Audi S6 V10: Used Car Reminder
Posted by Doug DeMuro in Used Car Reminder on | 22 comments
We all know Audi builds cool stuff. It’s rare that we have to be reminded of this. We remember the C4 “UrS6,” we remember the 2003 RS6 and the 2007-08 RS4, and we remember all those cars painted in that gorgeous shade of non-metallic blue that never seems to pop up on the used market. But I think many of us have forgotten this one.
By “this one,” I’m referring to the third-generation S6, which was sold from 2007 through 2011 as a sedan only. Yes, I love it even though it isn’t a high-performance wagon.
And it’s hard not to love. The main reason for this is the 5.2-liter V10 mounted under the hood, which shares most of its parts with the engine they use in the Lamborghini Gallardo. Yes, other sedans are faster and more powerful. But those may be the best bragging rights in the world.
The S6 is also lovable because it’s so damn subtle. Aside from a “V10” fender badge, some LED lights, and available upgraded wheels, you had absolutely no idea you were looking at a four-door sedan with Lamborghini power. This is a departure from most of today’s performance cars, which feature bulging fenders, and wheels, and brakes, and hoods, and basically by the end of it, every single thing they can find is bulging.
I think there are two reasons we forget this S6. One is that the A6 it was based on was so dull that most of us don’t even remember it existed. Which is completely reasonable, although I promise the S6 had an entirely different character than its lesser brethren.
But more importantly, we’re afraid it’s going to be so unreliable that we will be forced to swap in a tiny diesel motor from a European model just to keep it on the road. Fortunately, we have CarMax to worry about those problems for us. So I say, to those considering a used performance sedan: add the S6 to your shopping list. And make sure to get the warranty.
22 Responses to “ “Audi S6 V10: Used Car Reminder”
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I think the reason people don’t gravitate towards the V10 S6 is because the E60 M5 V10 existed. And when it had more power for about the same price, most people tended to go for that one, or get the S8 V10. The other thing was that the exhaust note was not as loud as that of the RS models, which may have caused it criticism.
But at the end of the day, the E60 M5 was a four-door supercar, while the S6, well, wasn’t.
It was really more or less a slightly more powerful, more expensive and more special all wheel drive alternative to, say, a BMW 550i/Jag XF Supercharged/Cadillac CTS-V (first gen). The RS6 was in M5 territory.
Isn’t the V10 real peak-y? Revving the snot out of a high strung engine wasn’t something most Audi buyer got into. Or maybe that helps depreciation?!
I honestly have no idea, and believe we now must test it.
I can only find 1 in the Carmax network, and it’s nowhere near me!
They ship anywhere!
There is indeed only 1 S6 and 1 S8. But give them time…
Love your work and your way of going off the beaten path. Wish I had your writing chops (we’re close to the same age I believe)!
Thanks very much for the kind words! It really means a lot – wasn’t an easy choice leaving a steady ‘dream job’ to do this, but I’m starting to think it was the right choice, and comments like yours solidify those thoughts.
I love subtle cars like this as well. Very understated and elegant. No one on the road short of a real car enthusiast would ever know you were driving something special if they saw you in one of these. Kudos on the post.
And, thus, no one short of a real car enthusiast would buy one, because the styling isn’t ‘loud’ enough to attract the posers.
Exactly. Very true.
I have a 2007 sprint blue pearl effect S6. It is a great car and you are a great writer.
THAT is a tremendous car. How badly do you want to trade it for a silver CTS-V Wagon?
Thank you very much for the kind words. It really means a lot.
Does the wagon have a stick?
Ouch.
Hahaha.
The wagon COULD have a stick, if you do the swap.
You could theoretically swap a manual transmission from an RS4 or an R8 into an S6, hang pedals, fabricate various adapters, engineer custom electronic interfaces, etc. What could go wrong?
