Test drove the PSK six speed today that I might buy and here is my impression. Definately feels stiffer than standard, but not dramatically so. Has much less body lean than standard but those tires sure are wimpy. They give up the gost before the chassis and definately howl to let you know. And the steering? Couldn't get much more numb than it already is, IMO. Waaaaay too overboosted. Less boost would do much for the car. How about that shifter? Sure is rubbery feeling and feels like it is conected by rubberbands. Now I know what everyone complains about. That UUC short shifter is a must have. Motor is strong but doesant feel as strong as I remember it feeling when I test drove one six months ago. Will take awhile to get used to the clutch release point upon takeoff. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that the engine is soo quiet. Too quiet, IMO. I would like to hear a little more snarl. Don't get me wrong, its a nice car and I like it, but for some reason I just don't feel excited about it. Shouldn't I be? I wish I was but I din't really feel it. Maybe it has to do with the exterior, which I think looks too anonymous. I'm sure new rims will make all the difference in the world but I'm still not sure that that will do it for me. Thats an expensive gamble. Buy car, new rims and then be disapointed if I'm still not happy. Maybe I still have pre-purchase jitters and I am looking for way's to talk myself out of it. Even so, I still feel like I should be more excited. Any comments? BAD10

 

Yep-sounds like you should be looking at something else

 

<I>Definately feels stiffer than standard, but not dramatically so. Has much less body lean than standard </I>

Agree. It's not a kidney rattler, it's just much more stable, especially at highway speeds. It also corners much better and is lower. I may or may not move to bilstein dampers, though I doubt I'll do springs - the car is low enough.

<I>those tires sure are wimpy </I>

Which tires? The stock 2.7's were certainly so; my PSK car came with Dunlop SP9000s. While I am no tire expert, I'd not call them wimpy. I'm quite pleased with them.

<I>And the steering? Couldn't get much more numb than it already is, IMO</I>

Yes, though not so bad. It's way overboosted at low speeds; at 40+, it's fine. I expect that 17" tires will solve this across the board.

<I>How about that shifter? </I>

Long throws, UUC may help, after two weeks in the car, don't care. May or may not do UUC upgrade. Not a major issue.

<I> Motor is strong but doesant feel as strong as I remember it feeling when I test drove one six months ago.</I>

This was my original take on the car. Was I wrong. This car <U>goes</U>. It goes <U>fast</U>. Think again.

//Greg

 

This is your decision - don't look for someone to talk you into this.

The longer I've owned my 2.7T 6M the happier I've been with it. I'll get used to the engine, go on a trip and drive a rental car - then rediscover how great the 2.7 turbo is. I am also one of those rare people who seems to like the stock shifter. It took me about 5 minutes to get used to finding the gears - the restoring springs don't get in my way and provide a quick tactile guide to position on 2-3 and 4-5 shifts. I drove several BMW's along the way to picking this car - didn't really have any strong preference on the shifter but preferred the BMW clutch - which a lot of people dislike (including my wife). I also don't mind the steering - it is less boosted at speed. The engine is quiet but you can hear it if you let the revs up - that's the fun of a manual transmission.

They've clearly made a tradeoff towards comfort and ride quality from handling with the stock tire and wheel selections. Audi should offer 17" wheels as an option or with the Sport Package - aftermarket can help you out here.

There is no universal answer here - people sweat over these Consumer Reports or Car and Driver rankings. I went for a drive in a friend's Porsche 928 the other week - lots of fun with ridiculous amounts of power and handling - but you'd be sick of it after a week if it were your daily car. In my opinion, Audi is making outstanding cars that fit my need very well.

Make your decision during the morning - at night people tend to worry more - in bed wondering what you're doing spending that much money on a car. I sleep soundly after buying this car.

Peter

 

I have a 2.7t without PSK and I do feel the springs are a little soft so I have ordered the Audi sport springs. The car is very fast compared to other cars in it's class but if you want it to go even faster you can get one of the "chips" from APR, TAP, MTM and others. I have driven a 2.7t with an APR chipped ECU and it is very fast, a dramatic increase in torque. I was accelerating hard at 140mph at 8000 ft altitude and the car could clearly gone much faster. As far as tires are concerned, the ones that came on my car might have been ok for snow but for performance they were totaly unacceptable. You need at least a 17 x 8 wheel with 235/45/17 Z rated tires. I put on that size Dunlop SP 8000s and the car felt dramatically better (but I still think you should get the PSK or sport springs).

