# Audi A4 -v- Audi A6



## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

Not really another _"what car"_thread as such but I was looking at Audi as an alternative to the Skoda Octy vRS (mainly due to the fact that I like the Audi front end more than the Octy) and thought I'd browse the ads on Pistonheads on my lunch break.

Surprisingly, it seems, an A6 tends to be a little cheaper than a similar spec A4. For example, I found a 2.7 A4 with full leather/satnav on a 2006 plate for £9500 and the equivalent A6 on just a 2005 plate came in at £8200. Similar mileage and all.

I checked out the dimensions on my Scooby and it seems the A6 is 20 inches longer and 4 inches wider. Now I find the Scooby an absolute doddle to park and manouvre in the supermarket carpark and am wondering whether the A6 is going to be any more difficult to park being some 20 inches longer/4 inches wider? That is the only thing that is putting me off plumping for the Audi A6 over say the Octy vRS at the moment.

Comments.


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## Grizzle (Jul 12, 2006)

Should be in here buddy

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=184


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

Grizzle said:


> Should be in here buddy
> 
> http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=184


My bad. Didn't even notice that section.


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## JenJen (Jun 30, 2010)

hotwaxxx said:


> Not really another _"what car"_thread as such but I was looking at Audi as an alternative to the Skoda Octy vRS (mainly due to the fact that I like the Audi front end more than the Octy) and thought I'd browse the ads on Pistonheads on my lunch break.
> 
> Surprisingly, it seems, an A6 tends to be a little cheaper than a similar spec A4. For example, I found a 2.7 A4 with full leather/satnav on a 2006 plate for £9500 and the equivalent A6 on just a 2005 plate came in at £8200. Similar mileage and all.
> 
> ...


A4 was always classed as a family car where as the A6 was mainly found to be a salesman/fleet car. The 2.7TDI engine was introduced to get past the rules for company cars, basically the emissions for tax etc.

A4 will always be favoured over the A6, thats just the way its been. But what you will find is the Audi will have taken its hit now so should hold its value more so now its older 

If you are concerned about parking dont, its so simple to park, I went between a Audi A5 & a TT and parking was fine no worries, I would choose the A6 over the VRS but im a Audi fan.

Best to test drive them both then you decide :thumb:


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## tromppost (Jan 12, 2008)

I have an A6 20 tdi Auto S line 2006, It's a great car and as you have said it's cheaper than an A4. 
I do not find it to big and it's very easy to live with and great for long trips.
Sorry not much help !


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

Thanks abz001.

Yes, the only real thing that concerns me is the parking aspect. Now I am very good at car parking (always reverse park and normally get it into a spot first time round) but when you see the disadvantage list it normally always has down that the car is "massive" or "a pain to park without sensors" etc etc. Now I'm thinking its only 4inch wider than the Scooby and 20inches longer so the worst thats going to happen is its going to stick out a bit in the parking bay. 

I have to also say from the pictures alone, the A6 interior looks a tad superior to the A4 interior (which looks more or less the same as the A3 which I have had the pleasure of driving). I also want to seat 5 in comfort and there is the possibility of a baby on its way shortly so boot space would be nice.

My parents also said they'd prefer me to have an Audi over a Skoda. Name snobs, yes (even though I explained that the Octy/A4 are essentially from the same stable nowadays).


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

tromppost said:


> I have an A6 20 tdi Auto S line 2006, It's a great car and as you have said it's cheaper than an A4.
> I do not find it to big and it's very easy to live with and great for long trips.
> Sorry not much help !


All comments are helpful mate. The more people who say parking isn't a problem, the better.:thumb:


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## Grommit (May 3, 2011)

My dad has an A6 and the front cabin is like an airliner cabin. Depending on spec, you get lots of buttons, lighting etc and is pretty cool at night.

If it was me and it was my money, A6 all the way


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## Raife (Jul 14, 2009)

I was toying with an A6 before I bought my Volvo XC90. I plan to have the 90 for the next 2-3 yrs while my children are babies then move to an A6 after that.

For me the A6 is more of the executive car and the continental tourer. The A4 not so.

Oh... in both cases it has to be the estate imo!!!


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## slim_boy_fat (Jun 23, 2006)

Won't they have parking sensors to help until you get used to the extra 'girth'? 

A6 would be my choice of those.


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

It seems the A6 is most people's choice then. 

Next question is 2.0l TDi or 2.7l TDi?


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## Grizzle (Jul 12, 2006)

2.0TDI in a large car like that is stupid gotta be the 2.7tdi

But then why Audi?? Personally they are as dull as dishwater, no imagination.


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

I have the 2010 2.0 TDIe SLine (with all the toys and extras) and its more than good enough....ok its 140bhp but it returns silly (good) MPG and is plenty quick enough....road tax is only something like £135 a year too.

We drove to Disneyland Paris back in Feb this year...4 up boot full of luggage Ash Vale-Paris-Ash Vale...wait for it....3/4 of a tank fuel used!!!

