Audi A6 Quattro 2005 Review

It really is a gem and makes the car an absolute pleasure to drive, with plenty of torque on tap whenever you want.

It's the same V8 that sits in Audi's luxurious A8 limo. In terms of price, it¿s a big hop up to the V8 which is at least $50,000 more than any other model in the A6 lineup.

The good news, however, is that if you are in the market for a Audi V8, it's still $50,000 less than the 4.2-litre A8.

This means, with the pocket change you can afford to buy an A3 or an A4 as a runaround.

Mind you, after driving the superb V8 Quattro model, you're simply not going to want to drive anything else. You may not want to drive any other car ever again. The 4.2-litre V8 produces a thumping 246kW of power and 420Nm of torque.

It can catapult the notinsubstantial A6 from rest to 100km/h in 6.1 seconds.

That's pretty quick but it is the snappy and unfussed, almost effortless, way in which the car does it that is most impressive.

The V8 is mated to a six-speed tiptronic transmission with DSP (dynamic shift program) and sport program.

You can change gears manually (minus the clutch) but trust me when I say that the transmission will spend most of its time in the Sport position where it is at its most responsive.

With six cogs to play with, the A6 is never found wanting for power.

It seems to anticipate the wishes of the driver an instant before he or she reaches for the lever.

As well as the shifter, change paddles have been added to the steering wheel so the driver has many options. The driver also has the ability to slip seamlessly from fully automatic mode to manual simply by clicking the paddle.

Transmitting power to the ground is Audi's Quattro allwheel-drive system, backed up by an electronic stabilisation program (ESP), ASR traction control and electronic differential lock (EDL).

The brakes are spectacularly good and need to be with a car of this calibre.

This car competes against BMW's 5-Series and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, but for our money is better than both.

The finish is first rate, there's plenty of cabin space and the boot is enormous.

What more could you want?

Our only quibbles concern the touchy feel the car has when parking.

It is difficult to nudge up close to cars in front and the brakes grab with a jerk.

The Audi A6 is priced from $83,900, but if you want the V8 it is going to set you back $151,950.

Optional on other models but standard on the V8 are Audi's advanced key access and driving authorisation (you don't have to take the key out of your pocket), adaptive xenon headlights with cornering lights and a fabulous BOSE surround sound system, including DVD navigation with a TV tuner.