Another in a series of my reviews that appeared in the online version of African Americans On Wheels, a now defunct automotive magazine that was included as an insert in the Sunday newspapers of major cities.
As you can tell from reading the review, I really liked this car. Surprisingly, so did my wife, and she’s not easily pleased when it comes to cars.
Audi was on a definite roll near the end of the millennia. The 1996 A4 was a certified hit, followed by the dramatically improved A8 (formerly V8). The final offering in the trifecta was the new A6. The mid-sized Audi seemed to lose its mojo after the groundbreaking 1984 5000, which is what the C3 generation was known as in the U.S. The follow-up 100/200/A6 was nice but forgettable. The C5 A6, on the other hand, was the perfect balance of aerodynamics and style. It also set the high standard for Audi interiors that still exists today.
Remember the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears? The all-new Audi A6 is the baby bear’s bed – not too hard, not too soft, but just right.
The A6 is Audi’s mid-size model, slotted between the A4 and the A8. For 1998, the sedan gets a slippery new shape highlighted by a dramatically sloping rear window (a wagon is also available). Audi says it wanted a sedan with the style and elegance of a coupe. It works, creating far more visual impact than its BMW 528i and Mercedes E320 competition. Inside, instead of the classic, stark Germanic interior, there was pleasant melange (beige) interior trim with light wood accents and sumptuous leather seats. It’s one of the A6’s three “Atmospheres” – an interior environment which buyers can match to their personal styles – a first for a mass-market manufacturer. I was surrounded by “Ambiante” (the others are “Ambition” and “Advance”). There are plenty of lights, storage bins and cupholders, and the dash even has a sliding card holder (to hold gas or security cards). It is one of the most inviting interiors I’ve experienced.
The “just right” theme of the A6 is even more exemplified when driving. It’s dimensions are almost identical to the Buick Century, but it feels much smaller and lighter. The multi-link suspension and Audi’s excellent Quattro all-wheel drive system give the A6 superior handling while maintaining a well-controlled ride, while the 200 horsepower V6 provides good balance between power and fuel economy. Even though a manual transmission is not available, a version of Porsche’s Tiptronic five-speed “manumatic” transmission comes standard. You can leave it in drive like a normal automatic, or move the lever to the right gate to shift manually. The only complaint is that in automatic mode it’s sometimes hesitant to downshift.
Besides plenty of interior room, the trunk is cavernous. Our tester came with the optional “Cold Weather” package which, besides heated seats and steering wheel, includes a ski sack that allows ski storage in the trunk without folding down the rear seats while protecting the interior.
Overall, Audi A6 Quattro is one of the few cars that will leave you feeling satisfied without mortgaging your family to purchase it.
For more information contact 1-800-FOR-AUDI
SPECIFICATIONS
Type:4-Door Sedan
Engine:200-horsepower, 2.8-liter V6
Transmission:5-Speed Automatic
EPA Mileage:17 city/26 highway
Tested Price:$41,225
Another excellent review. Given you had to pump these out regularly, they are consistently well-written and concise.
As Hyundai seemed to be floundering for design direction in the late 90s, I was almost expecting them to blatantly copy Audi’s very clean design themes of this era.
Thanks Dan. They did, but they just waited until the 2010s along with everyone else. Notice how just about every mid-sized car today looks like a 1998 A6?
Great article, Adam. And, yes – I’ll agree that this basic design was widely replicated. I was shocked when the 2005 Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego came out with what looked like an exact copy of this A6’s roofline.
Thanks Joseph. The design of the Five Hundred/Montego was more of a deliberate copy. They were designed by J Mays, who also designed the A6 and the B5 Passat. I believe it was Car & Driver who noted that the Five Hundred looked like a Passat with all of the life sucked out of it (I later appropriated that line to describe the previous generation RAV4 in my CX-5 COAL).
As nice as the new A4 of a few years prior was, the design of this new A6 really did set a new bar, it had people talking and looked modern and fresh for a long time after. I do think that the prior generation’s interior was just as well done, if not even better in some respects, certainly the older cars were built slightly better and felt more solid as the years went on with less of the little niggling cosmetic things that tended to go wrong with these (cupholders, soft touch finishes wearing, pixelated screens etc). Maintenance and simple repair items (headlight bulbs) seemed to be somewhat more complex as well.
Still, they did drive exceptionally well, always felt very solid and everything operated with that typical germanic heft. Once the optional V8 and turbo engines arrived in a few years time they were genuinely fast as well, not that the 30V V6 was a slouch. Add Quattro and it was an even better winter car as well.
Funny you mention the cupholders. My parents bought a very lightly used 1999 A6 Avant Quattro in 2001 when I was born. It was Aluminium Silver Metallic on Royal Blue leather with the Amber Vavona wood trim, and was a fantastic car we kept for many years. But about a year or two later, I managed to jam one of the rear seat cupholders and it remained stuck the rest of the time we owned the car. Apparently I got it jammed in so well that replacing it was the only option, so we made do with one rear cupholder.
And yes, everything was a bit complex. I remember we used to go and get our wiper blades at the Porsche dealer, since they had them in stock, for some reason. And small parts were quite expensive, and we did experience some mechanical trouble with the car. However, we all still remember the “Benmobile” quite fondly, and I now drive a newer Audi wagon, so I must have been bitten by the wagon bug thanks to that car!
“The only complaint is that in automatic mode it’s sometimes hesitant to downshift.”
I’m not sure Audi has yet fixed this problem.
Interesting gist of a well-familiar car.
We happen to have an 2002 S6 from Japan (so basically a Euro spec car) and a 2003 E39 530 with M-spec/Sport body and interior. Driving them alongside is always an interesting experience.
I agree with earlier comments that the previous (C4) 100/A6 was a much more robust and _premium_ vehicle, well on par with both W124 and E34 – and far more comfortable and usable than either of them.
As for the C5 A6, main dislikes come from the rattly interior with the easily scratchable rubberized surfaces, somewhat poor (compared to E39) sound insulation. And as much as I like the 4.2V8, I could care less about frumpy-looking and non-performing lesser versions. Oh, and the US DOT bumpers make it even uglier.