NABS4

From June 2014 C&D

And even in Quattro guise and with taller final-drive gearing, the diesel clobbers the gas car to 60 mph, hitting the mark in 5.1 seconds, a half-second quicker than the last A6 3.0T we tested. At least some of that credit goes to the TDI’s Pirelli P Zeros, part of the $1300 Black Optic package (that is itself an add-on to the $1500 Sport package). Through the quarter-mile, the diesel holds the advantage with a 13.9-second elapsed time compared with the gas car’s 14 flat. But the 3.0T’s 101-mph trap speed is 3 mph higher than the TDI’s, showing how the gas car’s wider power band allows it to reel in the diesel once they’re under way.

It's a statistical dead heat 0-60 and in the 1/4. Depends on the day and the car.

feralc

"a half-second quicker than the last A6 3.0T we tested"

Unless there is a test of a 3.0T after 12/16/11 whoever composed that article got confused, check the fact sheets yourself

here they go again
http://media.caranddriver.com/files/...on-article.pdf

http://media.caranddriver.com/files/...tdi-s-line.pdf

UPDATE
to be fair there IS a test after 12/16/11 which is the one they are comparing their numbers to
http://media.caranddriver.com/files/...0t-comparo.pdf

which proves my earlier point, unless the conditions are identical you will have different results even with the same models, I actually believe some cars could perform better than others.

But I found something that everyone will appreciate (TDI owners too

CarAndDriver.com Site Map files

'Ski

I can't comment on the other engine choices but I can on the 3.0
I have a 2015 Premium Plus S line quattro A6 3.0T and love it.

Power, very slight (and cool) growl, no lag, comfortable.

It surprised a kid in a Camaro last week when he couldn't pass this old fart in a 4 door car

BrentCPA

Without adding to the debate about a few fractions of a second to 60, I think there are other differences worth noting between the vehicles. In my world it would be tough to tell the difference between the two cars from inside if you are racing an SRT at a stoplight. As far as I know, neither US vehicle has launch control so if you want to race people get the S6.

One of the major advantages of the TDI (to me at least) is the range . . . if you do not like filling up the TDI is the car for you. If you want to go fast get the S6. But the best value (in the United States at least) is the 3.0T. I did the math (it's what I do) and with diesel costing about 50 cents a gallon more than premium unleaded, it took almost 50k miles to break even buying the TDI over the 3.0T. Numbers aside, I noticed the turbo lag in the TDI and I did not in the 3.0T so for me the decision was easier . . . but I still think the TDI is a better value for someone who intends to keep car for a long time and does a great deal of highway driving.

So to get back to the OP's question, which should I get? If you want to go fast and like the wow factor, get the S6. If you are going to be driving coast to coast and plan to keep it, get the TDI. For in town and the best value as a daily driver, get the 3.0T. Just my opinion, though . . . other factors like the availability of diesel, the climate, and maintenance should all be considered, as well.

'Ski

No turbo lag with the 3.0T because it is supercharged, not turbocharged.

jjsC6

That would be the slowest 3.0 time I have ever seen for the car.

BrentCPA

Correct, if we are splitting hairs the supercharged car does not suffer from "turbo lag" - or any lag at all when you push the pedal - because it does not use a turbo. Despite the T in the title it has a supercharger; Audi brands any forced induction system with a T moniker but the 3.0T is, in fact, supercharged and not turbocharged.

KevinGary

It is a misnomer that you only examine fuel savings when calculating the ability to recover the additional cost of purchasing the TDI. You also need to compare the retained value of the TDI and the 3.0T. I just went on Kelley Blue Book and compared the trade in value of two 2014 Prestige cars equipped exactly the same way except for the engine choices; both with 10,000 miles. The trade in value of the 3.0T was $48,645, while the trade in value of the TDI was $54,463, or $5,818 higher. Considering that MSRP for the TDI is only $2,400 higher, the owner of a TDI would actually be $3,400 ahead of the 3.0T owner at the end of the first year even before you consider fuel savings. The ALG residual value calculator, which goes out as far as 60 months, predicts that even after 5 years the TDI will still have a resale value so much greater than the 3.0T that you will still recover more than the additional cost of purchasing the TDI just on resale value even on a 5 year old car. As a result, there is really no additional cost that needs to be "recovered" with the TDI.

The fuel savings are also an added benefit. I filled up this morning and my local station was charging $2.93 for diesel and $3.19 for premium. Based on these numbers the fuel costs for the two vehicles are:

The EPA combined MPG number for the 3.0T is 22MPG, or 14.5 cents per mile.

The EPA combined MPG number for the TDI is 29 MPG, or 9.9 cents per mile.

As a result, the TDI is 4.6 cents per mile less expensive to operate than the 3.0T. Assuming that you drive 15,000 miles per year the TDI will cost $700 less per year and save the environment 165 gallons of fuel per year. Considering the higher retained value, the TDI owner is now more than $4,000 ahead of the 3.0T owner at the end of the first year, and is still more than $4,000 ahead at the end of 5 years.

When you consider that Car and Driver reports that the TDI is quicker 0 to 60 and in the quarter mile, it is clear that the TDI is good choice when shopping for an A6.

feralc

Something to consider is if you get a TDI you will become part of a group of people that regardless if Audi states that one car is faster than other they will never accept it because they have the "best, faster and economical car" (better buy a tesla then)

In Europe diesel cars are so popular simply because diesel is WAY cheaper than gas, not a little bit but a lot, and that is all the time and everywhere. Also diesel cars are cheaper than gas cars Check any Audi website in Europe

The only diesel that is AS expensive as the best 3.0T is the biturbo diesel, but that is not the car we are comparing here in the US, here is the 240hp diesel.

Why gas cars are more expensive?, because they are faster, their engines sound better, their engines rev higher, and still get great mileage regardless whatever a TDI owner could say. (I guess it is hard to justify paying more money for a car that performs worse and that everywhere in the world is cheaper too)

Show me any sports car that the Diesel engine is better than the gas version, any top brand (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Porsche, etc etc) that decided to go with diesel instead of gas.

But answering the OP question get the S6, that is the way to go

raj99

Gas vs. Diesel...hmmm...give it a few years when Audi finally gets their act together regarding electric vehicles and the whole argument will be a moot point.

For fun I used to race nitro RC trucks...when lipo and brushless motors were introduced, nitro effectively died. You can't impede progress and it's only a matter of time that internal combustion engines for commuter vehicles become anachronistic.

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