2004 Audi A6 2.7T S-Line quattro

The twin turbos announce themselves with a slight whine under heavy acceleration, but otherwise their presence is

Thanks to the twin turbos, acceleration of the A6 is neck snappingly fast. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

undetectable. When the throttle is hit hard and fast, however, some hesitation precedes the expected kick in the pants. Once the electronics have taken a brief moment to gain composure, the resulting surge forward is neck-snapping, sucking occupants into the back of their respective seats. Unfortunately the forward thrust is interrupted by unnecessarily long intervals when the Tiptronic 5-speed transmission decides to swap cogs.

My guess is that Audi engineers programmed the 2.7's engine management unit to retard the power output during gear changes in order to smooth out the transition from first gear to second and so on. My opinion is that they overcompensated and consequently during a flat-out run the A6 encounters a momentary loss of steam when a new gear is engaged. Audi might be wise to employ a driver actuated sport-mode such as that on some BMW models, which speeds up the drive-by-wire throttle response and gear change intervals, while enhancing other sport-oriented functions.

Although it does pack a knockout punch, the A6 is also a very accommodating and refined day-to-day driver. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

In the 2.7T the interruption in the power flow can be a little disconcerting, as well as disappointing to performance purists. Nonetheless, the car could hardly be called a slouch. On the positive, its quattro all-wheel drive system launches it like a marble from a slingshot on wet, slippery road surfaces.

But real world, everyday driving isn't always about speed. The true test of an executive sedan relates to how well it copes with the day-to-day rigors of commuting and how well it treats its occupants during the process. To that end midsize Audi's manners are very refined, to the point that the car compensates for driver inadequacies. Steering, acceleration and braking inputs are all responded to with such confidence inspiring smoothness that everyone's driving ability will move up a notch or two.