audi40

I'm considering an A6 TDI which my dealer tells me will be hitting the lots in mid-July. In the meantime, would be curious to hear feedback on performance and MPG from any A8L TDI owners out there.

Thanks

audi40

Test drove an A8 TDI tonite, as a prelude to ordering an A6 TDI which aren't on the lots yet. My impressions:

Tons of torque available when accelerating @ highway speeds or while rolling; however, defintely sensed some "turbo lag" when accelerating from a stop - my 3.0T A6 definitely seems to pull much quicker from a dead stop.

Exhaust note from the TDI sounded great under acceleration.

Couldn't believe how "floaty" the A8 seemed compared to my A6 (was in "Auto" mode), but then again it's a much bigger/different car - it sure gobbled up the highway miles very smoothly.

All-in-all, I can't wait to order/drive an A6 TDI with the sport package.

jakematic

Thanks for the info, haven't had a chance to test one yet.
I've been concerned about the "get up and go" based on what I've seen so far.
Torque is nice, but it takes more than that to melt my butter.

Floaty
As nice as our A6 is it's quite a difference between the two models...

audi40

Maybe "floaty" wasn't the best characterization....in a staight-line on the highway it was certainly buttoned-down, but it sure didn't handle the on/off-ramps like my 6. Then again, it was in auto mode and I'd imagine dynamic mode wouldVe improved the cornering - I wasn't that interested in playing around with the settings though since I was just driving it to get a feel for the TDI.

jakematic

ROFL. Let's just say every time I'm in the passenger seat of the A6 I use the Oh **** Handle.
Our C6 is an S-Line without air suspension so it feels totally different to me.

I have returned the favour more than once though as we go whipping around a sharp corner, eyes get huge and a "Umm, how fast are we going?!?!?!?" gets squeaked out

busstuf

My ordered A8 TDI has 1k on it currently.Very little difference in acceleration from my D3 4.2. Lags a bit because of the turbo.Fuel mileage is at 34mpg and the TDI engine is as quiet as a gasser. Liking it so far!
TF

jakematic

34 mpg highway, city, or combined ?

I just got back from an 850 mile road trip and got 31 calculated (not computer) on my 4.2.
Sure hope yours is city milage....

busstuf

Jakematic: It was combined,but most of it was driving in Chicago and burbs. I will be doing a 1k road trip soon and the TDI is suppose to have 800 mile range. We shall see.

jakematic

That's great, thanks for the update !

Just made the connection of your handle, d'oh... good to hear from you again.

perlfather

The highway mileage should be substantially better with the TDI (36 vs. 28). The EPA numbers indicate a 29% improvement and the car magazines seem to confirm this. That is significant. Let's see some actual data from drivers on this forum.