The interior is just as nice as my 740il though not as big in the back. The seats are more comfortable than the 740 on long trips. I like the panel better than the 740 also. You will not find a better car for the money and the Quattro is really nice even if you don't drive in snow.

 

my Audi is perfect. I go to school in it everyday. But on the weekend I get to go out to my ranch, that is a 1 hour drive of fun. So the car is perfect in the city and a lot of fun at faster speeds. I used to drive a Lincoln Navigator and that was a tank! My car does not have PSK but I love it anyhow. I drove both PSK and stock and I really didn't think I needed the PSK. I love my car so much as is. What really got me to buy the car was the trade off of comfort, power, and fun. Everything peterl said I agreed with.

Enjoy it if you get it,
Chris (Nomad323)<p>2000 A6 2.7T Tiptronic
Cashmere Gray
San Antonio, TX

 

B10: Be still my son. You will soon find the errors of your thoughts, and find the light. I am willing to bet the car you first test drove had more than double the miles of your second drive. I noticed with my 97 1.8T and my PSK/6 that the first thousand miles REALLY loosens up the Audi engines. The 215/55/16 tire on this car I am convinced was placed there to keep uncommitted BMW faithful from breaking ranks. It is for sure, the no brainer way to pick up .5g and double the steering feel in one fell swoop. I chalk this up to Audi targeting this car to much older age group, and not accounting for the 90's boom economy bringing this auto into the range of a buyer 10 years younger. Dont mess up. Go get that thing now. SM

 

Bad10, Huge performance gains can be made by upgrading tire. UUC is also a no brainer. Dont lose site that these cars are "executive saloons" as they are categorized in Europe. The 2.7T and 4.2 (which is what I have) are high powered and fast, but they are still sedans. Absolutely wonderful sedans.

It almost sounds like you are expecting "sports car" performance out of them. I love my 4.2, but if I did not have a 4 year old daughter and in-laws in their mid 70's, I would have bought a Boxster S or an M Coupe or S4. Possibly even a 993 S4. But I have a four year old and unusually older in-laws considering my wifes age of 35. This is "my reality" as I call it. Therefore I had to settle on a "sensible sedan". Trust us, The 2.7T hauls ***, even if it is a "saloon". They really are fun to drive on an open road.

I agree about the steering, but I am not sure it isn't a side-effect of all-wheel drive. There is a lot more moving and powered parts up front. I have never driven a front driver or all-wheel car that was not slightly numb in steering. The traction of Quattro IV more than makes up for this compromise though (especially in rainy/snowy Oregon where I live).

However, everybody has different and distinct likes and dislikes, and maybe an A6 is not your cup of tea. I had buyers remorse for about two weeks after I took delivery of my 4.2. I thought I should have purchased the 540i. But then I got my 4.2 through the break-in period and got to take it on three road trips to sparsely populated Central Oregon (in a mix of heavy rain, some wet snow and cold sunshine) and now I am in love with my car and know that it was the right car for me. No more buyers remorse!

Good luck and I hope this post was not too long :-)

 

Bad10,

It <i>really</i> sounds like this is not really what you want... You sound like a BMW person to me (neither a good nor bad thing). I personally love the look of the A6. A good friend of mine just bought a 528i, because he thinks the A6 looks like a Ford Taurus. It seems the BMWs are also <i>a little more</i> performance-oriented, at least in terms of suspension, shifter, and agressive look.

I personally love my new 2.7T. I don't have the PSK, and would probably prefer it (wasn't able to even test drive one), but I'm sure my wife would find it too stiff. They had pretty much what I wanted on the lot, and didn't feel it was necessary to order and wait (OK, so I'm impatient). I can upgrade components in a few years, if I start to get bored with it.

I don't have any problem with the SP9000s that were on mine... of course, I haven't really pushed the car yet (only 430 miles so far).

The shifer's a little annoying. My problem with the center-return spring is with downshifting. I don't have any problems on the way up, but going 6-5 tends to pull it into 3, and going 3-2 tends to pull it into 4 (ACK). I'm sure it'll take a little getting used to.

I am <i>in love</i> with this car. I look forward to driving it every day!

If you don't love it before buying it, though, you probably shouldn't.

Later and good luck,
Jeff

 

Don't get married if you're not in love.