2007 Audi S6: First Look

Motoring Channel Staff - 7/June/2006

Not content to let BMW's 10-cylinder M5 take all the glory in the prestige performance sedan market segment, Audi has struck back with it's diabolical S6, now packing a 10-cylinder punch.

Powered by a modified version of 5.0-litre Lamborghini V10 (Audi owns the Lamborghini marque), whose bore and stroke has increased its size, taking displacement to 5.2-litres, the Audi S6 will streak from 0-100km/h in just 5.2 seconds, which is quite stunning when you consider how overweight this thing is: 1910kg.

The almost 2.0 tonne S6 will compete with BMW's highly lauded M5 for market dominance, but the two vehicles will offer completely different styles of locomotion. While the M5 is rear wheel driven, the new S6 is an all-wheel drive vehicle.

Looking at the powertrain of the new S6, it will forgo the newly developed 7-speed DSG (direct shift gearbox with twin-clutches) in favour of a 6-speed tiptronic automatic. Audi says that the 6-speed auto will be 'standard' equipment, which does however leave room for the 7-speed DSG further down the track as a cost option.

Diverting the 5.2-litre V10's power to all four wheels, the 6-speed auto with paddle shifters can adapt to the driver's style by means of an intelligent feature, claims Audi. The software that controls the transmission has been tuned to deliver noticeably swifter gear changes, and a sport mode is also available, making changes even more aggressive and holding on to gears before changing to a more fuel efficient ratio.

The Ingolstadt-based marque says that the V10 in the new S6 is a completely new engine, which first appeared in the Audi S8 and has now been specifically retuned for use in one of the sportiest models in Audi's A6 class.

The powerful 10-cylinder engine is designed not simply with power in mind, but to an even greater extent for impressive torque. It achieves 309kW (420hp) @ 6800rpm, but delivers peak torque of 540Nm @ engine speeds ranging from 3000 to 4000rpm. Audi claims that more than 500Nm of torque is produced between 2500 and 5500rpm.

The Audi S6 is therefore capable of racing from zero to 100km/h in 5.2 seconds, and the speed is not governed electronically until the needle reaches 250km/h (155mph).

The S6 weighs 1910 kilograms (approx. 4,210 lbs.), meaning that each horsepower has to propel just 4.55 kilograms (approx. 10 lbs.) – the power-to-weight ratio of a top-notch sports car, insists Audi.

Audi says that its new 2007 model S6 cuts an even more supremely athletic figure out on the roads – but without any hint of aggression. And really, that's what Audi does best: super sports saloons with unassuming exterior styling. To many drivers, the S6 would just pass by innocuously.

The most striking differences between the standard A6 and this new S6 are to be found at the front end: the eye-catching single-frame grille displays the S6 emblem, plus an air inlet beneath the grille and a lip spoiler at the front end of the car provides an additional sporty highlight (and improved downforce).

Another innovation in the front bumper, explains Audi, is a pioneering development in terms of both safety and style: the separate LED (light emitting diode) daytime running lights, each of which consists of five white light-emitting diodes and consumes only a minimal amount of energy when compared to conventional globes. When these light strips are switched on, the effect is utterly distinctive: they make it easy to identify the new Audi S6, and the low-down position of the daytime running lights gives the car a dynamically flat appearance. The rear light units incorporate LED brake lights as well.

Other stylistic changes have been made to the front wheel arches, which are now flared by an extra 14mm compared to the A6 and the rear spoiler has be integrated subtly into the boot lid, while aluminium-look exterior mirrors make the cut, as does a 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.

In order to compete with the BMW M5, Audi has given its S6 performance sedan a world-class chassis, featuring lightweight aluminium suspension strut construction, resulting in decisively lower unsprung mass. Combined with the all wheel drive nature of the quattro system, and despite its almost 2000kg mass, the S6 is expected to offer high levels of grip and road holding.

A centre differential, installed longitudinally in the driveline, distributes power between the front and rear wheels, always according to the prevailing situation. The split in the basic setting is 40 percent to the front wheels and 60 percent to the rear.

If the surface conditions change – for instance if they are wet or slippery, or if the car is driven onto a different type of road surface – the purely mechanical differential responds without any delay; depending on the road situation, it can divert up to 85 percent of power to the rear wheels or as much as 65 percent to the front wheels.

As a reflection of its explicitly sporty character, the suspension settings of the S6 have been made firmer, even compared with the A6 sports suspension, and at the same time assures a high standard of comfort for long-distance driving. As the elastokinematics have likewise undergone comprehensive modifications, the Audi S6 is always noticeably more agile; meanwhile, driving stability and traction have been further optimised. Audi has revealed that the S6 is equipped with 19-inch cast aluminium wheels of a 5-arm wing design. The tyres are of a massive 265/35 R19 size at all four corners.

The brake system assures supreme braking performance and is resistant to fading even under high loads, Audi claims, as its four large discs are ventilated, with the front discs measuring 385mm those at the rear measuring 335mm. The brake calipers are painted black, and are adorned with an exclusive S6 badge at the front.

As is the case with most German luxury cars, the S6 gets technological driving aids such as an Electronic Differential Lock (EDL), electronic stabilisation program (ESP), ASR traction control system, ABS and servotronic steering with a variable ratio for high and low speeds.

Along with the new V6-powered S3 and the V10-powered S8, Audi will launch it's S6 in Australia later in the second half of 2006, at a price which is yet to be  all about.