My mother had a brand new 2008 S8 for 8 months. She had to pay at least $5k for out of warranty payments on transmission/differential repairs. I don’t think that she ever took the thing over 60 miles an hour.
As I have mentioned in the past, I have owned an Audi A6 (1997 – last year for that generation) and it may be the only German car I ever own. With the sheer number of problems it had (even with the warranty I bought) and how often something broke, it drove me away from Audi. And it’s a real shame because on paper I LOVE so many Audis. They have everything I want in a daily driver. The issue will arrise at some point with the “daily” aspect of that.
Even while typing this I am lustfully thinking of doing a search for a quad-ring siren. Well…. maybe I’ll just take a look.
The biggest problem with this S6 is the weight. High weight and high revving engines don’t go very well together. An acquaintance of mine who owned a lot of high performance Audis and BMWs said this S6 model was the worst of all. Even the 2002 S4 – which is down by roughly 100hp compared to this S6 – felt faster.
Anyways I think they got it right with the current model. The Bi-Turbo setup should provide a lot more torque earlier in the band. And of course even worse repair costs if these turbochargers break…
These are my impressions and experience regarding my 2007 S6.
The car “feels” fast and sounds great. I test drove a new S6 and it felt appreciably faster, but was very quiet and sounded like a turbocharged engine, which, of course, it is. Would I buy a 2013? No, because I’ll never buy another car without 3 pedals.
The 2007 is not, in my opinion, peaky, but feels strong throughout the rev range. This car has a traditional slushbox. I keep it in “S”, except around town, where “S” feels clunky and has a abrupt throttle tip in off the line.
This car is fun only at illegal speeds. I originally drove it on my commute to NYC, where it could be enjoyed on a few parts of the Saw Mill River Parkway and I-684, if I drove early or late. Usually, I drive a 2008 (Mark V) GTI (stick) on that route. I wish I invented the statement that “[I]t’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.”
This car would be more fun as a wagon (available in Europe) and with a stick (available nowhere on Earth).
This is my second most favorite car. My favorite was my urS4 (1992). The 2007 S6 has had more problems than any other car I’ve owned and the 1992 S4 was the second most troublesome. I had a 2008 A5 3.2 which ran perfectly, but I sold it because I believed that it was not a true Audi because it was perfectly reliable.
I’ve only ever owned two Audis, my first was a 1994 Audi RS 2 Avant in Porsche Polar Silver with the factory option Porsche Big Red brakes and my second is a 2007 Audi S6 Avant V10 in Midnight Blue Pearl.
The RS2 (http://www.torquestats.com/index.php?car_id=84) had 315 HP from the factory and 302 ins/ft of torque from its inline 5 cyl turbo engine which was modified by Porsche from the factory and it had the worst turbo lag of any car I’ve ever owned.. but not the worst I’ve ever driven (step forward Porsche 911 930 Turbo..
). But when it was on-song, it was relentless (201 BHP/ton) and really an exercise in just moving your big toe to overtake cars.
My S6 Avant reminds me a lot of that car. (it has 227 BHP/ton) a fairly similar 0-60 time, but the 0 to 100 time and the 60-100 times are comprehensively faster. I think the auto box takes the edge off a launch though as both are very similar in a quarter mile drag (13.7s – S6 avant versus 13.82s RS2 Avant).
I don’t find the engine on my S6 peaky, however the throttle response is very aggressive, which makes smooth driving in traffic a little interesting. What I love about the S6, is like the RS2 before it – it is not a BMW M car, with all the poor image (here in Europe – M5 and M3 cars of a certain vintage are thought of as drug dealer wagons..) that goes with it. I love the fact that my S6 looks so business like, subtile and menacing from the front, 4 square on the the road and when in S mode, happy to tear off in to the distance when ever I decide.
Its a really great car – under appreciated. It needs more people to drive them instead of being put off by the initial road tests back in the day. This car was never intended to be a rival for the E63 AMG or the BMW M5.. thats what the RS6 is for.