bradaudi

I have a 2009 A4 and hope to upgrade in the near future. I bought the A4 new and like everything about it, but would be looking for more performance in a replacement.

I've driven the BMW 335, 435 and MB C350, but performance felt about the same as the A4 (I've added an APR tune). I've considered a new S4, as it will definitely give me a performance boost, but since the B8 platform is coming to end of life , I may be better off looking elsewhere. In addition to the S6, the only other high performance luxury sedan (in my price range) that comes to mind is the Cadillac CTS vSport - very similar specs to the S6. Unfortunately, GM hasn't figured out how to put an AWD transmission into the vSport yet, and RWD just won't work in our driving conditions.

From what I've read about the 2016 S6, this may be the car for me. Unfortuntely, there's limited S6 supply at the local dealership so I haven't had a chance to drive one and determine if the performance difference justifies the significantly higher price.

I'd be interested to hear from anyone that's upgraded from an A4 to an S6 with regard to performance and handling. One gripe I've always had with the A4 was the delay as the turbo spooled up, seemed to catch me awkward times. I'm assuming this would be non-existant with the V8 on the S6 - but I'd like confirmation.

Also, does anyone know what the longevity of the current S6 platform (C7) is. I understand the C7 was released in 2012, so a 7 year cycle (I think that's the Audi standard) puts the next major refresh in 2019. With the facelift available in Q1 2015 as a MY2016, this seems like a strategic time to buy.

Opinions would be much appreciated.

Boost Addiction

I came from a B5 S4, but my 2015 S6 is miles ahead of the (now 15 year old) S4. The engine never seems to be out of the powerband, the transmission shifts really quickly, and the rest of the car is just pretty incredible.

The 4-series cars are smaller, and the handling feel is different. The S6 has really high limits for its size, but you do feel the size of the car when cornering hard.

Except for occasional off-idle jerkiness that I think is related to transmission tuning, I think the car is a tremendous value in its class. I didn't test drive an S6 before I ordered mine, but a drive in the 3.0 A6 gave me good insight into the size and interior details. The rest I assumed (correctly, for me) would be there in the S version.

bradaudi

Thanks for the response. I've read a few posts about turbo lag with the S6 that seemed to be affecting MY2013-14 - have you experienced any performance delays at low RPM? Or does your S6 pull hard from a standing or rolling start?

I also like the fact that the S6 has more space and offers a bit more comfort for the rear seat passengers. Probably a reasonable compromise to the limits this would impose on handling.

gk1

The smaller cars almost always handle better. However IMO out of all of the Audis I have had this one is the best compromise between comfort and sporty handling of a large car. This is undoubtedly due to the air suspension. I'm sure a DRC suspension would be to harsh for my tastes and a standard suspension would be too soft.

From a power perspective the S6 will be obviously much greater than the A4...even tuned. Similar to stage 2 B8 S4 power. Although I'm not sure how the CTS-V factors in here, it is less expensive, a lot more powerful, gets abysmal mileage and as you said, no AWD.

The S6's Achilles heel does appear to be the DBW throttle. While it is not horrid, it can be noticed by some and may be compared to turbo lag. I had a B7 A4 that was much worse in this respect. If you are coming from a manual trans car then you will likely never be happy with the S6 throttle trans combo. The 3.0T has better throttle response, but get the S6 in the correct gear or floor it in dynamic and it's a missile.

bradaudi

Hmmmm - for an additional $30k for the S6, I'd expect that there should be nothing that performs better on the 3.0T vs. the 4.0T........ I get that the S6 is usually fast as hell, but still...........

gk1

You'd think so, but it is what it is, since the extra $$$$ is more than just the motor and the difference between a prestige A6 3.0T and the S6 is about $15k and the carbon, s-tronic, sport seats, sport diff, and air suspension are not possible on the A6.

RobC

The lag that folks are talking about is throttle lag (as opposed to turbo lag) when reapplying throttle immediately after braking to slower speeds such as a slow speed turn, or almost coming to a stop in traffic. For me it's these 2 specific conditions when I get this lag. BMW owners have complained of this quite a bit too, which makes me think it's programmed into the software.

Some think it's the transmission trying to decide what gear to be in, but at the slow speeds it occurs for me, I don't think it's the case and I still see the symptom when I'm in manual mode.

The first time it happens it can be dangerous because you might be trying to scoot across or merge into traffic. But once you become familiar with this behavior, you learn to deal with it and can drive around it.

The other performance related thing I don't like is the car's propensity to only shift into 1st gear if you've come to a complete stop for more than about a second. This is part of the car's effort to save fuel by staying in a higher gear. One second doesn't sound like a big deal if you've not experienced it, but it's surprising how often you just barely come to a stop before moving again. In most cases it's not really a problem, but sometimes you want the maximum torque offered by 1st gear, such as starting off on an incline.

Given these 2 issues above, the rest of the car is good enough that I wouldn't hesitate to buy another S6 if I had to replace mine (unless I could financially talk myself into an RS7). Power is awesome (especially if you're chipped), brakes are good, car handles well for its weight, interior space is good, LED headlights are nice, interior quality is a step above the lower lines. Fuel mileage on the highway is pretty good (I get around 25-27 MPG) but plummets when you use the power often, or drive mostly city like I do.

I don't hesitate to recommend the car as long as you're not expecting a nimble (read lightweight), slot-car experience. You have to accept that there are some handling tradeoffs in a 4300 lb car.

bradaudi

Thanks for that perspective on throttle lag vs. turbo lag. I recall having similar discussions regarding on the A4 to explain it's behaviour when attempting to quickly accelerate after reducing RPM (i.e. slowing for a turn or in slower traffic).

I suppose whether it's turbo lag or throttle lag, the outcome is the same, you just can't get to where you need to be fast enough. I guess I have this expectation that in a performance car at this price, I should never have to experience a delay while the car tries to figure out what it's doing. It's made for some scary merging attempts in stop and go traffic.

As you mention, some of this lag seems to goes away (even in the A4) by manual shifting to force it to hold a lower gear longer or using Sport mode. Although, this sounds more like the second issue with the car not shifting into 1st gear at lower RPM's after slowing from a higher speed.

Based on the way you describe it, this condition (throttle lag specifically) almost sounds like a design feature for Audi across both the A4 and A6/S6 models. This performance issue is about the only thing I haven't liked about the A4 - so would really have to give the S6 a second thought if it's a problem there as well.

I wonder if any of that has changed with the 2016 S6. They've tuned the engine to add another 30HP, so maybe Audi has found a way to eliminate the lag we're experiencing. I was considering ordering an S6 without a test drive, but that might not be wise.

amelen

The transmission has also been upgraded, so I'm hoping they finally fixed the throttle lag issue. I haven't seen any 2016 reviews mention throttle lag at all actually.

Driven: 2016 Audi S6 Sedan (Europe) - Fourtitude.com

SamLV

It may seem OT, but I'm considering an S6, and the A7 keeps coming on the radar.

A7 is a bit longer, wider, and the difference in power, in all but the most manual effort pushes, isn't so big that it makes up for the nose-heavy feel of the S6. (Feels like it is plowing around; it handles fine, just feels a bit odd and can't be tossed about)

So, drive both hard around corners, and you may take the A7 seriously; I certainly am. The only downside is the back seat.... But I'm thinking I may not need it as much as I thought since my lady just bought a Q5 3.0 Sport.

FWIW

In any case, enjoy the ride! That's what life's about, really.