It is a genuine treat to be surprised by an automobile. Case in point is the all new Audi S6 which we had pegged for Audi’s continuing trend of overt understatement. Untangle that oxymoron for a moment: in our opinion Audi has been dangerously close to the just-too-darn-conservative precipice in many of its latest high performance offerings. We’re not asking for “Pimp My Audi” from the factory, but we are most certainly part of the chorus of Audi owners calling for greater differentiation between the well designed (but ultimately more utilitarian) base models and their more exclusive Sport brethren.
We first met the S6 – static on Audi’s stand – at the North American International Auto Show back in January. Audi’s own press fairly summed up that encounter for us, saying “[the] S6 looks unmistakably … supremely athletic out on the roads – but without even the slightest hint of aggression.” A puzzling enigma then, the S6 was a car that promised unbelievably well sorted performance all wrapped up in a rather benign package.
We therefore arrived at Audi’s S6 press launch with an inherent bias. The S6 would be given no free ride on this trip. Like a potential star player in the coach’s doghouse, the vehicle would instead need to work twice as hard to earn respect and a spot on the field. Thankfully for us, the S6 stepped up with a brilliant performance.
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