Initial Ownership Impressions: 2002 A6 4.2 w/Sport Pkg (long)
11-17-2001, 06:16 AM
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Initial Ownership Impressions: 2002 A6 4.2 w/Sport Pkg (long)
Well, I've had my new baby long enough to put a few miles on it and thought I'd post my thoughts on how things are going.
First of all, Irish Green Pearl is a knock-out color. To quote a familiar movie, "I have chosen wisely." In the sunlight, you get a nice deep green tone reflected at you which is pretty close to British Racing Green. As the reflections get more indirect, the color deepens further. When the sun is not striking the car, the color looks like a green so deep it's almost black, kind of like the Green Hornet's car if that isn't a big enough clue to date my age! The sales guy pulled the car in to the showroom early that morning when they were preparing to deliver it and they had trouble keeping people's hands off my nicely waxed and cleaned car. The biege interior looks great and I especially like the nice Sycamore wood. Altogether, a great color combo.
It's hard to keep the V-8 under wraps at this point. It revs so freely and I'm so trained to put my foot down since my '98 A4 2.8Q needed a fair amount of prodding to get galloping that it's hard to stay below 5K RPMs. The engine purrs and idles steady as a rock.
The ride has the same basic feel as my '98 A4 which had the sport package for that model year, but much bigger tires and a more substantial car makes the car extra stable and firm on the road. I get a bit more road ripple through the steering wheel and seat of the pants which is to be expected. The car corners nice and flat. The cornering technique that seems to work best is to brake late, set the chassis, get into the throttle and let the V-8 do its thing. My A4 worked better with early braking and accelerating earlier in the corner and just doesn't have the flat attitude or stability of the A6 4.2.
The new bose premium sound system is a pleasant surprise and sounds very good. I was impressed with the quietness of the 2002 A6 when I test drove them and it does help you hear the true character of the music. Road noise is not a problem even with those big tires. The in-dash CD changer is an improvement. It's easier to sit in the seat and feed the unit CDs than to mess with the trunk changer cartridge of my '98 A4.
The new dash lighting is so much more like other car brands that you don't really think about it unless you just have to see that Audi red. The faces of the dials have white lighting with the needles being red which is just fine with me. The rest of the lighting is good old familiar red. While on the topic of the dash, the aluminum rings around the guages, while not really necessary, are just fine with me. It's Audi's attempt at a few more cross family genes showing up in their cars and a TT queue in the A6 is fine with me.
Someone had previously complained about windshield distortion in their new 2002 Audi. No such problem here, however, the lighter beige interior seems to cause a few more reflections than the black interior of my A4. I can see the arc of the package shelf behind the back seats in the rear window and similar reflections occur in the windshield, however, none of it is really bothersome at all. What do you expect given the angles of the glass in the car? I do get a funky reflection off the driver's side window at night from the driver's side vent control. It looks like the lighted face of the control is relecting off the window and the driver's side mirror.
The car has all the gadgets and gizmos of a BMW.
I'm still trying to get the sport driver's seat dialed in. It was set a such a goofy angle when I got the car that I had a sore butt by the end of the day. I was clearly on a mental high or something and I was oblivious to what was going on for quite a while. I had no trouble during my test drives, so I guess I need to recover from the abuse before things will feel normal. I think I've got it dialed in, but I guess we'll see.
I've also read some posts about Xenon problems shortly after taking delivery and I haven't had any of those either. Also, no rattles, etc. I had a great experience with my A4 and I'd say I'm off to a good start with my A6.
I decided that going from "audiduo" to "auditrio" just won't work, so I've chose something straightforward instead.
I chose this car vs. the BMW 530iA (wife can't drive manual...damn) and the Lexus GS430. BMW 540i is another 5K or so beyond the A6 4.2. I'm very happy with my choice.
