I'm looking for owner perspective on the A6 handling.Yes, handling can be a subjective thing, and I know the answers maybe bias on a A6 forum....but..it's a Sunday and I'm at least a week away from getting to drive one, soooo....

I currently have a 6 year old BMW 335i coupe. I really love the way it handles but I'm now looking for a little more comfort and size.
However, I do not want something that is too boring to drive.

We test drove the 535i and 550i but did not like the way they handled. There was a dead spot in the middle and the cars wanted to wander on the road a bit. The interiors were nice but nothing special.
The new 335i feels okay, but imho the car does not handle as well as mine and I do not like the new interior.

Most of the issues I have with the new BMW is the switch to the EPS. I figure if I'm going to have to live with that, might as well give Audi a shot (I understand the A6 has EPS as well). So, with all that in mind, how does the A6 drive? I have read the steering is too light (on this board). Does the car feel tank solid in the rain, on the highway? Does it want to wander or is it fairly straight and true? I'm pretty certain if the handling is there an A6 will be my next car.

 

I have A6 now for 3 weeks and very impressed with its handling. I also kept 2009 E60 535i after lease was up as you noted F10 has departed from hydraulic steering and EPS does not provide same feedback, in X drive F10 the steering is hydraulic but still not same like E60 or 335i (E90).

Now back to A6, the steering is light at low speed but it firms up at highway speed no pulling to right or left and good center feel. On turns very stable but I'm not pushing car as it is in break in period.

A6 Track video below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7kvLxcpg0s

Transmission is 8 speed and you can adjust throttle response/steering (make it heavier) via MMI. Similar to Dynamic handling Pkg in F10.
F10 was higher than A6 by about 6K, maybe little bit better as interior seating (some compared stitches on door sides that A6 do not have), but I really cared more about handling given E60 hard to compare against. I would test drive A6 and check Dynamic mode setting, but steering is light gets heavy at high speeds, also can be adjusted via MMI. Check also performance comaparison againt F10 (track perspective). Finally F10 track video is at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ3gusdmTnc

 

You came to the right place. I had a 2011 BMW 535i xdrive for only 1 year and sold it. Why? Because after 15k miles I hated the way the car felt. It was numb and isolating and the suspensions did not do well on highways with the soft dampers on the standard suspension causing wallowy vibrations in the car on most highways with rough asphalts and grooved cements. It was unsettling at times and did wander a bit but corrected with alignment after 2 times. I even got rid of the terrible runflats for all season Michelin pilot sport which helped improved the ride and handling. I also had bent rims from factory that was causing shimmy throughout car that was replaced at no cost. The car is not a typical BMW. I have a 2008 BMW 335xi coupe and we all love it.

So I drove the 2012 Audi A6 and I loved it alot more than the 5. It felt smooth, composed, and the steering felt as good as BMW but not as numb. It also has a great engine that revs nicely and the ride can be adjusted with the Audi Drive control. All this in a package that is almost 5-6k less than the 5 I had! The Audi did better over bad roads and uneven highways and felt more "planted" than the 5.

 

Not too many cars can compare to the 3 series in handling, its asking too much in my opinion to compare a mid size luxury sport sedan to the best handling small car in its class. With that said, the A6 with sport package comes pretty close to the 3 series in handling, but the 3 series still have a big advantage in steering feel.
I test drove the 535iX last year when I bought my A6. The A6 definitly handle better and the steering is a bit better on the A6 if you put the steering in dynamic mode, the 535iX's steering is a bit tighter at low speed. The powertrain of the A6 is more responsive, no lag, the interior of the A6 blows the BMW away. That and the price is what sold me on the A6.

 

I agree with GMan, comparing the 3-series handling with the A6 is not a fair comparison at all (I also had an 07 E92 BMW which I loved very much). If that is the kind of road feel/handling you really crave, better compare with vehicles similar in size/power/weight. That being said, my new 2012 A6 with the 19" sport package and Goodyear Eagle F1 tires really surprised me in a very good way. EPS issues are non-existent. Of course it's very light at low speeds--which I prefer over the BMW's much heavier effort--but as mentioned in these posts it firms up nicely at speed and stays direct with just a tiny bit of tramline in the big ruts on our concrete slab freeways out here. I was prepared to hate the summer performance tire ride and handling, especially in the cooler temps of winter--but the car is absolutely spot-on in both handling and ride. It is linear, direct and seems to anticpate my every move--which is something few sedans of the A6 size can do. Bend it into a curve, and it simply pulls through it with a very fluidic poise. Overcook it a bit, you get a bit of understeer push then it collects itself and rockets on to the next one. It makes me look like a much better driver than I am. Audi's always have more road (tire) noise than expected--but its no worse at highway speed than my '10 A6 with 18" sport package. You will love the new A6--just get the 19" sport package and there will be no regrets.

 

Thank you to all who replied. I rally appreciate the insight only a owner can provide, especially ones that came over from a BMW. It was expected that the A6 would not have steering as good as the BMW 3.I was hoping that it would be a good bit better than the 5 series and it sounds like it is. Can't wait to get my test drive in. Starting to sound like my next car will be a A6.

 

I narrowed down my choices to 535i or A6 and bought the A6. I liked both, but the accelerator lag on the BMW was horrendous. And the A6 had better finish and technology.

But after driving my A6 for a week I LOVE the handling. Its light but very sure. You can corner wonderfully and its responsive at fast and slow speeds. Lighter than the BMW and really nice.

 

Yes, the turbo lag is bad and I had to get that fixed on my 2011 5 and it helped but did not feel very natural or quick like the A6 engine and the A6 feels alot lighter on its feet than the 5 which was a bit slow to react at times with quick handling. I'm glad the 5 is gone now. If I had to do it all over again I would of waited few months and got the A6 when it came out. My father has a 2006 Audi A8L and has put about 165k miles and its running great with little issues. I have been pushing him to getting that car for a long time until he finally purchased it 5 years ago. That's the testament to the Audi build qualities these days. So back to my point, I say A6 wins hands down.

 

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