fzanetti Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 2009 Audi A6 3.0T Quattro - Short Take Road Test The A6’s new supercharged V-6 and a revised suspension bode well for Audi’s future. BY K.C. COLWELL, PHOTOGRAPHY BY AARON KILEY AND THE MANUFACTURER July 2009 If it’s true that Audi is headed for a future of fuel-conscious supercharged V-6s and turbocharged four-cylinders instead of its current stable of powerful but carbon-plundering V-8s, V-10s, and even a W-12, the first entrant in that scaled-down scenario has arrived, the A6 3.0T Quattro. With an Eaton four-lobe supercharger—capable of boosting the intake pressure to a maximum of 11.6 psi—married to a 3.0-liter V-6, the A6 3.0T Quattro makes 300 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. This is basically the same engine that will power the upcoming 333-hp 2010 Audi S4. Mash the gas from a stop, and the 3.0T delivers linear power that propels the 4114-pound sedan to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds, 1.5 seconds sooner than the old 255-hp, 3.1-liter A6 Quattro hit that mark. Sure, the BMW 535i xDrive and Mercedes E550 4MATIC are quicker, but the BMW requires twin turbos, and the Benz has eight cylinders. More importantly, neither can match the 3.0T’s 18 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway. A big surprise is that this new Audi even outruns the current V-8–powered A6 4.2 Quattro—despite the bigger engine’s 50-hp advantage. Nice, too, is the absence of a supercharger’s whine, as buyers in this class might think twice before plunking down $52,425 to be hounded by a shrill whistle on their daily commutes. (Some staffers were so surprised they got out of the car to search for the “3.0T” badges on the front fenders; the “T” now refers to both turbo- and supercharged engines.) Specifications VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan PRICE AS TESTED: $52,425 (base price: $50,925) ENGINE TYPE: supercharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection Displacement: 183 cu in, 2995cc Power (SAE net): 300 bhp @ 5100 rpm Torque (SAE net): 310 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manumatic shifting DIMENSIONS: Wheelbase: 111.9 in Length: 193.5 in Width: 79.2 in Height: 57.4 in Curb weight: 4114 lb C/D TEST RESULTS: Zero to 60 mph: 5.5 sec Zero to 100 mph: 14.0 sec Zero to 130 mph: 21.5 sec Street start, 5–60 mph: 5.9 sec Standing ¼-mile: 14.0 sec @ 100 mph Top speed (governor limited): 127 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 167 ft Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.82 g FUEL ECONOMY: EPA city/highway driving: 18/26 mpg __________________________________________ http://www.caranddriver.com/var/ezwebin_site/storage/images/media/images/2009_audi_a6_inline_2/2120986-1-eng-US/2009_audi_a6_inline_2.jpg __________________________________________ http://www.caranddriver.com/var/ezwebin_site/storage/images/media/images/2009_audi_a6_30t_quattro_104__1/2121019-1-eng-US/2009_audi_a6_30t_quattro_104.jpg __________________________________________ Previous A6s with 18-inch wheels were not fit for the broken roads of Michigan. Audi engineers must have been reading our pages because the retuned bits suspending this model perform much better. No longer is every road imperfection transmitted to the vehicle’s occupants. Once again, staffers were in disbelief that the car was riding on 18s and stepped out to examine the tires themselves. If this is Audi’s future, maybe we won’t be missing those big-bore engines that currently reside alongside this force-fed six. Flavio Zanetti Boston, MA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilT Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 4114 lbs Shave 500 lbs from that and it would be a car worth owning. Double Award Winning Legacy GT Wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryandigi Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 +1 to that...Holy Sh!t....that is what a pontiac GXP weighs (nice car, test drove it yesterday). Also test drove the 335i yesterday (coolest salesman ever...he had me beating the living crap out of the car with full drifts etc...) and I doubt the engine will come off anywhere as sweet as that inline twin turbo torquey six. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetiger Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Its amazing that the car weighs more than 2 tons now. with that engine in the s4, I bet the tuner crowd will enjoy putting a smaller pulley on the s-charger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farberio Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 My buddy worked at Eaton in the supercharger division...they are really sweet units. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rao Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 My buddy worked at Eaton in the supercharger division...they are really sweet units. Hey, where are the good deals for your friends? Rob IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CAR YOU SHOULD NEVER DRIVE IT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farberio Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Unfortunately he stopped working there and I am not sure if he is going to be hired full time there. This was his co-op job. The only units he could get for a 'steal' of a deal was test units. So I am not sure you really want to put one of those on your car. I know that the deals on new units were good but I don't remember how restrictive they were on selling them to friends. He always had a supercharger rotor at school though, and his last year was one from the LS9 supercharged....dam that thing was big!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fzanetti Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090421/CARNEWS/904219989 Flavio Zanetti Boston, MA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lvethesnow Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 i know they're going for fuel saving and maybe im just a HP junky. but i would expect a little more power out of a supercharged V6. you can have high hp cars and good milege. and for $53,000 im getting a vette. epa 18/26 with 450 hp. yes i know not the same class of cars but still. History does not entrust the care of freedom to the weak or timid People sleep peacefully at night cause rough men stand ready to do violence on there behalf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rao Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Give it a few years and they will announce that they are ditching forcedinduction and going back to larger displacement. Rob IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CAR YOU SHOULD NEVER DRIVE IT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05GT Guru Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 BMW is supposed to be doing the same thing in the m cars. Getting rid of the high reving v10 and v8 and going with forced induction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pig Pen Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 4000+lbs, $50k+ sticker, and you dont even get to hear the supercharger