Tags: Audi A6 new models
A refined flow of power in conjunction with superlative comfort and an elegantly understated appearance: this is the 2007 Audi S6 Avant. It is the sporty top version in the luxury-class family of models comprising the Audi A6 saloon and A6 Avant, which took the market by storm following their launch in 2004 and have since garnered countless accolades worldwide from both customers and experts within the trade.
Audi has always used the letter "S" to denote its unrelenting quest for sportiness. In the S models, sportiness is the overriding principle, flanked by comfort, aesthetic appeal, elegance and uncompromising quality. All S models traditionally feature very high-performance engines, quattro permanent four-wheel drive and a distinctive S-specific design. The new Audi S6 Avant, the latest product to embody this philosophy, is upholding and building on this legacy in order to redefine the benchmark yet again in its segment.
Drivetrain
In response to the challenge to deliver supreme performance that can always be summoned up with ultimate refinement, the new Audi S6 will be powered by a newly developed ten-cylinder V-configuration engine. This engine, a virtually identical version of which is likewise fitted in the new Audi S8, makes maximum use of its resources: from a displacement of 5.2 litres, it develops an output of 435 bhp (320 kW) at 6,800 rpm, and its peak torque of 540 Nm is achieved between 3,000 and 4,000 rpm.
More than 500 Nm are available between 2,500 and 5,500 rpm, meaning that the lightweight 220-kilogram engine guarantees superior pulling power in every driving situation.
This pioneering engine gives the Audi S6 Avant the road performance of a high-calibre Grand Touring. The Audi S6 Avant is capable of racing from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds. The speed is governed electronically when the needle reaches 250 km/h.
Thanks among other things to its compact design, the ten-cylinder concept is ideal for achieving a sporty performance. FSI direct injection technology, which uses the principle of homogeneous combustion, enables a high compression ratio. Audi has drawn here on the extensive experience it enjoys in the field of motor sport.
In its new generation, with asymmetric/dynamic torque split, quattro makes the already decidedly dynamic character of this car even more agile. A centre differential normally distributes 40 percent of the power to the front and
60 percent to the rear wheels. This slight emphasis on the rear end ensures particularly dynamic handling.
If the surface conditions change – for instance if they become wet or slippery, or if the car is driven onto a different type of road surface – this purely mechanical differential responds without any delay; depending on the requirements at any given moment, it can divert up to 85 percent of power to the rear wheels or as much as 65 percent to the front wheels.
The drivetrain concept of the new S6 Avant constantly ensures that the immense power of the V10 engine is translated efficiently into propulsion on the road – where other cars are electronically governed, the S6 streaks ahead in unruffled style without any restrictive intervention by the engine and brake management systems.
Chassis
As a reflection of its explicitly sporty character, the suspension settings of the S6 Avant have been made firmer, even compared with the A6 sports suspension, but at the same time this assures a high standard of comfort for long-distance driving. The Audi S6 Avant is always conspicuously nimble; meanwhile, driving stability and traction have been further optimised.
The Audi S6 Avant is equipped ex works with 19-inch cast aluminium wheels of a 5-arm wing design. The wide tyres have the format 265/35 R19, a further feature differentiating them from the Audi A6 / A6 Avant. An 18-inch brake system assures supreme braking performance and is resistant to fading even under high loads. It features four very large-size ventilated brake discs.
Design
The S6 Avant cuts a supremely athletic figure out on the roads – yet is free from any hint of aggression. The most striking differences compared with the A6 are to be found at the front end. The eye-catching single-frame grille displays the S6 emblem, and in this instance has double-design vertical aluminium-look struts. There is an air inlet beneath the grille. A spoiler lip at the front end of the car provides additional negative lift.
Another innovation in the front bumper is a pioneering development: the separate LED daytime running lights, each of which consists of five white light-emitting diodes and consumes only a minimal amount of energy. When these light strips are switched on, the effect is utterly distinctive: they make it incredibly easy to identify the new Audi S6 Avant, and the low-down position of the daytime running lights gives the car a dynamically flat appearance. Xenon plus headlights are provided as standard; Audi adaptive light, the dynamic cornering light, is optional. The rear light units incorporate LED brake lights as standard, and the S6 Avant in addition has tail lights using LED technology.
The wings are flared by 14 millimetres in the area of the wheel arches. The door trim strips are likewise of wider dimensions, to accentuate the “S” characteristics, and are painted in the body colour. Other striking differentiating features are door sill trims bearing the S6 logo at all four doors, a roof spoiler, aluminium-look exterior mirrors, the V10 emblem at the front beneath the side turn indicators, and an S6 logo on the rear end. The vehicle's tail end also displays a colour-contrasting diffuser in the bumper and the four ellipsoidal tailpipes of the exhaust system.
Equipment
In the same way as the body's styling, the interior of the new Audi S6 Avant, too, reflects a character of dynamic elegance and high quality – from the organically flowing driving area to the integrated MMI operating concept.
A new generation of sports seats is fitted. They have integral head restraints and pronounced lateral supports, and are upholstered in Alcantara/Leather. The front seats are electrically adjustable in multiple directions as standard, and include a lumbar support.
The three-spoke multifunction leather sports steering wheel with the S logo is trimmed in smooth leather and displays a colour-contrasting double seam with a special stitch pattern. The shift paddles, which are mounted to the steering wheel (in other words, they move as it is turned), have an aluminium-look finish. The selector lever has an aluminium finish and is trimmed in smooth leather.
The trim inserts are in carbon. The material on the instrument panel represents a further innovation in the S6 Avant: it correspondingly exhibits an anthracite-coloured metallic surface characteristic. Anthracite is also the predominant colour featured on the other sections of the instrument panel. The centre console, on the other hand, is in black.
The Driver Information System with 3.5-inch colour display has an additional digital speedometer in the new S6 Avant. The MMI Multi Media Interface, which has a high performance yet is also straightforward and intuitive to use, provides information via a high-resolution 7-inch colour display. The MMI furthermore integrates the extended-specification radio system with double tuner and the DSP sound system with ten speakers and a CD changer in the glove box.
