2004 Audi A6 Quattro review from Finland

Audi A6 Avant 2.4 V6 30v Quattro Automatic Tiptronic (burgundy colour) (Generation C5)

Nothing has gone wrong with this car so far: I bought it ex-leasing so it has a full Audi Service history.

The only thing that happened recently was the battery died, but after four years of heavy power demand (air conditioner, daytime running lights, etc.) it was getting old anyway.

Intro: The Audi A6 Avant 2.4 V6 30v Quattro is a German (built in Ingolstadt) executive touring wagon: Built 2004.

Engine: The 2.4 V6 motor is normally aspirated (meaning no turbo) and while it produces a sufficient 170 bhp, it produces only 230 NM of torque which I think is rather underpowered for a car this size and an engine this size.

Due to there being no turbo, this particular Audi engine CANNOT be upgraded with an ECU remap. This is by far the biggest letdown of this car: it's one of the very few Audi engines than cannot be tuned and I should have investigated this aspect before buying. So prospective Audi buyers and tuners, you've been warned: be sure to get a TDi or turbo petrol!

Drive-train and Transmission: Quattro is a full-time 4x4 Haldex system (not merely electronic part-time 4WD) so it continuously powers all 4 wheels. It grips the road tremendously and with the ESP it can handle any road conditions, including muddy fields. It is the full-time Quattro 4x4 combined with an German quality executive trimmed car that decided it was to be an Audi for me.

The Automatic Tiptronic transmission of course has D for Drive but it also has S for Sport which can be shifted on-the-fly and immediately adds circa 500 RPM of additional engine rotation for sportier driving. That in combination with the Quattro 4x4 facilitates great accelerating and cornering fun: however the consequential penalty for having that fun is that it means more petrol consumption.

Exterior: The exterior build quality is excellent. A few issues could have been designed better:

There could be better protection against loose chippings damage (chunkier door and hem trims) particularly just above the front of the rear wheel flares.

The whip type radio antenna on the rear of the roof is old fashioned: it should have already been integrated into the rear window or as a more modern shark-fin type antenna.

The factory-supplied tires are a bit small (205 55 R 16) however 205 60 R16 tires can fit the same alloy rims. Audi makes very attractive alloy wheels.

The entire bodywork beneath the paint is zinc-coated which is a rust warranty in itself.

The entire undercarriage has a flat profile (which I like a lot) and all the critical components there are well protected. Nothing looks worse to me than a contemporary car with an old-fashioned humpy-bumpy looking undercarriage: Asian car companies, take note.

The interior materials are very high quality: aluminium door levers and transmission casing, carbonfibre door trims, two-tone leather electrically-operated seats that are ergonomic and very comfortable for long distances (but I think Volvo's V70 seats are better still), back seats have two Isofix components and is really big and comfortable.

The A6 can comfortably carry five tall adults. The boot space is very large and well designed.

The front seats have an integrated storage box and the rear seat has a large centered one.

The car is very well insulated against road and tire noise.

I have only two gripes about the interior:

There is only one pop-out cupholder and it is located up on the facia above the radio/CD/aircon unit which is annoyingly illogical considering a spillage could destroy those expensive electronics, so that must have been a design afterthought. Fortunately another pop-up cupholder is located in the centre console.

My other gripe is about the centre console armrest: it could be wider (like in Volvo V70) and there's only enough comfortable space for one elbow. But the front seats are comfortably wide so they take the space.

Overall, the A6 interior is close to perfection and is a joy to use.