Test drive Audi A6 2005 - 2008 sedan

Business Balance

Audi A6 from the point of view of the top manager
 
Two months have passed since the day the Audi A6 sedan appeared in the editorial fleet. The car, taken intentionally under the chef, honestly left the time he had given to him and in complete health returned to the company's representative office in Russia. Despite the fact that three people were in turn, including the author of these lines, professing not the most serene driving style, and the chef lives outside the city. In general, a strong car, not afraid of Russian conditions. And also - representative, roomy, fast, comfortable ...
 
 
 
 
 
 
The kinship of symbols
 
No, it was not for nothing that Audi won the title of the best corporate car last year. It seems to be everything in models with 4 rings on the radiator grille in the same way as their competitors in a large German three, but cars from Ingolstadt are increasingly crowding rivals in corporate parks. Therefore, in my opinion, Audi, like no other brand, is suitable for managers of a successful company. After all, both symbols are approximately the same - confidence, dynamism, positive emotions. It is not known how, but the Audi chef Walter da Silva managed to realize these ideas in metal. Moreover, all the latest models turned out to be emotional - from the compact A3 to the flagship A8. In this material we will talk about A6 with a three -liter V6 with a capacity of 218 hp, equipped with an automatic TipTronic transmission and Quattro all -wheel drive.
 
It was such a car for two months that he drove our editor -in -chief and general director in one person. More precisely, he drove himself, only occasionally using the services of the driver, like a playing coach who does not think to lose taste for experiments and journalistic work. To him the word: - I am sure that A6 Quattro is a great version of a corporate car for top managers. Moreover, it is precisely in a good configuration and a stopping engine that it should be enough, but there should not be an excess so that you do not sharpen the thought that you paid for something that you do not use one hundred percent. And I would have described Audi A6 three zero, as an example of an ideal business balance. Not to say that the engine is amazing with efficiency (I was refueled every three to four days for a thousand rubles), but I always had a feeling - not a gram of fuel is consumed idle. The car is fast enough, and all -wheel drive gives a feeling of confidence. Well, and about the comfort of the new generation A6, we already seemed to talk. But you know what was especially pleased with this winter? The fact that the machine is extremely warm is quickly warming up and creates a wonderful cozy atmosphere in the cabin. Of course, someone will prefer A8, but for me, so it is too great for everyday trips around the city. Especially if you sit behind the wheel. And the image, from my point of view, in A6 is quite enough.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Stream or ice - not interference
 
Indeed, the new A6 looks very respectable. But at the same time, I emphasize, very sporty. This is how a successful athlete, which was dressed up for a secular reception in the tailcoat, looks. Sports anger in this case manifests itself only in a glance, in the gaze. Audi has a fighting character is also hidden on his face - this is a massive grille of a radiator with a hood overhanging over it. Yes, and the rest of the body did not fail - are just as strong and slightly aggressive. And on the road, even in the Moscow crowd you do not experience any problems: they treat the car with respect, especially if you turn on the near light: xenon flashes paired with a formidable front hand instantly clear the way.
 
To match the appearance and temperament A6.
 
“I would not say that this car is from the category of those in which you simply transfer the machine gun to the Drive position and do not touch anything else except pedals and steering wheel,” says Oleg Osipov. - Yes, paired with the automatic transmission of the motor is enough for powerful acceleration and from a place, and with 140 km/h. But in the city I often used the sports mode: Tiptronic allows you to activate it almost instantly, on the go, as well as return to Drive mode. The box briskly reconfigrates to a completely different algorithm of work, no delays on the actions of the accelerator pedal, the motor can be promoted to at least maximum revolutions. At the same time, there is a special contact with a car that understands you, as they say, at a glance. When you are in a hurry, you are sharply rebuilt or a difficult situation arises on the road - this function is simply irreplaceable.
 
Our main did not mention another automatic function - a manual selection of transmissions. To do this, it is necessary to push the automatic transmission selector from yourself, which is in the Drive position, and then sort out the ranges. Either the selector itself, pushing it back and forth, or with the help of steering wheel petals.
 
- I used this function, and I do not consider it superfluous. Several times - for the sake of fun, passing the ligaments of the turns and not wanting the automatic transmission to suddenly jump for increased gear. But more often - by necessity, or for boring safety, if you like, when there was a terrible ice under the wheels. After all, the manual mode allows you to slowly slow down on slippery coating, without pressing once again, or too much, on the brake pedal - it is easier to avoid possible drift.
 
Cabinet on wheels
 
As for the salon, it can be considered a miniature office. It offers the driver and passengers - convenient front chairs with a lot of adjustments, passengers behind were provided with a roomy sofa with a long pillow and armrest. But again I will give the word to the chief editor of AI:
 
- Although on the back sofa A6 I only had to go through once, after a long flight, I can say that it is really convenient there. Firstly, a comfortable sofa from which you do not roll even with intense braking. Secondly, and it became a revelation for me, there is almost no shaking there, so it is not difficult to work on a laptop. In the ceiling there is a navigator of directed light: it does not interfere with the driver and at the same time brightly illuminates the book or documents that need to be viewed. In general, on occasion, I will not refuse to ride again as a passenger. The only thing I added (already as a driver) to the salon is a removable equipment for speakerphone.
 
In addition to the mentioned amenities, there are several more important options in the A6 salon. These are curtains in the rear compartment, which can be fenced off from fussy reality. The one on the rear window rises by electric motors. Those on the side windows are manually. And in this office there is a very good audio system with a CD changer for 6 discs in a glove compartment and with a screen, on which, by the way, you can take television programs (though it is worth moving from a place, the image disappears, only the sound remains, which is done for the sake the same safety).
 
Flit prospects
 
And what will be the flue manager who is responsible for the car and is finished off for all expenses for its maintenance? It seems easy. Given that the costs of A6 by the standards of the business class (the car belongs to the E segment) not so much. The first and main spending is the model itself. The A6 dealers salons in very good configuration are offered for $ 66,613. The price includes all the options described above, plus cruise control, a complete set of airbags and electronic systems that help keep the machine under constant control. Naturally, corporate clients are offered discounts, the size of which is specified in each individual case. Further - spending on the service. The frequency of then for A6 is 15,000 km, that is, per year with a considerable run of 40-45 thousand kilometers in the technical center will have to be visited three times. In total, this will cost $ 850. True, this is without taking into account discounts to corporate clients, and they account for 15% for work and 10% for spare parts. For a car of the head of the company or top manager, there are quite moderate expenses.
 
Brief technical characteristics Audi A6 3.0 Quattro
Engine volume, cubic meter. See: 2976
The number of valves for the cylinder: 4
Power, l. With. at about./min.: 218/6300
Max. Torque, Nm/at about. min.: 290/3200
Acceleration to 100 km/h, p.: 8.5
Maximum speed, km/h: 241
Average fuel consumption l./100 km.: 11.3
Fuel tank volume, l.: 70
Car mass, kg.: 1735
Dimensions, mm.: 4916x1855x1459
 
Sergey Ilyinsky
 

A source: Newspaper "Automobile Izvestia" [No. 1-2 (70), 2005]