Absolutely awesome; Supercharged A6 thrills with its power and poise, writes JOHN SCANTLEBURY.Byline: JOHN SCANTLEBURY THE man who delivered the test car had just one word for it: "Awesome." And the new A6 would soon take my breath away, too. I could tell you about all the technical, design and equipment improvements, but it's the new, supercharged su·per·charge tr.v. su·per·charged, su·per·charg·ing, su·per·charg·es 1. To increase the power of (an engine, for example), as by fitting with a supercharger. 2. three-litre TFSI TFSI bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, trifluoromethanesulfonimide TFSI Task Force on Statistical Inference TFSI Turbocharged Fuel Stratified Injection (automotive) TFSI Turbo Fuel Stratified Injection V6 power pack that delivers the real "wow" factor. Pumping out 286bhp, and producing pull that reaches a massive 309lb/ft way down at 2500 revs, it is a beast of the highest order and the pride of the new range of engines. It easily takes this 1725kg, five-metre long car to 155mph - and would cheerfully go beyond that if a limiter lim·it·er n. 1. One that limits: a limiter of choices. 2. Electronics A circuit that prevents the amplitude of a waveform from exceeding a specified value. Also called clipper. wasn't in place. Neither does it waste time getting there. But the pin-youback acceleration tells only part of the tale. The really impressive bit is how well the car copes with all this shove. Control was the hallmark of the previous A6, and it has been enhanced further in the new one. Audi's all-wheel drive, along with stability and traction controls, give the saloon its surefootedness. I tested an S line model, which added sports suspension settings to the mix. It didn't bring jarring discomfort with it either, because Audi have managed to combine handling certainty with a highly absorbent absorbent /ab·sor·bent/ (-sor´bent) 1. able to take in, or suck up and incorporate. 2. a tissue structure involved in absorption. 3. a substance that absorbs or promotes absorption. ride. To add to the driving pleasure, the standard six-speed automatic transmission has a sports mode. For do-it-yourself satisfaction, there's tiptronic operation and paddle An input device that moves the screen cursor in a back-and-forth motion. It has a dial and one or more buttons and is typically used in games to hit balls and steer objects. See joy stick. Paddle - A language for transformations leading from specification to program. change as well. Also on the credit side - surprisingly so, given the performance stats - is the economy from the 3.0 TFSI. I just about hit 40mpg on the open road and beat 30mpg on average. As always with Audi, the cabin design and layout is exemplary. The S line adds special features such as black headlining, brushed aluminium inserts along with chrome highlights, and sports seats in Milano leather. There's class about the whole thing, and that's also true of the exterior. The A6 has strong, flowing lines, but isn't too flashy. Spot the two tailpipes on the 3.0 TFSI and you may suspect that the general elegance is hiding something quite wicked - and you would be right. Factfile: Model: Audi A6 3.0 TFSI quattro S line Engine: Three-litre supercharged V6 petrol Power: 286bhp 0-62mph: 5.9 seconds Fuel economy: 30.1mpg CO2 emissions: 219g/km Warranty: Three years/60,000 miles Price: pounds 37,830 On sale: Now |
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