First of all, Irish Green Pearl is a knock-out color. To quote a familiar movie, "I have chosen wisely." In the sunlight, you get a nice deep green tone reflected at you which is pretty close to British Racing Green. As the reflections get more indirect, the color deepens further. When the sun is not striking the car, the color looks like a green so deep it's almost black, kind of like the Green Hornet's car if that isn't a big enough clue to date my age! The sales guy pulled the car in to the showroom early that morning when they were preparing to deliver it and they had trouble keeping people's hands off my nicely waxed and cleaned car. The biege interior looks great and I especially like the nice Sycamore wood. Altogether, a great color combo.
It's hard to keep the V-8 under wraps at this point. It revs so freely and I'm so trained to put my foot down since my '98 A4 2.8Q needed a fair amount of prodding to get galloping that it's hard to stay below 5K RPMs. The engine purrs and idles steady as a rock.
The ride has the same basic feel as my '98 A4 which had the sport package for that model year, but much bigger tires and a more substantial car makes the car extra stable and firm on the road. I get a bit more road ripple through the steering wheel and seat of the pants which is to be expected. The car corners nice and flat. The cornering technique that seems to work best is to brake late, set the chassis, get into the throttle and let the V-8 do its thing. My A4 worked better with early braking and accelerating earlier in the corner and just doesn't have the flat attitude or stability of the A6 4.2.
The new bose premium sound system is a pleasant surprise and sounds very good. I was impressed with the quietness of the 2002 A6 when I test drove them and it does help you hear the true character of the music. Road noise is not a problem even with those big tires. The in-dash CD changer is an improvement. It's easier to sit in the seat and feed the unit CDs than to mess with the trunk changer cartridge of my '98 A4.
The new dash lighting is so much more like other car brands that you don't really think about it unless you just have to see that Audi red. The faces of the dials have white lighting with the needles being red which is just fine with me. The rest of the lighting is good old familiar red. While on the topic of the dash, the aluminum rings around the guages, while not really necessary, are just fine with me. It's Audi's attempt at a few more cross family genes showing up in their cars and a TT queue in the A6 is fine with me.
Someone had previously complained about windshield distortion in their new 2002 Audi. No such problem here, however, the lighter beige interior seems to cause a few more reflections than the black interior of my A4. I can see the arc of the package shelf behind the back seats in the rear window and similar reflections occur in the windshield, however, none of it is really bothersome at all. What do you expect given the angles of the glass in the car? I do get a funky reflection off the driver's side window at night from the driver's side vent control. It looks like the lighted face of the control is relecting off the window and the driver's side mirror.
The car has all the gadgets and gizmos of a BMW.
I'm still trying to get the sport driver's seat dialed in. It was set a such a goofy angle when I got the car that I had a sore butt by the end of the day. I was clearly on a mental high or something and I was oblivious to what was going on for quite a while. I had no trouble during my test drives, so I guess I need to recover from the abuse before things will feel normal. I think I've got it dialed in, but I guess we'll see.
I've also read some posts about Xenon problems shortly after taking delivery and I haven't had any of those either. Also, no rattles, etc. I had a great experience with my A4 and I'd say I'm off to a good start with my A6.
I decided that going from "audiduo" to "auditrio" just won't work, so I've chose something straightforward instead.
I chose this car vs. the BMW 530iA (wife can't drive manual...damn) and the Lexus GS430. BMW 540i is another 5K or so beyond the A6 4.2. I'm very happy with my choice.
11-17-2001, 11:37 AM
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Re: Initial Ownership Impressions: 2002 A6 4.2 w/Sport Pkg (long)
Does your transmission automatically go from regular driving mode to sport mode prematurely? According to the manual it will depending on the accerlation rate, but mine appears to switch during normal driving. Only have about 600 miles on mine, so maybe it will settle it, but thought I would ask.
11-17-2001, 03:50 PM
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Comments and questions....
I've got the 2001 4.2 Sport....;
Your description of the paint reminds me of my Nemo Blue, in which there is a fogging agent. I've seen the components that go into the paint. The result is that I only see the metallic particles where the light is directly glinting off them. Elsewhere, the color darkens and turns a bit foggy. You don't see a metallic surface, as you would on a metallic Lexus. Does this sound like your green? I'll have to check it out at the dealer.
