Re: Kahn, how's the S6?

[Khan Klatt <khan@mediaaccess.com>]

At 2:38 PM -0400 9/11/2000, av8r@unitedstates.com wrote:
>Just out of curiosity, how's the S6 working out?  I'm not too
>familliar with the car, but I've heard good things.

Very very nice. It's definitely deserving of the "S" designation.

The interior is very comfortable. The seats are supportive, yet soft. 
You're clearly in a luxury automobile when every seat setting is 
electronic, and there are four memory positions which are retrieved 
based on the key used to open the car.

It seats 4 adults most comfortably, so is a nice "executive car". 
Large adults may not be happy in a long ride, but a quick jaunt to an 
office or to lunch is great.

The one touch up and down features are very nice features lacking in 
the Jetta. Similarly, the sunroof has a dial, which means you set it 
to the position you want it in, and you let go. No need to hold down 
the button to get it to close or open all the way, etc. Some features 
are identical. The door lock vacuum system is the same as in the A3 
Jetta, as the feature for closing or opening windows and sunroof with 
the key in the driver door lock.

Other features are unique to the Audi. The integrated car phone and 
stereo work well together. Make a call on the cell phone, and the 
radio mutes. Seat warmers are standard on both front and rear seats, 
and rear passengers get air vents that they control pressure (not 
temperature) on.

The climate system is excellent, allowing you to set temperature 
(like set it to 66 degrees, and the car turns on the AC to 3/4 until 
it hits 66 when it drops to 1/4 to maintain temperature... set it to 
62 degrees, and the AC hits you full blast).

The Dunlop SP Sport 4000 tires are a nice compromise of quiet, 
durable, and performance oriented. The sport tuned suspension softens 
bumps, but doesn't dull them. Body roll is reduced thanks to 
integrated upper tie bars across the shock pillars.

The turbocharged I-5 2.3 liter engine has less displacement than the 
beloved VR6, but it's certainly a very capable engine, propelling 
this heavier car to 0-60 in half a second faster than an A3 Jetta-- 
at least that's what the specs say-- I haven't timed it myself.

The first time I heard the turbo whine, I thought it was a cop's 
siren. If you can't tell, this is my first turbocharged car. :)

It's autobahn heritage is well exhibited by a very comfortable ride 
at 90mph down the freeway. It feels like the Jetta when it's driving 
25mph. Of course, a Jetta doesn't feel like it's flying when it's 
going 90 either, but the road noise seems to insulate better from air 
and pavement noise.

The trunk is as roomy as the Jetta's, the back seat is roomier, and 
the front seat is the same. The I-5 engine obviously needs a larger 
engine bay, and therefore the car is significantly longer than the 
Jetta. It dwarfs my girlfriend's A4 Jetta in our garage. It seems 
like the car is 6 inches longer than the Jetta, firmly placing the S6 
in the midsize arena.

All in all, I'm happy with the purchase. I had built about $9000 
worth of equity into my Jetta, and traded it in for about $16K plus 
change. The S6 was just above $24K and change for 55K miles. That 
meant I had to finance about $15,000 of car when I traded in my 97 
for this 95, so my payments actually went down. Hopefully the Audi 
will hold its value better (it is more rare than the Jetta GLX), and 
in two or three years, I will have $13-15,000 of equity in the car, 
and be able to trade it in for something nicer, perhaps a BMW M5, or 
a new Audi S6.

My only complaints about the car are the following:

1. There is the blue visor shading stuff on the windshield that 
initially annoyed me (you know what I mean, don't you?)
2. The coolest feature is perhaps when you put the car into reverse, 
the right side outside mirror tilts down so you can see toys, 
children, animals, or curbs as you back in or out of parking spots-- 
very nice, but it doesn't revert back to the prime position you had 
it in when you shift into first to drive away. You can turn it off, 
but I like the feature! :)
3. The digital clock in my Jetta has been replaced with an analog dial.

That's about it!

Don't get me wrong I really liked my Jetta. It was small and nimble, 
but I'm in a different class of automobile in my S6. When the turbo 
kicks in, all memories of joy I had in the Jetta fade away into 
thoughts of enjoyment in the present and the future in my new (new to 
me, anyway) car.

Oh, and the cupholders are definitely better, although they still 
can't take a big gulp!

-Khan
-- 

Khan Klatt                                         khan@mediaaccess.com

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