Audi S6
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| Audi S6 | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Audi |
| Parent company | Volkswagen Group |
| Production | 1994 - present |
| Class | Executive car, Luxury car, Sports car |
| Body style(s) | 4-door saloon/sedan, 5-door Avant (estate/wagon) |
| Layout | Front engine, quattro permanent four-wheel drive |
| Platform | Volkswagen Group C platform series |
| Related | Audi A6, Audi RS6 |
The Audi S6 is a high-performance version of the A6, an executive car produced by German automaker Audi. It went on sale in 1994, shortly after the A6 designation was introduced, replacing the 100 nameplate. The original S6 was largely the same car as the outgoing, first generation S4, with the only visible differences being new body-cladding and badging.
The S6, like all Audi "S" models is fitted as standard with Audi's famed permanent four-wheel drive system - quattro.
Its main market competators include BMW M5, Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG, and Jaguar S-Type R.
Contents |
[edit] 1st generation (C4) S6 (1995-1997)
| Audi S6 (C4) Typ 4A | |
|---|---|
 Audi S6 (C4) |
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| Production | 1995-1997 |
| Successor | S6 (C5) |
| Platform | Volkswagen Group C4 platform |
| Engine(s) | 2.2 L I5 turbo, 4.2 L V8 |
| Transmission(s) | 5-sp manual, 6-sp manual, 5-sp automatic |
- See also: Audi UrS4/S6
Audi was fairly constantly re-structuring their model lineup in early and mid-1990s, and in 1995 began selling the fifth generation 100 model as the A6. Wanting to keep a sports-saloon in their lineup, the company made small revisions to what had been badged as the S4, and began reselling it as the S6; the S4 would eventually become a completely separate car based on Audi's smaller A4.
For 1995, the S6 was powered by a 2.2 L turbocharged five-cylinder engine producing 230 PS (169 kW/227 hp) at 5900 rpm and 326 Nm (258 ft.lb) at around 1950 rpm. The powerful engine gave the S6 surprisingly good performance, it had a top speed of 235 km/h (151 mph) and went from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.1 seconds; 160 km/h (99 mph) was reached in 17.5 seconds. The vehicle came standard with a six speed manual gearbox (5 speed only in the USA), and Audi's quattro permanent four-wheel drive system. It was available as both a saloon/sedan and an "Avant" (station wagon) to European and United States customers, but only as a saloon in Canada, Asia and Australia.
Audi had made a high-performance, 4.2 L V8 available as an option in the first generation European S4s, and made the decision to continue to do so with the S6, making a 290 PS (213 kW/286 hp) version of the 4.2 available as an optional upgrade over the 5-cylinder. Unlike the turbocharged version, the V8-powered S6 was shipped with automatic transmission by default, but kept the quattro four wheel drive. A 6-speed manual gearbox was available as an option.
An even more powerful and very limited-production S6 Plus, powered by another version of the 32 valve 4.2 litre V8 (engine code AHK, later to be seen in the Audi S8, as AKH), was briefly available to European customers. Developed by quattro GmbH (a wholly owned subsidiary of Audi AG), it was available for sale only during the 1997 model year(production from 04/96-07/97). Only 952 cars were produced in total - 855 Avant (Estate) and 97 saloons. Audi's performance division reworked key parts of the engine and increased the power output to 326 PS (240 kW/322 hp). During this process they also made revisions to the suspension, brakes and transmission. With so much power on tap, the S6 Plus could reach 100 km/h (62 mph) from a standstill in 5.6 (saloon) and 5.7 (Avant) seconds, making it comparable in terms of acceleration to vehicles like the Porsche 944 Turbo.
[edit] 2nd generation (C5) S6 (1999-2003)
| Audi S6 (C5) Typ 4B | |
|---|---|
 Audi S6 (C5) |
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| Production | 1999-2003 |
| Predecessor | S6 (C4) |
| Successor | S6 (C6) |
| Platform | Volkswagen Group C5 platform |
| Engine(s) | 4.2 L V8 2xDOHC |
| Transmission(s) | 6-sp manual, 5-sp Tiptronic |
| Wheelbase | 2759 mm |
| Length | 4833 mm |
| Width | 1850 mm |
| Height | 1443 mm (saloon), 1465 mm (Avant) |
| Curb weight | 1815 kg |
| Fuel capacity | 82 L |
In 1997, Audi introduced the second generation A6 models. It was a complete re-design, and a new S6 appeared in 1999 on the new platform. Power is from a 4.2 litre 40 valve[citation needed] V8 engine (code AQJ). quattro permanent four-wheel drive was again standard, as was a six speed manual gearbox, with the optional 5-speed Tiptronic. As for appearance, the body panels were largely based on the A6 4.2 model, with flared wheel arches and door sills. Other features included a 10mm lower body, on stiffer suspension, S6 badging, bolstered seats (optional Recaro seats), polished aluminium side view mirror housings, unique front grille, and rear decklid spoiler, aluminum hood and front side panels, aluminum subframes and 255/40 ZR tyres riding on 17x8" cast alloy, 'Avus' style, six-spoke wheels. Only a wagon version was available to the U.S.