Have you had a chance to peer inside the dash under the steering wheel to see what is in the place of our "relay 605"? You probably have a unit with a different number on it, and a different part number. If you can look, that would help me a lot. I'm comparing the new allroad, S6, and A6 in this regard. The new units may retrofit into our older cars so as to tighten the steering feel... at least that is an experiment I want to try.
As for reflections off the windshield from the interior, I use polarized glasses (even cheapos work), and it cuts them entirely. Also takes away glare from road surfaces and water. A necessity when driving, I feel.
I agree the V8 is tremendous. It surprises me every day.
I'd be interested in more observations about cornering technique.... I'm still learning myself. One thing I'm working on is visualizing the apex of each challenging turn. And, getting a "set" is still not easy for me. Perhaps if I practiced on autocross with the ESP off, I'd get a better feel. That is what I did at the Quattro Challenge, and it helped a lot! I think some NorCal A6 owners can attest to my driving a bit faster over the canyons after the QC experience!
Your description of the paint reminds me of my Nemo Blue, in which there is a fogging agent. I've seen the components that go into the paint. The result is that I only see the metallic particles where the light is directly glinting off them. Elsewhere, the color darkens and turns a bit foggy. You don't see a metallic surface, as you would on a metallic Lexus. Does this sound like your green? I'll have to check it out at the dealer.
Have you had a chance to peer inside the dash under the steering wheel to see what is in the place of our "relay 605"? You probably have a unit with a different number on it, and a different part number. If you can look, that would help me a lot. I'm comparing the new allroad, S6, and A6 in this regard. The new units may retrofit into our older cars so as to tighten the steering feel... at least that is an experiment I want to try.
As for reflections off the windshield from the interior, I use polarized glasses (even cheapos work), and it cuts them entirely. Also takes away glare from road surfaces and water. A necessity when driving, I feel.
I agree the V8 is tremendous. It surprises me every day.
I'd be interested in more observations about cornering technique.... I'm still learning myself. One thing I'm working on is visualizing the apex of each challenging turn. And, getting a "set" is still not easy for me. Perhaps if I practiced on autocross with the ESP off, I'd get a better feel. That is what I did at the Quattro Challenge, and it helped a lot! I think some NorCal A6 owners can attest to my driving a bit faster over the canyons after the QC experience!
11-17-2001, 04:15 PM
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That is a really interesting observation on the transmission.
I know the 4.2 guys here are going to think I'm nuts because they've been complaining for years about tips that won't shift down or hold first gear, and I'm blown away with how aggresive this thing is in normal mode. Its downshifting to 1st at what seems to me, relatively conservative part throttle while in 2nd gear coming off a residential corner, and thats not in sport mode.
I think mine is behaving much like you've described. Mine is similarly new and I'm also hoping it will settle out a bit as well. Good thing I drive briskly most of the time because that seems to be the only mode this tip wants to be in.
I think mine is behaving much like you've described. Mine is similarly new and I'm also hoping it will settle out a bit as well. Good thing I drive briskly most of the time because that seems to be the only mode this tip wants to be in.
11-18-2001, 06:38 AM
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Re: Comments and questions....
If I remember paint technology correctly, "pearl" paints use mica instead of a metallic agent to provide their effect. I would say my Irish Green behaves very similarly to Nemo Blue. I've only ever seen one Nemo Blue and I never really looked at it closely other than to admire the color in general...looks very nice and I like it better than deeper blues.
I'll have to find the long article on how to pull the 605 to figure out how to locate the relay. I'm very happy with the steering feel, so I don't plan on pulling any relays.
I do have polarized sunglasses, so when the sun doesn't shine, that's when I see reflections, but like I stated, it's to be expected and I also saw some reflections in my '98 A4.
As far as cornering technique goes, I am not Jackie Stewart, but I'll give you an idea of what I do. I'm sure someone who has been to a driving school can provide a much better explanation than I can, but I'll give it a try at the risk of offending others. I have a pretty good feel of what steering angle is required to generate the required turning radius which you need to have, since you are supposed to turn-in to the corner exactly 1.0 times. Mid-corner corrections bobble the chassis and require throttle inputs to help compensate for the changes in steering angle. Maybe the focus noting harsh changes into sport mode and downshifts in the other parts of this thread are tweaking the car at the wrong time and provoking the reaction they experience.