Dont be put off by the smaller engines.....its all about torque.


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## JenJen (Jun 30, 2010)

The A6 has kinda taken on the A5 cabin which is excellent choice by Audi and I think the newer A4's also have it - kinda been taken across the board!

Here was the cabin of my A5 that I had (sorry about the watermark - I borrowed these from a mag that did a cover on my A5)


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

Thanks for the pic abz001 - looks lovely inside.

I forgot to mention that it will be a 2005-2007 Audi A6 that I would be able to afford. 

Now I was checking out the performance figures on the 2.0l and 2.7l dervs and there ain't much in it (under a second difference). I'm also looking at economy what with the prices of fuel constantly on the rise. Performance is important obviously but I'd be happy to sacrifice 1 second if it means a saving on mpg. Also, isn't the 140bhp easily remappable whilst maintaining the same mpg?


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## JenJen (Jun 30, 2010)

If your wondering about figures etc - Give Ben @ Shark Performance a call. He gets some amazing stats from his maps. These are custom to the car and not one made at one point of time and placed onto all cars with that engine. 

Audis are well known for producing more than factory stated depending on the car and the driver. My A5 was standard and produced alot more than factory - to the point someone with the same engine with a stage 1 remap thought I had the same when in fact i was standard all the way (car was in warrenty so wasnt taking a chance on a high spec car)

Good luck and will be interesting to see what you choose 

PS the 2.0TFSI engine is very easy to map with amazing results


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

abz001 said:


> Audis are well known for producing more than factory stated depending on the car and the driver. My A5 was standard and produced alot more than factory - to the point someone with the same engine with a stage 1 remap thought I had the same when in fact i was standard all the way (car was in warrenty so wasnt taking a chance on a high spec car)


Agreed I have had mine from new with 5 miles on the clock....ragged it for the first 100 miles and its sweet as a nut....torquey as hell now that its got 20k on the clock.....oh and in 19k miles before its first service it used less than a litre of oil!



abz001 said:


> PS the 2.0TFSI engine is very easy to map with amazing results


Yeah but not very reliable arround the age the OP is talking about...I would steer clear of the TFSI engines at all costs.


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

nick_mcuk said:


> Agreed I have had mine from new with 5 miles on the clock....ragged it for the first 100 miles and its sweet as a nut....torquey as hell now that its got 20k on the clock.....oh and in 19k miles before its first service it used less than a litre of oil!
> 
> Yeah but not very reliable arround the age the OP is talking about...I would steer clear of the TFSI engines at all costs.


Really? That was what I was looking at when considering the Skoda Octy (petrol vRS). All I've heard is good things about that engine.


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## JenJen (Jun 30, 2010)

TFSI engine from 2007 onwards is fine. I had a 2.0TFSI engine in the black TT and was a dream also a TFSI engine in the Golf - not a problem  

My friend has a 2.0TFSI in his 2007 Audi A4 and again no problems, before 2007 however I wouldnt trust them. I believe there was a problem with the cam or timing belt, i think they swapped it to a chain? or the other way around I cant remember...


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

hotwaxxx said:


> Really? That was what I was looking at when considering the Skoda Octy (petrol vRS). All I've heard is good things about that engine.


I have a car dealer friend who has been burnt by a few of these 2l TFSI engines...something to do with the inlet side of the engine, the butterflys can break and get sucked into the engine.


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

nick_mcuk said:


> I have a car dealer friend who has been burnt by a few of these 2l TFSI engines...something to do with the inlet side of the engine, the butterflys can break and get sucked into the engine.


Thanks. I certainly didn't know that.

I'm definitely inching towards the dervs with the A6 due to more pulling power low down with such a big car, but like I said, the Octy vRS with the TFSI appealed moreso due to the sportiness of the car.

Okay. Next question. Do I source a manual or auto box in an A6. I've always had manuals but it seems sensible to perhaps go for an auto in a lazy car like the A6?


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

Mine is manual....the clutches are hydrolic so pretty light....6 speed manual is nice n slick...the multi-tronic boxes are a modern version of the Variomatic or CVT....very smooth and no real gear changes just sumulated gears....I am not personally a fan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multitronic


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## Grizzle (Jul 12, 2006)

nick_mcuk said:


> I have a car dealer friend who has been burnt by a few of these 2l TFSI engines...something to do with the inlet side of the engine, the butterflys can break and get sucked into the engine.


I think they're referring to the tumble flaps in the inlet manifold sticking and failing to function properly


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

nick_mcuk said:


> Mine is manual....the clutches are hydrolic so pretty light....6 speed manual is nice n slick...the multi-tronic boxes are a modern version of the Variomatic or CVT....very smooth and no real gear changes just sumulated gears....I am not personally a fan.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multitronic


I've always had manuals and I was just wondering whether I'd lose the fun out of driving if I had an autobox. Saying that, we had a Jetta in the USA last year for two weeks (obviously auto) which was immense fun. No changing gears - just press and go which made driving a doddle and allowed me to concentrate on staying on the right side of the road.


