The S6 is a super luxury sedan. It does have commendable "get up and go," but the S6 is not a sports car. Anyone who buys an S6 with that idea in mind is going to be disappointed. If you want speed and power, turn to the competition and in the process, save some money. Both the Cadillac CTS-V and the Audi S4 have more power and more "sports car" feel and they�re both cheaper. You�ll spend $20,000 less on the Cadillac and $30,000 less on the S4.
Make no mistake, the S6 drives well. It has a balanced feel and more than capable all-wheel drive (which comes standard.) It doesn�t disappoint, but more telling, it just doesn�t do all that much to excite. You get the style, you get the high-tech electronics you even get high crash test scores. But pay north of $72,000 for a "performance tuned" version of the A6 that doesn't perform at a really high level? That's hard to sell.
Out of the "box" so to speak, the S6 comes with rack-and-pinion steering with Servotronic speed-dependent power assist. Look for a sport-tuned independent suspension, anti-lock brakes, and electronic brake pressure distribution. The Quattro permanent all-wheel drive is also standard and gives you a 40/60 power split front to rear.
Under the hood there's a 5.2-litter V10 that produces 435 hp at 6,800 rpm. (That's 398 lb. ft. of torque at 3,000-4,000 rpm.) Paired to that there�s a six-speed Tiptronic automatic with manual and automatic shifting (all custom set.) Audi claims the S6 can make the 0 to 60 jump in 5.1 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph. Most sports car drivers aren't interested in fuel efficiency, but the S6 gets 14 city, 19 highway for gas mileage.
