 with paddle shifters was like. Smooth I hoped
It was sold. But I'm not one to waste a trip to a car dealership. Ever.
A tactician needs to be able to adapt to any situation, and this one I'm quite proud of. So I talked the guy into letting me test-drive the ///M6 on the lot. The skeptical look on his face was priceless when I told him I was 26. (which I think is kinda prick-ish, since the Lexus guy basically forced the keys into my hand, no questions asked).
So the ///M6.... well, its a bit of an oddity in that its a beautifully styled car from a carmaker that has odd styling. I wanted to take pics it was so pretty.
Interior? Here's where my mind started immediately drawing parallels to the much-cheaper 335. Any advantage this car had in terms of interior quality over the 3's is made up for by its lack of ergonomics. I don't feel stupid at all for taking a full minute to find the knob to turn off the blaring radio so I could hear the exhaust (for reference, the on/off button is the ugly protrusion placed as far from the actual head unit as possible, with no label).
So how did the exhaust sound? . . . . . ............................. (you get the idea)
Performance? . . . . . ............................. (you get the idea)
Okay sure, the M6 is a more stable, low-slung supercar. But do you know what I think it would take to make up the cornering difference? Tires. Thats it.
In a straight line, I was again underwhelmed. Power/weight ratio only matters if you go from idle to redline. What matters to me is torque/weight. At any one RPM, the kick you receive from an V10 is no more impressive than the likely underrated I6-TT (and yes, I found the [M] button on the V10).
I'm sure the V10 was impressive before BMW finally saw the light. I subscribe to the theory that BMW has out-done themselves with their new turbo offerings. Can't wait to try a V8-TT.
In short, my time in the V10 GT-cruiser only served to make a better case for its little brother. And it also satisfies my need to drive an ///M5. I may not even need to try the ///M3 V8 now. Because I'm sure the experience would mirror this one: concluding that unless I have enough room to wind out at least 2 gears, I go for the car with the highest, most-available torque for the money.
And today's moral is: the I-6TT and 4.2 V8 can has the torque. Still a fan.
Its funny how your desires change over time. I'm sure at one point I would lusted after a V10. But I drove away from the dealership laughing out loud in my turbo'd Suby. Not sure if it was because I got to drive an M6, or the irony that I didn't care for it.