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

Grizzle said:


> I think they're referring to the tumble flaps in the inlet manifold sticking and failing to function properly


How's the vRS now, Grizzle? Problems solved or are you still having issues?


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## JenJen (Jun 30, 2010)

I have CVT in the A4 and it can be uber fast if thrown into Sport mode  but I have the 3.0 V6


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## Grizzle (Jul 12, 2006)

hotwaxxx said:


> How's the vRS now, Grizzle? Problems solved or are you still having issues?


None what so ever mate remap is cracking on it and i'm currently waiting on City Link delivering my Miltek and Eibach Springs from AmD :thumb:


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## A210 AMG (Nov 8, 2008)

Give the choice 2.0tdi or 2.7tdi then I would go 2.7 

You will probably find fuel consumption etc very similar but its a large-ish car for just a 2.0?

You could of course get either remapped.

I looked at the Audi's before my current car (the all road A6) but just decided I wanted another Merc. Have you considered an E class? or the C class?

The 320cdi engine is cracking, mines a Brabus D6 upgrade and has over 250bhp and a bucket load of torque, best thing is I can get 45mpg on a run also 

The same engine in the C class would be very nippy.


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

A210 AMG said:


> Give the choice 2.0tdi or 2.7tdi then I would go 2.7
> 
> You will probably find fuel consumption etc very similar but its a large-ish car for just a 2.0?
> 
> ...


I've considered the E-Class. So much so that I've been for a few testdrives in them (E320 and E270). Unbelievably comfortable, quick and very nice inside. However, its rear wheel drive and after my snow troubles in my old MX5 its kind of put me off (I know I could get snow tyres etc but still). I also wasn't too impressed on the outside. The BMW 5 Series which I also drove was far better looking but was extremely cold and bland inside. The ideal car would be a BMW 5 series body with a E-Class interior and 4WD or FWD.


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

I have to admit my A6 was useless in the snow this year.....my A4 was much better infact it got me throught some snowy roads that had 4x4's abandoned.

A6 is probably crap because of the stupid fat 18" rims n rubber where the A4 only had moderatly fat rubber on 17" wheels


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

nick_mcuk said:


> I have to admit my A6 was useless in the snow this year.....my A4 was much better infact it got me throught some snowy roads that had 4x4's abandoned.
> 
> A6 is probably crap because of the stupid fat 18" rims n rubber where the A4 only had moderatly fat rubber on 17" wheels


In that respect, I guess I'd better spend a little more and source a Quattro.


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

Well either that or some winter tyres....at the time of the snow I had the Pirelli P-Zero's it came from the factory with.....and the fronts were probably half worn, i didnt actually rate them in the dry or wet either....now got Goodyear Eagles on the front and they are tonnes better in the dry and wet.

I dont really get to choose the tyres though as its all done for me by my company and LEX autoplease....and if i was to put winter rubber and rims on it they would be out of my own pocket....


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## JenJen (Jun 30, 2010)

I had 18s on the A5 and it powered through but I did have quartto defo a good thing to source on a A6 if you go for it, ill be investing in winter wheels for the A4 this coming winter!


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## Lloyd71 (Aug 21, 2008)

I wouldn't worry about the parking issue, modern Audis come with sensors all round. In the back for parking and in the front so you can drive as close as possible to the car in front of you.


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

I don't believe the 2.7TDi was ever available as a Quattro, not compatible with the CVT box


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## ChuckH (Nov 23, 2006)

Ive had both A4 and A6.. The A6 is by far the best car though both are considered Reps cars.. The A6 is just a better roomier car as the A4 is very cramped in the rear especially if You are a tall driver. 
Slines look nice but are very hard in the ride department where as the A6 Sline just handles bad roads better..
The Multitronic is a fantastic gearbox with a brilliant gear change but beware if they go wrong massive bills will follow.
Clutches on early A4s and A6s can be fragile and later models from around 08 on had a modified assembly to eradicate the problem. I had an A4 that had the later assembly replaced under warranty..

Great cars and I love them the A6 3.0 TDI is an awesome machine and was at the top of My list last time around along with the Jag XF. I chose the XF as I wanted a change from Audi. If Im honest there is not that much between them ...

Good luck with it Mate !!


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## tromppost (Jan 12, 2008)

hotwaxxx said:


> I've always had manuals and I was just wondering whether I'd lose the fun out of driving if I had an autobox. Saying that, we had a Jetta in the USA last year for two weeks (obviously auto) which was immense fun. No changing gears - just press and go which made driving a doddle and allowed me to concentrate on staying on the right side of the road.


You will love the auto, our 20tdi sline had padddles on the back of the steering wheel. Do not use the often but great and would really recomend. With the 20l you get fixed price servicing at Audi. Just had timing belt done for £399 and an oil change is £150.


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