superswiss

That's why the sport suspension is optional for those who want it and prefer a firmer ride. Nobody is forced to get the sport suspension. The extra cost is because it takes extra R&D to tune a second suspension for the same model. It essentially doubles the suspension development time and cost for Audi, and generally a smaller percentage of customers is expected to buy the sport suspension, so the volume is less and therefore the per unit cost is higher. It sounds like in the USA many opt for the sport suspension, so dealers stock them that way. They obviously stock what sells most. What's typical AoA, though, is not making the air suspension available in the USA. That's just mean and typical of Audi to short change the North American market. They want people to buy the more expensive S6 if they want air suspension.

nhdoc

If you have tried shopping for a new car you will notice two things. One is it is hard to find them with the 18" wheels and standard suspension. The other is that when you dig down and find out the truth the fact is the dealers have very little say in the cars they are selling. They hardly ever "order" cars but rather they are allocated cars to sell which Audi picks for them in the colors and options Audi chooses. And it is not just Audi, all the car makers do this. Dealers have very little say in it. Most are higher optioned cars and many include the most profitable packages. There are almost no "base model" cars ever offered for sale. Those are the least profitable for the car makers (dealer profits are affected very little by the extra options since their margins are the same, but the profit margin to the manufacturer on options is very high).

The other thing is most buyers are clueless as to what the downside is to buying a car with ultra low profile tires and sport suspension until after they own it for a while and realize its impracticality. I am not saying there aren't a small percentage of informed buyers who want it I am saying many buyers don't know what they want or if they knew all of the facts would choose the smaller wheels and standard suspension. They just aren't well informed. And the car makers (and dealers) take advantage of that.

When I was shopping I would say at least 80-90% of the cars had the larger wheels and sport suspension packages on them either as stand alone options or as part of the upgraded packages. Dealers will sometimes let you order a car from the factory (I have done this) but it isn't their preferred MO, they would rather you take what they have been allocated and try as hard as they can to convince you why what they have is better than what you want. If you are persistent you can get what you want but you will probably have to travel to find it (or wait a few months for them to make it for you).

KevinGary

The combination of the sport suspension and the 20” tires is not good. In contrast, I have no complaints about the ride in my car with the sport suspension and the 19” tires. Of course everybody’s expectations are different.

superswiss

Sorry, but that's a very limited understanding you have there. Dealers can change the spec of any car that's allocated to them. They get allocations and then they can order either directly for a customer or for their inventory. You as a customer can order any car you want, as long as the dealer has an allocation from the factory. They'll prefer selling you something from inventory, because those cars cost them money, but you can always order. Often they can change a build that's already been ordered but not locked yet, so you don't have to wait as long. I'm very familiar with this process. I have never ever bought a German car off the lot of any dealer. I always custom order exactly what I want. The reality is that most customers in the USA don't want to order. They want instant gratification, so most buy from inventory., either from the dealer inventory they are visiting or the dealer finds the spec they are looking for and does a trade with another dealer. Different dealers have different standing with the manufacturers. Good dealers that sell a lot of cars pretty much get anything they want and if a customer walks in with a specific build in mind and is willing to wait, they'll order the exact car. They'll may offer a bigger discount if you buy from inventory, but that doesn't stop you from ordering exactly what you want. That's pretty much how it works with Porsche, BMW, Audi and Mercedes. VW is not as accustomed to doing custom orders, though. I've just recently ordered my new Mercedes-AMG in November and I'm picking it up at the factory in Germany even. I'm leaving this Friday and picking it up on Monday. Doing the whole European Delivery thing for the second time. I ordered my current RS5 that way as well. Audi doesn't do European Delivery anymore, though as of the end of last year. You are correct, though, many customers are not well informed.

nhdoc

Interestingly, the 2019 choices start with 19" wheels but they are still a 45 profile sidewall like the previous 18's were. Optional packages are 20 and 21 inch now with the 40 and 35 profiles. The 21" wheel is only offered on the Prestige and not with sport suspension. So they are going with overall slightly larger wheels on the new model than on the previous years cars (but the 19" will probably give as comfortable a ride as the old 18" because the sidewall is the same). I checked out local dealer. They have 40 A6s on the lot and 6 of them have the 19's on them. The vast majority come with the 20" wheel and sport suspension package. So they still push the larger wheels.

DB22

But it’s hard to put luxury in front of “sports sedan” when a $70k car does not have a comfortable ride. I understand that people have preferences as to the feel and handling of a car but if you pick up 3 passengers and take them blindfolded for a 50 mile drive in the USA then I doubt that any of the 3 people would use “comfortable “ in describing their experience. Nobody would describe my Acura MDX as a comfortable luxury Car but the ride in it is far better than my Audi A6.

Fahrer

Acura SUVs have a terrible ride. My 2016 Audi A6 handles very well and has a very good ride.

AMDG75

I have same combo: sport suspension and 19". Spent considerable time driving A6 with 18" with all variations I could find and noticed to appreciable difference. However, you may remember the fairy tale: The Princess and the Pea. Some people are much more sensitive and the rest of us hoi polloi maybe can't tell the difference

jmsurpri

My 2012 A6 3.0T has standard suspension with 19" wheels and it is quite comfortable. Significantly more comfortable than my Telsa Model S with air suspension, where I felt every pebble in the road. There is a bit of a floaty feeling at times, like when there is a big mound in the road that you catch at speed and sends all the passengers flying. I wish it were a bit tighter in those situations.

NOLAessate

I wasn't going to chime in on this discussion until I saw the comments about sport suspension and stupidity, so here's my $.02.

When I ordered my 2014 A6 TDI I "borrowed" one A6 with Sport and 20" wheels, one with Sport and 19" wheels, and one standard with 18s. I drove each about 20-25 miles on the streets and roads I used every day so see what I was comfortable with and what I didn't want. I ordered the sport with 20s and haven't looked back. I live about 65 miles from New Orleans and do most of my driving there, where our potholes are so large that people have planted trees and flower beds in them, just in case anyone might think that I drive on glass-smoothe roads. 95k miles later, when changing control arms I had Bilstein B6 shocks installed. I just finished driving 600 miles to Helen Georgia for the Audi Club Georgia Chapter's annual quattro de Mayo event, and had no problem with the ride. I'll enjoy the benefits of the suspension/tire combo on the spirited drives connected with the event, as I do every year.

I have found that these cars are particularly sensitive to tire pressure and that the dealers tend to over-inflate. An extra 5 lbs of pressure can make a huge difference in ride quality.

Ride and handling are very subjective, in my opinion. Some people will notice every small imperfection in the road and it'll drive them nuts. What works for me obviously won't work for everyone - and that's fine - that's why they make different shocks, springs and wheel sizes. Pick what works best for you, just as I picked what works best for me. I don't like a soft "floaty" ride, and never have. To me, the 18s and standard suspension don't quite do it, and that's why I didn't order that combo. I also don't like having my teeth rattle, but my car, as equipped, doesn't do that. It does, however, make driving "The Tail of the Dragon" more enjoyable.