In 2000 there was a new EU 3 emissions standard engine, now with 40 valves (5 per cylinder) and two-stage variable intake manifold (code ANK, ASG, ARS, AWN, BBD?). It was a 4.2 L (4172cc) 40 valve V8 engine with 340 PS (335 hp/250 kW) at 6600 rpm and 420 Nm (310 ft·lbf) at 3400 rpm, a variation of the 4.2 litre engine. The vehicle could now go from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds and from 0-200 km/h (124 mph) in just 21.7 seconds. The top speed was electronically governed to 250 km/h (155 mph).
The second generation S6 went out of production in 2003.
A higher performance RS6 was also available, built by quattro GmbH, using a twin-turbo version of the 4.2 litre V8 (code BCY). Power figures were 450 hp/331 kW at 5700 rpm - 6400 rpm, 560 Nm from 1950 rpm - 5600 rpm. Transmission was a 5 speed Tiptronic automatic, 0-100 km/h took just 4.8 seconds. 0-200 km/h was 17.6 (saloon) and 17.8 (avant) seconds. Wheels were upgraded to 255/40 R18 or 255/35 R19 (5/15 arm design), and there was an optional Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) system available, which featured diagonally interlinked shock absorbers, to give better body control during extreme cornering, acceleration and braking. Compared to standard A6, the suspension was lowered by 25mm. The brake discs were ventilated and upgraded to 365/335mm front/rear.
[edit] 3rd generation (C6) S6 (2006-present)
| Audi S6 (C6) Typ 4F | |
|---|---|
 Current Audi S6 (C6) with LED lights |
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| Production | 2006-present |
| Successor | S6 (C5) |
| Platform | Volkswagen Group C6 platform |
| Engine(s) | 5.2 L V10 FSI 2xDOHC |
| Transmission(s) | 6-sp Tiptronic |
| Wheelbase | 2847 mm |
| Length | 4916 mm (saloon), 4933 mm (Avant) |
| Width | 1864 mm |
| Height | 1449 mm (saloon), 1453 mm (Avant) |
The third-generation S6 was introduced in the 2006 North American International Auto Show in January.
It features a 5.2 L FSI V10 engine, derived from the Lamborghini Gallardo, re-tuned to produce 435 PS (320 kW/429 hp) at 6800 rpm and 540 Nm of torque between 3000 - 4000 rpm. A six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission, and quattro permanent four-wheel drive, now (as of 2008) with the latest 40:60 F:R asymmetric/dynamic Torsen T-3, are standard. For the sprint to 62 mph, the S6 takes 5.2 seconds, with the quarter mile passing in 13.5 seconds.[1] The same engine is used in the Audi S8, where it develops 450 PS (331 KW/443 hp).
The S6 also features a row of 5 distinctive LED daytime running lights (DRLs) along the bumper as a point of differentiation from other A6 models.
[edit] References
- ^ 2007 Audi S6 Specifications. JB car pages.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
official sites
- Audi.com corporate website
- Audi UK S6 official website
unaffiliated independent sites
- S6plus.de independent site dedicated to the C4 S6 Plus (English) & (German)
- derPlus.com (German)
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| Compact car | A3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Super 90 | Fox (B1) | 4000 (B2) | 80 / 90 (B3) | 80 / 90 (B4) | A4 (B5-B8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4000CS quattro | S4 (B5-B8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mid-size car | ... 100 (C1) | 5000 (C2) | 100 / 200 (C3) | 100 / 200 (C4) | A6 (C4-C6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ur-S4 | Ur-S6 | S6 (C5) | S6 (C6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full-size car | V8 | A8 / S8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coupé | Coupé GT | Quattro T89(B3) | A5 / S5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Roadster | TT | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sports car | Quattro (Ur-Quattro) | RS6 | RS4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Convertible | Cabriolet (B4) | A4 Cabriolet / S4 Cabriolet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Compact SUV | Q5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crossover SUV | allroad quattro | A6 allroad quattro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Luxury SUV | Q7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founder: August Horch • Audi corporate website • A marque of the VWAG group • quattro GmbH • Audi Driving Experience • Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. • VolkswagenGroupAmerica corporate website • Electronics Research Laboratory | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
