This is my 2005 Audi A6 2.7 TDI.
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It's engine produces around 200bhp and can reach around 140mph. It has a number of added options including:
Xenon Headlamps �775.00
Metallic Paint �600.00
Boot lid auto open �30.00
80 litre fuel tank �75.00
(2005-05-19)
Audis 2.7-Litre TDI V6 Version Of The A6 Offers A Smart Compromise For Those Diesel Buyers Wanting Pace And Economy. Andy Enright Reports
Maybe the suits at Audis Ingolstadt HQ have been boning up on their product plans. Alternatively one of them may well have been consulting Goldilocks and the Three Bears, for in slotting the 2.7-litre TDI V6 version of the A6 between the 2.0-litre and 3.
0-litre diesel models already offered, Audi have created saloon and estate models that may well be just right for a number of key buyers.
Build
Comfort
Depreciation
Economy
Equipment
Handling
Insurance
Performance
Styling
Value
Essentially a downsized version of the 3.0-litre TDI unit, the 2.7-litre powerplant is the lightest in its class while still turning out a punchy 180bhp. It needs all that power and all of its 380Nm of torque as well, as the A6 is a seriously sizeable slice of metalwork.
Unlike early TDI engines, which possessed a savagely spiky power delivery, this one does its best work in a comparatively broad range between 1,400 and 4,250rpm, and will get the A6 to 60mph in just 7.9 seconds. A top speed of 141mph is a very creditable achievement for a diesel car although the fuel economy and emissions figures are predictably good. On the combined cycle a simulation of town and open road driving the A6 2.
7 TDI will return an average of 41.5mpg. Business users will be keen to see that the 3.0-litre cars rather hefty 229g/km of carbon dioxide is pared back to a more manageable 181g/km figure.
The engine is a very high-tech piece of design that uses a separate high pressure fuel pump serving each bank of cylinders. The common rail system permits up to five squirts of fuel to be injected on each stroke of the piston at a massive injection pressure of 1600 bar. Your car tyres are probably inflated to around 30psi. 1600bar converts to 23,206 psi.
This enormous pressure atomises the fuel to a fine mist and ensures that its burnt in the most efficient, and therefore economical, manner. Fully compliant with Euro4 emissions regulations and thus sidestepping the three per cent benefit in kind taxation levied on non compliant vehicles, the A6 2.7 TDI offers, according to Emmox Carcost, the lowest running costs in its specific sector and also achieves the highest residual value after three years of ownership. Its safe to say that although it starts at �26,845, youre not going to lose your shirt on this car.
"Initial data suggests youre not going to lose your shirt on this car"
If youre feeling particularly flush given the amount of money youll save on running costs, Audi have a tempting air suspension option to claw some of that money back into their coffers. Its based on the system already offered on the A8 and features continuously variable dampers with four pre-determined settings selected by the driver via the Multi Media Interface. If you live in an area blighted by speed humps, you may well want to explore the possibility of air suspension, or at least test drive a demonstrator with it fitted. It renders sleeping policemen virtually redundant.
Equipment levels even on the S trim level are comprehensive, if not lavish. Aluminium trim inserts brighten the interior and theres a CD player located in the glovebox thats linked to a 10 speaker 160 watt stereo system. Cruise control, electrically heated windscreen washers and door mirrors, rain sensing wipers and a Thatcham Category 1 ultrasonic alarm are also standard fit items. SE specification adds features such as 16-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, a 160-watt stereo with a glovebox mounted CD player and electronic climate control.
Opt for the slinky S line range topper and youll get 18-inch rims, sports suspension, sports seats with black/leather/speed cloth, and an S line grille and badge set. If you want to throw another �1,100 at your 2.7TDI S line, you can even plump for an exterior styling package that includes reprofiled front and rear bumpers and grille, headlamp washers and a painted diffuser. Safety on all models is well taken care of with anti lock brakes, Bosch ESP stability control, EDL traction control, and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) with brake assist.
Twin front and side airbags are also fitted. The key styling feature is that prominent grille or, as Audi prefer to call it, the single frame. Look beyond that and youll notice the curvaceous flanks, topped and tailed by a sharp longitudinal crease line that forms a definite hip and the rising edge in the door sills that creates a great deal of tension and shadow in the A6s profile. The Ingolstadt company claims the worlds tightest shut lines and the panel fit around the door is indeed superb, the 2.
5mm apertures between the doors and body panels being astonishingly uniform. Gone are the days when the pound coin test would separate the best from the rest when it comes to panel fit. The design isnt all show however. The neat integrated tail spoiler helps cut rear lift to a quarter of the outgoing models figure and the drag coefficient has been cut too from 0.
31 to a slippery 0.28. Despite its slinky profile, the tale of the tape doesnt lie and the A6 is now comfortably the biggest car in its class, dwarfing rivals such as the Jaguar S-TYPE and the Lexus GS series. The overall length has swelled to 4916mm, up a whole 121mm over the outgoing car.
The boot is a whopping 546 litres in all saloon models (Avant estates to follow in 2005) which is not only bigger than the 5 Series and the E-Class but also manages to put this cars big brother, the A8, in the shade. The Audi A6 2.7 is a fine exercise in balancing the needs of business users with the requirements of private customers and is one of the rare cars that will appeal equally to both. With its spacious cabin, pleasantly punchy engine and excellent economy and emissions figures, this cars Achilles heel is hard to pinpoint.
Only if youre interested in extreme handling agility or dont get along with the A6s rather striking face could you possibly find cause for complaint, but thats reaching desperately. Few cars come this close to achieving a unanimously favourable report card in so many criteria that count.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Audi A6 2.7 TDI
PRICE: �26,845-�31,135 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 15
CO2 EMISSIONS: 181g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 141mph/ 0-60mph 7.9s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 41.5mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, rear and side airbags, ABS, ESP, EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height(mm)4916/1860/1460