I basically brake late, so I get up close to the corner before applying the brakes, I get off the brakes at the corner entry, turn the wheel, set the chassis with a bit of throttle to start the turn. With the V-8, I do mean a bit of throttle.... As you round the apex, apply throttle as you release your turning lock.
Because my car is so new (only 120 miles on it), I have yet to really work some corners, however, there is a nice shallow angle corner (60 degree raduis) with a speed limit of 55 that I have pushed a bit since you don't really need to rev very much to go through it. My A6 takes that corner much flatter than my A4 ever did.
I'll have to find the long article on how to pull the 605 to figure out how to locate the relay. I'm very happy with the steering feel, so I don't plan on pulling any relays.
I do have polarized sunglasses, so when the sun doesn't shine, that's when I see reflections, but like I stated, it's to be expected and I also saw some reflections in my '98 A4.
As far as cornering technique goes, I am not Jackie Stewart, but I'll give you an idea of what I do. I'm sure someone who has been to a driving school can provide a much better explanation than I can, but I'll give it a try at the risk of offending others. I have a pretty good feel of what steering angle is required to generate the required turning radius which you need to have, since you are supposed to turn-in to the corner exactly 1.0 times. Mid-corner corrections bobble the chassis and require throttle inputs to help compensate for the changes in steering angle. Maybe the focus noting harsh changes into sport mode and downshifts in the other parts of this thread are tweaking the car at the wrong time and provoking the reaction they experience.
I basically brake late, so I get up close to the corner before applying the brakes, I get off the brakes at the corner entry, turn the wheel, set the chassis with a bit of throttle to start the turn. With the V-8, I do mean a bit of throttle.... As you round the apex, apply throttle as you release your turning lock.
Because my car is so new (only 120 miles on it), I have yet to really work some corners, however, there is a nice shallow angle corner (60 degree raduis) with a speed limit of 55 that I have pushed a bit since you don't really need to rev very much to go through it. My A6 takes that corner much flatter than my A4 ever did.
11-18-2001, 06:40 AM
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I'll have to borrow someone's digital camera...I think I know where I can get one for a day.
I'm not sure pictures will show the paint effect as well as an in-the-flesh viewing will, but I do want to take some pictures of my baby while she is young at heart.
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11-18-2001, 06:42 AM
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Have not had that experience yet
My car is young and I have any cut it lose two times so far.
My '98 A4 did some rather abrupt things, so I'm sure I've had the experience you describe before. As I get to have more fun with the car, I'll let you know if anything happens.
My '98 A4 did some rather abrupt things, so I'm sure I've had the experience you describe before. As I get to have more fun with the car, I'll let you know if anything happens.
11-18-2001, 09:27 AM
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With regards to your cornering technique, may I suggest that you try
something different.
Come in the corner more or less the same way as you mention, but maybe a bit slower so that you do not brake while turning the wheels. Once you stopped braking and start turning the wheels, apply power from then on, that is much before the apex. By applying power only at the apex you loose time and speed.
Also clip the corner some 2 or 3 feet after the apex.
Enjoy your car.
Come in the corner more or less the same way as you mention, but maybe a bit slower so that you do not brake while turning the wheels. Once you stopped braking and start turning the wheels, apply power from then on, that is much before the apex. By applying power only at the apex you loose time and speed.
Also clip the corner some 2 or 3 feet after the apex.
Enjoy your car.
11-18-2001, 11:18 AM
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If you want to drift ( not the fastest way ), go fast and keep braking as you enter the corner.
The nose stays weighted, but the back end has less traction, and starts to step out. Once you have the desires drift angle, get hard on the gas. You may have to counter-steer a bit. All of this happens very fast. It should be a hard fast smooth stab on the brakes, so that too much speed is not lost.