2017 Audi S6 Avant

[Red C220]

The E class replacement arrived today.

I know it would have looked awesome as a black edition but there were just too many components of the package that I didn't want.

So I'm probably going to wrap the chrome around the windows and the roof rails black.

The chrome strip on the boot edge is an eyesore, it's going for a detail soon so I'm hoping the detailler can remove that strip (I hope it's stuck on).

There are no badges bar the grille, I wanted this to be a Q car and I think it's captured that perfectly.

Wheels will stay for the time being and I'll just see how I feel about them after a while.

There is very little sensation of speed in this car, it moves incredibly quickly with very little fuss, to a degree that the first thing I've done is get the digital speedo up in the middle of the dash.

I'll post some better pictures once the detail has been completed in a week or so.

Overall I'm absolutely delighted.

 

[HB]

Alan, congrats.

It looks amazing. I blooming love fast Audi estates.

 

[developer]

Fab - somehow I'd missed that it was a wagon.

Enjoy

 

[Conquistador]

Excellent choice sir! Ipanema brown metallic if I'm not mistaken?

You're right about that chrome strip on the boot step though. Never noticed before how unnecessary it is

 

[Red C220]

Excellent choice sir! Ipanema brown metallic if I'm not mistaken?

You're right about that chrome strip on the boot step though. Never noticed before how unnecessary it is

It's Bentley Orange Flame Metallic.

Ed at divine detail is checking with his friend in an Audi Bodyshop if the offending chrome can be removed.

 

[C240Sport97]

I don't generally like Audis, but this one

 

[AMGeed]

I have to admit Audi make a fine looking estate. That is a cracker

 

[Abcan]

Lovely car and fantastic colour.

 

[Deleted member 113659]

Lovely looking motor Alan. Enjoy.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

I expected it to be more Tango than that.

 

[bob6600]

Very nice car, the 'burnt orange' looks good

Enjoy

 

[Deleted member 113659]

Very nice car, the 'burnt orange' looks good

Enjoy

Now Bob, get it right. It's Bentley Orange.

 

[Red C220]

Initial thoughts for the first evening and 30 miles driven today. In no particular order.

There are so many adjustments on the seat it's going to take me a few months to get that right.

The mirrors are vast and visually appear even bigger because they are silver and not body colour.

The "S" moniker that this car has is misleading. The fact this is an S6 leads you to believe it's sporty and the reality is it isn't. It would be more accurate if it was badged an A6 4.0 TFSI. Why?

Well if you drive an AMG or have a hankering for something loud and thunderous you'd be disappointed by an S6, it just isn't any of these things. The reality is, this is the equivalent of a Mercedes E500 Sport Estate (the one with the 4.7tt V8) - something which hasn't existed in the UK for some time and is unlikely to ever appear again. If it did I would have been in the market for one.

This car will cover ground at an absurdly fast rate with very little drama at all, there is some form of noise cancelling system in the cabin which completely removes the sensation of speed hence the need for me to have the digital speedo on for most of the time.

The steering is extremely light, the pedals are also very light to a degree that you feel slightly divorced from what's going on. The flipside of this is it's incredibly easy/comfortable to drive. You could roll around central London in this, fill the boot up and drive to the South of France without breaking a sweat.

The handover was like a technical lecture there's so many gizmos, it's going to take me some time to get used to even half the stuff that is available.

It is not as big as an E class, if load space is a priority the E is choice number one, but the Audi isn't far behind.

The switchgear has proved intuitive so far, apart from the MMI control knob which I feel rotates the wrong way - I understand Audi have reversed this in their latest models.

The cabin quality is ok to good. I'm not blown away by it but also there's nothing that disappoints. It's not the same quality as our SL, but it competes comfortably with our outgoing E. The new E is probably a step up in quality. That said, the fit and finish in the Audi is very good, everything feels tight and well put together.

There are some very neat touches like Google earth for the Sat Nav, wireless charging for supported mobiles in the centre arm rest, my Motorola X Force charged and connected to everything perfectly.

I'll add things as I find them, but that covers the first day.

Oh and 30 minutes after I'd collected I pulled into a petrol station to completely fill the tank and the guy filling his van next me leaned over and commented that it was such a lovely colour. That felt great.

 

[Piff]

Yep, looks a lovely car

 

[MercedesDriver]

Lovely car and very nice colour but what were the reasons going for S6 instead of AMG or M5? What was the tipping point?

 

[Deleted member 113659]

Lack of colour choice in Merc range and no M5 estate.

Sorry Alan.

 

[Red C220]

Lovely car and very nice colour but what were the reasons going for S6 instead of AMG or M5? What was the tipping point?

Ant pretty much covered it.

Audi will paint their cars any colour you like for sensible costs. I wanted a powerful/comfortable petrol estate car with a bit flair when it came to colour.

The obvious MB was the incoming E43, but the new design left me a bit cold and the colour choice is just depressing. The "400" engine really suits our SL, it loves to rev and I wanted something a bit more "lazy" in the estate and the S6 came on to our radar.

BMW don't do 550i Tourers. Alpinas are expensive for what they are. Mercedes choose not sell the E500 in the UK. So S6 it was.

They are one of the lowest selling models for Audi by volume. They sell 10x as many RS6 Avants as S6 Avants annually.

I also didn't want something really full on for daily driving so the full fat AMG's didn't appeal to me.

If I didn't own the SL and was looking for one car that did everything it would have been difficult to ignore the E63. The S6 kind of neatly slots in between the E43 and E63 IMO.

And sometimes a change is as good as a rest. I like Mercedes but I'm not a slave to the brand.

 

[bob6600]

I think you are right - the S6 is an E500 equivalent and not AMG. That's what the RS6 is for

 

[Red C220]

The BOSE upgrade stereo system is awesome (£1000 option). It completely blows the HK in our SL out of the water. I can't imagine how much better the B&O system could be for £5k though!

I like the fact I can configure the driving characteristics​ individually.

Comfort suspension with dynamic exhaust and everything else on auto mode. That's a nice system.

 

[Red C220]

I think you are right - the S6 is an E500 equivalent and not AMG. That's what the RS6 is for

I really didn't like the RS6. The flared wheel arches and huge wheels don't do it for me.