2005 Audi A6 Test Drive

A Grille to Chew Competitors

Do you like your Audi to have a big grille? No? Too bad.

Audi introduced its 2005 A6 sedan, round two of the company's sedan design treatments with big grilles, at the Geneva International Motor Show in March 2004. Having displayed the A8 L 6.0 quattro sedan, the first production model with the new look, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, in January 2004, Audi plans to spread big grilles across its range.

The A6 went on sale with an estimated price of $41,900 for V-6 models and $51,500 for V-8's. Although the A6 is Audi's second-best seller after the entry-level A4 sedan, sales of the A6 line in the United States were down to 17,585 in 2003 from 24,372 in 2002, a decline of 28%. The car had been getting old.

Audi hoped that the model's new design and aggressive face would boost sales of the mid-luxury A6, which competes against other high-volume sedans such as BMW's 5-series and DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz E-class.

Audi, which is owned entirely by Volkswagen, has made no secret of its plans to build sportier, more aggressive cars with bigger engines. While the flagship A8 L 6.0 quattro has a beastly 12-cylinder engine, Audi's A6 features an engine range that tops out with a 4.2-liter V-8, an adaptation of the hot-rod S4's engine, that makes 335 horsepower in its new home. Like the last A6, this one also offers front- or all-wheel drive. Manual and automatic transmissions will have six gears on the A6, making for better performance and efficiency than the four- or five-speed units that grace most cars.

Audi excels at design. Its interiors are the best in the auto business after blue-bloods like Rolls-Royce, and its exteriors are sharp and purposeful. The new A6 may have a more aggressive grille, but the car is dignified and well-proportioned, like its predecessor; if you want to draw more attention to yourself, get Audi's two-door TT, a classic sports car. The new A6's grille is flanked by xenon headlights. Audi's first set of adaptive headlights, which can bend around corners to follow the car's trajectory, are optional on the new vehicle. The company also says the new A6 will be the first car in the world to combine the xenon, adaptive lights with daytime running lights.

Audi has redesigned several of the A6's interior components, such as the instrument panel and steering wheel. The center console was modelled on the stately unit in the A8 flagship, and the A6's handbrake has been replaced with an electro-mechanical switch, making more room for the front armrests. More room, in general, was the order of the day for the new A6; front legroom, rear knee room, front and rear shoulder room and the car's wheelbase — the distance from the center of the front wheel to the center of the rear — have all increased.

Overall, this 2005 version of the A6 is the result of a welcome revision to an already-excellent sedan. Overhauling the A8 first was a smart move for Audi, because the technology and features on that gorgeous flagship have trickled into the new A6. Like the A8, the A6 offers an optional air suspension, whose riding height can be adjusted with the multimedia interface on the center console — another feature imported from the A8.

By keeping this vehicle's proportions similar to those of the old ones, Audi showed that the A6 needed fine-tuning, not a complete rethinking. Audi said it has ironed out some of the few complaints it had faced about the vehicle, such as a need for more precise steering. Unless you think the new grille is so big that it could eat you for breakfast, you too will appreciate the attention Audi has given the  A6.

Forbes Fact

The A6 will appeared as a wagon (the 2006 A6 Avant) near the end of 2005 — then, in a hot-rod S6 version. The outgoing A6 has no S6 sedan companion — Audi made an S6 Avant wagon from model years 2002-2004 — but the company did offer the red-hot, 450-horsepower RS6 sedan as a 2004 model. Audi made just over 1,000 RS6's by hand, and then killed the vehicle. The company hopes to bring the RS6 back, but plans won't be considered for a couple of years. Audi also wants to have an S- and RS-version in each model line. Currently, it sells only the S4 sedan and wagon in the United States. Audi has offered an RS4 in Europe, but the vehicle has not been imported here.