whine? lame on a serious note i bet its quite nice.. audi makes a good product.. as long as you own it in warranty... but i couldnt afford one anyway and im with you on that rao...there will always be a place for big deplacement, and if not people like you will continue to drop in a ls motor anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueWhiteBoy Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Yeah, I have a feeling it will continue to go back and forth between forced and natural induction Still seems like a fun car that I doubt I'll ever own though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLegacy99 Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 4114 lbs Shave 500 lbs from that and it would be a car worth owning. They're working on it. The new Q7 is expected to weigh 600 lbs less. Audi will employ more aluminum, magnesium, and high-strength steel in the construction of the cars. A prototype for the next S5 is already in testing and weighs up to 880 pounds (400kg) less than the current model. Styling of the car is expected to be similar to the A7 Sportback but overall size and proportions will be smaller. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until 2014 to see the debut of the . The current S5 weighs 3800 lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 They're working on it. The new Q7 is expected to weigh 600 lbs less. So instead of weighing 7000lbs it will be a svelte 6400lbs instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psi365 Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 First off the 3.0T in the A6 is only to supplement the engine line. There is the 3.2L, now the 3.0T, and still the 4.2L. As of last I heard they are not dropping the 4.2L in the A6. That being said the new S4 will be 3.0T only. The S5 will continue to have teh 4.2L in the coupe till 2010 and then go to the 3.0T. The S5 cab will be 3.0T only. IF or when it shows up the RS5 is supposed to be a 3.0T also. As far as driving one...............I like the 4.2L better. You notice the power difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLegacy99 Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Their longterm plans involve dropping the 4.2L. Whether or not a new, more efficient V8 is in the cards hasn't been announced. The 3.2L has been dropped from the A4 as it only accounted for 10% of sales last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fzanetti Posted April 30, 2009 Author Share Posted April 30, 2009 Their longterm plans involve dropping the 4.2L. Whether or not a new, more efficient V8 is in the cards hasn't been announced. The 3.2L has been dropped from the A4 as it only accounted for 10% of sales last year. Hope they do offer the A3 2.0T with QUATTRO... Before it was only offered on the 3.2 version... Flavio Zanetti Boston, MA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psi365 Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Their longterm plans involve dropping the 4.2L. Whether or not a new, more efficient V8 is in the cards hasn't been announced. The 3.2L has been dropped from the A4 as it only accounted for 10% of sales last year. Not 100% right. I know the S5 is going to be dropping the 4.2L, and the A6 probably in a year or two will also. The A8, A8L, and the Q7 will still have a 4.2L until Audi comes up with another V8. We are still getting 09 A4s in with 3.2s. Since the A5 shares the same platform and the A5 presently only comes with a 3.2L I kinda doubt they'll quit putting them in. The only possible replacement is the 2.0T that they put in the S3 which puts out about 260hp (iirc). I've heard rumors through the grape vine that the A5 will have the 2.0T in it, but have yet to see one. I know our scan tools show that as an optional engine. fzanetti: The A3 is already available with the 2.0T in quattro. It has been for a little over a year. I think it was one of the dumbest things Audi ever did by introducing the A3 and not making available with the 2.0T quattro. However supposedly by the end of the year the A3 will also get the 2.0L TDI. Not sure if that will be quattro or not, but that's going to be Audi's green car in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fzanetti Posted April 30, 2009 Author Share Posted April 30, 2009 Not 100% right. I know the S5 is going to be dropping the 4.2L, and the A6 probably in a year or two will also. The A8, A8L, and the Q7 will still have a 4.2L until Audi comes up with another V8. We are still getting 09 A4s in with 3.2s. Since the A5 shares the same platform and the A5 presently only comes with a 3.2L I kinda doubt they'll quit putting them in. The only possible replacement is the 2.0T that they put in the S3 which puts out about 260hp (iirc). I've heard rumors through the grape vine that the A5 will have the 2.0T in it, but have yet to see one. I know our scan tools show that as an optional engine. fzanetti: The A3 is already available with the 2.0T in quattro. It has been for a little over a year. I think it was one of the dumbest things Audi ever did by introducing the A3 and not making available with the 2.0T quattro. However supposedly by the end of the year the A3 will also get the 2.0L TDI. Not sure if that will be quattro or not, but that's going to be Audi's green car in the US. Very nice info pal... Very nice!!! A3 TDI Quattro would actually be a very good option!!! Flavio Zanetti Boston, MA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psi365 Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Very nice info pal... Very nice!!! A3 TDI Quattro would actually be a very good option!!! Flavio Zanetti Boston, MA Unfortunately 2 problems I see here. They haven't said price yet, and they haven't said for sure if it will be in quattro or not. They are using the 2.0 TDi out of the Jetta so no Adblue system needed. That also makes it to be about 98% better fuel economy then any car on the market including most hybrids. As far as price, I hope they do the same thing as they did with the Q7 TDi. With the Q7 TDI, they priced them about the same as the V8. So I hope what they do is price the A3 TDi as much as the 3.2L A3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fzanetti Posted April 30, 2009 Author Share Posted April 30, 2009 Unfortunately 2 problems I see here. They haven't said price yet, and they haven't said for sure if it will be in quattro or not. They are using the 2.0 TDi out of the Jetta so no Adblue system needed. That also makes it to be about 98% better fuel economy then any car on the market including most hybrids. As far as price, I hope they do the same thing as they did with the Q7 TDi. With the Q7 TDI, they priced them about the same as the V8. So I hope what they do is price the A3 TDi as much as the 3.2L A3. I still remember driving the Touareg V10 TDI and that car was a torque MONSTAH!!!! :lol: I have never driven the Q7 diesel, we drove the Q7 3.2 and we didn't really liked it, wife preferred the Infiniti FX 35 instead... Flavio Zanetti Boston, MA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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