AUDI LE MANS RACE CAR FOR THE ROAD? NOT QUITE, BUT…

Bad boy at the big end of town - the Audi A6 Biturbo provides stunning performance that belies its upper luxury appearanc

Bad boy at the big end of town – the Audi A6 Biturbo provides stunning performance that belies its upper luxury appearance

Derived from the Le Mans winning diesel powerplant, the new Audi 3.0 TDI V6 powerplant puts out 230 kW between 3900 and 4500 rpm, plus peak torque of 650 Nm from 1450 to 2800 rpm.

Amazingly, the engine is said by the maker to consume only 6.4 litres of fuel for every 100 kilometres driven on the combined urban / highway cycle. This fuel efficiency places this  A6 variant under the luxury car tax threshold of 7 litres per 100 kilometres. By ducking under the LCT threshold, Audi customers pay less tax on the fuel-efficient A6 3.0 TDI V6 Biturbo, enabling the sedan to hold down an extremely competitive manufacturer’s list price of $118,800.

However, the fuel numbers aren’t easy to obtain in real life. During our time with the Audi A6 Biturbo sedan the best we got was an average of 5.6 litres per hundred kilometres on the motorway, rising sharply to between 11 and 13 litres per hundred in tight town traffic.

The mechanics of this engine’s performance are fascinating. As its name suggests, two water-cooled turbochargers are connected in series. A switchover valve directs intercooled air to a small turbo at low revs, with a large charger performing pre-compression. From around 2500 rpm, the valve begins to open and the small charger shifts most of its workload to the big blower. Between 3500 and 4000 rpm the valve opens fully, the large charger taking on all the work.

Audi_A6_Biturbo_rear

During running, the common-rail fuel system develops up to 2000 bar of pressure and injects as many as eight different amounts of fuel into the cylinder. Fascinating, and the sort of thing that’s only possible due to intricate electronic sensors and controls.

An eight-speed Tiptronic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive harness the prodigious power and torque to produce performance worthy of a very fast luxury vehicle.

At idle, the distinctive diesel rattle of the engine is all but absent, but stamp on the accelerator and, within seconds, the motor fires up a fierce growl that belies the saloon’s luxury status. The glorious aural experience is amplified by a sound actuator in a side channel of the exhaust. Essentially a loudspeaker, the instrument produces a sonorous accompaniment to engine revs rising all the way to 5200 rpm.

Audi_A6_Biturbo_interior

Further menace is let into the passenger cabin via a windscreen vibrating to the deep-throated note of the motor being urged along. Onlookers have been known to stare in awe as the otherwise mild mannered A6 Biturbo takes off, leaving behind a wall of sound.

Sports cars, even the more expensive ones, can sometimes be utilitarian. Not the big Audi A6 Biturbo, which enjoys all the accoutrements of a top-line executive sedan.

Standard Drive select offers mastery of driving dynamics. Via a button on the centre console, the driver can call up one of three modes – comfort, auto or dynamic – ranging from limo-like to hard-line sport. Using the Multi-Media Interface the driver can construct an individual profile, tempting behaviour like a curious toddler with a Fisher-Price toy.

At no extra cost comes a Technik Package which includes Audi top view camera system, xenon plus headlights with high beam assist, four-zone deluxe automatic air-conditioning and multifunctional sports steering wheel with shift paddles, and electric glass sunroof.

Bose surround sound leads the way for a Bluetooth interface with music streaming, electric front seats are clothed in Milano leather and have driver memory function, MMI Navigation plus features retractable screen and touch pad.

The test car carried an S line exterior package featuring: front and rear bumpers, side ventilation grilles, side sills in a sporty design, rear diffuser insert in platinum grey. S line badging on the front wings and chrome-plated exhaust tailpipe trims.

The Audi A6 TDI Biturbo – an executive sedan of impeccable pedigree with the genes of a junkyard dog. We loved it!

PRICING AND SPECIFICATIONS
Audi A6 3.0 TDI V6 Biturbo $118,800
Note: This price does not include government or dealer delivery charges. Contact your local Audi dealer for drive-away prices.

ENGINE:
Capacity: 2967 cc
Configuration: V6, four valves per cylinder. Common-rail injection system (piezo injectors, max. 2000 bar), direct injection, eight-hole nozzles, regulated 2-stage turbocharger with intercooler; swirl and tangential intake ports, central swirl flap. Start/stop system.
Bore and stroke: 83 mm x 91.4 mm
Compression ratio: 16.0:1
Fuel type: Diesel
Maximum Power: 230 kW @ 3900-4500 rpm
Maximum Torque: 650 Nm from 1450-2800 rpm

DRIVELINE:
8-speed Tiptronic with DSP and sport program. Hydraulic torque converter with lock-up clutch. quattro permanent all-wheel drive

DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4915 mm
Width: 1874 mm
Height: 1455 mm
Wheelbase: 2912 mm
Track: 1627 mm (front); 1618 mm (rear)
Turning circle: 11.9 m
Co-efficient of drag: 0.28
Seats / boot capacity: 5 / 530 litres (rear seat back up), 995 litres (rear seat back folded)
Weight: 1865 kg (unladen); 2400 kg (gross vehicle)

SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Five-link front suspension, double upper and lower wishbones, anti-roll bar, steel springs
Rear Suspension: Self-tracking trapezoidal-link axle with wishbone, anti-roll bar, steel springs
Brakes: Dual-circuit brake system with diagonal split, electronic stabilisation control
ESC, brake servo, hydraulic brake assist; front: ventilated disks, aluminium
composite floating calipers; rear: ventilated disks, cast floating calipers with
electromechanical parking brake with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Cornering Brake Control (CBC) and Dynamic Traction Control (DTC)
Steering: Electro-mechanical steering with speed-dependent power assistance
Wheels: 18-in aluminium wheels, five-spoke V design

PERFORMANCE:
Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 5.1 seconds
Maximum speed: 250 km/h (governed)

FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 6.4 L/100km, CO2 emissions 169 g/km
Emission standard: EU5

GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 7.0/10 Air Pollution Rating: 6.0/10

WARRANTY:
Three years / unlimited kilometres

About Derek Ogden

On graduating with an honours degree in applied science in London, Derek Ogden worked for the BBC in local radio and several British newspapers as a production journalist and writer. Derek moved to Australia in 1975 and worked as a sub-editor with The Courier Mail and Sunday Mail in Brisbane, moving to the Gold Coast Bulletin in 1980 where he continued as a production journalist. He was the paper's motoring editor for more than 20 years, taking the weekly section from a few pages at the back of the book to a full-colour liftout of up to 36 pages. He left the publication in 2009.
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