2006 Audi A6 4.2 Road Test

(Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com)

Minor gripes folks, because the driving experience is so rewarding that the A6 can be forgiven for its slightly brainy overuse of microchips.

The ride is well sorted out. Most of the time it just floats effortlessly over everything with no fuss and no noise. Even large, obnoxious upsets in the road barely make it past the suspension and into the cabin. Occasionally, the suspension lets out a loud clack when you pass over just the right size and shape of pavement anomaly, though rare. Even with 17" wheels, road noise was fairly subdued. The A6 must slice cleanly through the air too, because there is almost no wind noise to speak of. The driving experience is more akin to that of being aboard an aircraft, floating along in silence. After a day full of activities, your passengers would fall asleep in seconds.

Despite its isolation from the roughness of the road, it is refreshing to feel a degree of feedback too. I've driven big sedans with more, but you do certainly experience the tires loading up in fast corners and read the cars attitude through the steering. Its steering ratio isn't hyperactive like say, the Acura RL, meaning corner carving is less about white knuckles and gritted teeth and more about lounging about on the comfy furniture and contently grinning while commanding 4,000-plus pounds of steel and aluminum with your fingertips. With its Quattro system, the A6 doesn't just hug the road, it puts it in a headlock and squeezes the life out of it.

(Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com)

The velvety V8 displaces 4.2 liters and puts 335 glass-smooth horsepower on tap--enough to move the A6's bulk around in a real hurry. It's an Autobahn missile that builds speed at an almost overwhelming rate as the speedometer begins counting in the triple-digits, leaving lesser machines behind to enjoy its smooth, deep exhaust note. Off the line, there is no fuss or squirming as power is sent around: just a dull roar from four feet ahead of the driver and an accompanying strain in the neck. Keep your foot down, and you'll hit 100 kilometers per hour in about 6 seconds. If you've got a strip, or a get out of jail free ticket, the A6 will continue providing rocket like thrust until you lift the pedal. It's a highway cruiser for sure: off-the-line acceleration pales in comparison to how it builds speed while rolling.

Thankfully, there is a speed-warning system that alerts you if you're pushing your luck--because the A6 at 100 km/h and at say, much more than that, is just as smooth, quiet and well-planted. The speed warning can be turned off. (Press and hold the second button beside the speedometer. You're welcome.)

It's not all about acceleration figures and horsepower though. The real beauty of this V8 is just as apparent when you aren't using it: it never feels worked. Everything about the A6 is unintentional and effortless. The low-end torque provides more than adequate snap for city driving duties

(Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com)

without ever pushing the mill to over 2,000 rpm. The transmission helps in this regard too--the regular drive mode has the shifts occurring sooner than later, allowing for increased fuel economy. In "S" mode, each gear is held longer, and the unit shifts down more suddenly. Use the manual mode to call the shots yourself. Especially impressive are the downshifts as you decelerate. The shifts are beautifully rev-matched and synchronized; you rarely feel them at all, even the quick "three-to-two" for the perfect corner that sends the tachometer needle careening for the redline.