what are the opinions on the a6 vs the a4 i LOVE my 96 2.8 a4

My fiancee, the A4 owner, was convinced by a test drive of the A6 2.8. She was quite impressed, and now is more in favor of getting one (to replace my Honda, not her A4).

Driving the A6 shows it is a more stable and sophisticated car. A drawback: it is a bit heavier and larger. But this is part of the advantage, too. I find the suspension (compared to our non-sport A4) to be more controlled and stable, with every bit as grippy and sure-footed handling. Driving the A4 afterwards felt like, as someone else put it, a "sponge."

The A6 2.8 felt at least as peppy as our A4 1.8T. The A6 2.7T will be much faster than either A4.

The quality of being in the cabin is different. It is more spacious, with easy head and shoulder room, nice seats, luxurious touches, and a more flowing, designer interior. Driving is more effortless if a bit overboosted in the steering. A bit less sporty, but more than a bit more luxurious, with exquisite finish and quality.

Definitely a class above. Just don't expect to toss it around in traffic quite as much.

Traded in A4 for the A6 3 months ago. Very different. Much bigger inside and outand a lot softer in character. Great car for everyday, especially if you need to carry adults in the back. I do miss my A4 once in a while, especially at night when I want a blast around the curves...

Well, you definately need to spend some time in an A6 if you have to ask.

We recently bought an A6 Avant. We looked at the A4 as well, but the requirement was a 4 adult car with cargo space for certain items, so the A4 was eliminated. More is the pity.

First of all, you need to know that I like the A6. However, compared to the A4 it feels like a barge. It's substantially larger in every dimension including height, weighs more, and has a much poorer match of the transmission to the torque curve of the engine when comparte dot the A4. The A4 is sporty, the A6 is sedate. Ride and handling wise, this is a German version of a Buick.

The car suits us, and is nicely appointed, but there IS a reason everyone talks about gear ratios, shift points and engine power on the A6. It's a good car that everyone knows would be a great car with a few changes. Most invole things that were done by Audi to increase fuel economy.

jm

Hope you're considering the stick shift if you're getting the 2.8Q. Per my post a couple of days ago, I made the switch from the A4 1.8T to the A6 2.8Q manual. While I was only able to test-drive a Tiptronic '99 A6 (without the benefit of taking curves)before I ordered the A6, the A6 didn't feel significantly heavier or less nimble to manuever than the A4. The acceleration was appreciably slower than my manual 1.8T, and the steering at low speed was a bit too light, but I expect to get a whole lot more out of the engine with the stick shift.

Inside, there's no comparison between the 1.8T and the A6. Classy doesn't begin to describe the A6.

I would have considered a new, loaded A4 2.8 Quattro had I not known that the A4 is due for a redesign within two years. If you're determined to stay in the Audi fold, the base A6 and the loaded A4 are your only two somewhat affordable sedan choices. There's about a $4000 differential between the two. Happy shopping!

The A4 and A6 are VERY different cars. Just as the Bimmer 3 and the 5 are different.

I recently took over my wife's '96 A4 2.8 as a commuter car. It is a very tight, very nimble car well suited for the twisties, especially when the elements are working against you. It is also a somewhat underpowered car. I'm sure the 5 valves made a BIG difference, and from the comments I've read, it sounds like the 1.8T is better as long as you keep the blower spooled up. Assuming your A6 2.8 is an automatic, you know it's a blast to drive, corners like it's on rails, but you also know that "sound" your heavy foot is causing as you look for a *bit* more punch.

The '99 A6 that my wife just got, in comparison, has a much plusher ride. Call it smooth, call it floaty. But don't call it a "Buick" (and I'm an American car fan) :). The 2.8 is what I would describe as "quicker" than the '96 version. You get a more immediate throttle response, but you don't get the same mid-RPM "surge" - it's doubtlessly accelerating at the same rate, but you don't feel as dramatic a difference, because it has less catching up to do, since it got up to speed quicker.

One thing I DON'T understand is the reasoning behind those clamoring for a manual tranny in the 2.8 A6. The Tip is just fine, thank you, and it is going to do everything for you that you would want from a car like this. If you are putting this car through its paces at high RPMs on a regular basis, you're buying the wrong car. The power-to-weight ratio and the handling when stock aren't condusive to that. Now, the 4.2 is a different story - it no doubt can satisfy an enthusiast's needs better, but we're talking $15 grand difference in price between the MSRP of the 4.2 and the deals that are apparently still available on the '99s and 99.5s.

In short, the A6 is not trying to be what the A4 is. If you think the A6 will be akin to an A4 with a usable rear seat, it will not live up to that expectation. If you want a car that is more refined, more sophisticated, you will NOT be disappointed. The A6 is a VERY good car. I am very firmly convnced that nothing comes CLOSE to the A6 based on what we want out of a car, for $35.

Good description of A4 vs. A6. It's amazing how different they are considering they come from the same gene pool. Well, as the British say, different horses for different courses.

My problems with the tranny are - it gets caught trying to guess what you want it to do, and it has too many gears. I've been commuting through canyons a lot lately, and I've had to kick it over into Tip just to get it to stay in 3rd (sometimes 2nd). It has been programmed to try to get into 4th and 5th as much as possible, and I got tired of trying to push my foot through the firewall. And this isn't for racing, just commuting.

When I want to mess around and WANT to drive, I hop in the A4. But when I HAVE to drive somewhere and want to be comfy (or have to carry normal-sized adults), it's the A6 for me.

I agree with your comments on the Tiptronic in the A6. I've nearly gotten rundown when I've had to pull out and accelerate quickly on in town freeways when the tranny was trying to make up it's mind what it wanted to do. An unfinished engineering project IMO.

td