Commercial Review: Audi "Alien"

Audi scores a knockout with this funny and lighthearted A6 commercial which finds a young girl believing that her father is an alien. The dad in question talks like an alien, eats alien food, dresses like an alien and most incriminatingly pilots an alien space ship. This commercial works so well primarily because it is funny and would not be seen out of place during the Superbowl. On a more subconscious level it appears that Audi is subtly hinting that driving an A6 will make you one cool parent in the eyes of your kid. Not being in that demographic I am not sure if the commercial succeeds in that regard or if parents even care about being the cool parent. Overall, "Alien" does an excellent job of highlighting the A6's technological sophistication without a tedious adult voice-over as Audi has done in the past.

Audi Engine Downsizing and New EPA Fuel Economy Ratings

Engine downsizing has been an industry buzzword for the past few years. The idea behind downsizing is to replace a large naturally aspirated engine with a smaller turbocharged or supercharged engine. At first this concept only applied to mainstream cars but has recently appeared on luxury brands as well. Even Mercedes AMG models are replacing their 6.3 liter naturally aspirated V8s with slightly smaller 5.5 liter twin-turbo V8s. Audi has gone one further with its all new 2012 A6 as the previous V6 model has been replaced with a four cylinder turbo and the V8 option has been dropped in favor of a supercharged V6. These downsized engines have delivered for Audi. Paired with a CVT transmission the A6 2.0T delivers 25 city and 33 highway for 28 combined, numbers rarely seen in the luxury category. The quattro 3.0 TFSI does quite well as well rated at 19 city and 28 highway.


Here are some other notable new ratings. City/highway (combined)

Aston Martin Rapide: 13/19 (15)
Audi A8 W12: 14/21 (16)
Lamborghini Aventador Coupe: 11/17 (13)
Lamborghini Avenador Roadster: 11/17 (13)
Lexus LFA: 11/16 (12)
Volkswagen Passat TDI: 31/43 (35)

2012 Audi A6 Avant

Having unveiled its fourth generation A6 sedan last year it was only a matter of time until Audi would show the Avant version. Unveiled in Berlin today the A6 Avant follows the sedan with a striking LED headlight design and the latest six point Audi shield grille upfront. Past the A pillar the designs diverge for obvious reasons as the Avant features a fast sloping roof line not commonly seen on wagons. The new A6 Avant is a large wagon measuring 194 inches in length and riding on a 114.5 inch wheelbase. With aluminum comprising around 20% of the A6 body Audi was able to drop as much as 150 pounds compared to the previous generation. The lighter curb weight is certainly one of the reasons for the 18% reduction in fuel economy when compared to the last A6 Avant. Powering the Avant are four diesel engines and two gasoline. Most of the engines carry over from the sedan except the new two stage twin-turbo V6 3.0 TDI that delivers a staggering 313 horsepower. Audi claims that the twin-turbo TDI will propel the Avant to 60 in only 5.4 seconds. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that the latest A6 Avant will be sold in America. Nevertheless, take a look at over 70 photos of the new Avant below.

Future Audi S6 and S8 Engines Revealed

Audi just recently unveiled its brand new A6 and the A8 has only been on sale for a few months, but the brand is soon to augment its lineup up with high performance S models. Long rumored to receive a turbocharged V8 to replace the naturally aspirated V10 of the previous generation we can now confirm the horsepower output of the S versions. The S6 and S8 will both feature a 4.0 TFSI engine, the S6 will have 408 horsepower while the S8 will have 518 horsepower. It's likely that the S6 (and S7) will use a single turbocharger while the S8 will rely on a twin-turbo setup to deliver the extra 110 horsepower. The S6 will use a 7 speed dual-clutch gearbox while the S8 will have an 8 speed auto. The regular A8 will also use the 4.0T, delivering 420 horsepower in that application. The S6 and S8 are set to go to production towards the end of 2011 so expect a public debut soon. In related news the new A6 will also receive the long expected twin-turbo 3.0TDI engine with 313 horsepower in August.

The last generation S6 and S8 also shared a common engine, the 5.2 liter V10, but with a much more similar state of tune. The S6 V10 made 435 horsepower while the S8 made 450. This time it appears that the S6 will be repositioned in the same manner as Audi has done with the S4 previously. The S6 will become the sole V8 option (until the RS6) in the A6 lineup much like the S4 is the only V6 option for the A4. And for those concerned with the horsepower drop from the V10 I suspect that the new S6 will easily outperform its predecessor much like the latest supercharged V6 S4 had done compared to the old V8 powered S4.

2012 Audi A6 Design Analysis

Audi unveiled its seventh generation A6 sedan this past week and now it's time to analyze its design. Unsurprisingly, the A6 follows a similar design pattern as the A8 and to a certain degree A4 and A7. It also keeps design elements from the previous generation A6 as well. As a brand Audi has prioritized a single cohesive design language between its models over the past few years. This is perhaps the biggest downfall for the new A6 as it lacks some of the excitement associated with new model reveals. Aside from lacking the surprise factor, the A6 nevertheless has a strong and clean design. The all LED headlights look extremely sharp and are better integrated than those of the latest A8. The A1 inspired taillights however look to take a step back from the ones on the current generation A6. The A7 inspired interior does not disappoint and keeps Audi's interior reputation intact. Overall, the A6 features a design that can be considered on the conservative side with a mix of clean lines that like many other new designs is likely to look better in person than in pictures. Nevertheless, here are some (63 to be exact) photos of the new A6 along with two videos to help you form your own opinion.

New BMW 5 series no match for A6 in C/D Comparo

Car and Driver rounded up three premier sport sedans for its August issue. The brand new BMW 535i was joined by an equally new Infiniti M37 and the Audi A6 3.0T that won the previous Car and Driver comparison in this category. Unfortunately for BMW, its latest 5 series finished in last place because it had the lowest rated steering in the hills. The electric power steering was so disappointing that the other redeeming qualities weren't enough to place the 5 series any higher. The Infiniti M37 placed second because of its unlinear brakes and somewhat unusual nature of its 4 wheel steering. Otherwise Car and Driver appreciated the Infiniti's exterior and interior styling. The A6 won on its strength of communicative steering, comfortable ride and torquey supercharged engine.

All three sport sedans had similar acceleration with 0-60 arving in around five and a half seconds with 14 second quarter miles and 100 mph trap speeds. The Audi and BMW both had 10% better fuel economy than the naturally aspirated Infiniti.

Is it time for BMW to go back to the drawing board with its electric steering given that the brand new 5 series finished last, and its closest rival won with a vehicle that's soon to be replaced?

Car and Driver Comparison Test: Audi A6 3.0T quattro, BMW 535i, Infiniti M45, Jaguar XF, Mercedes E 350

Car and Driver recently compared this group of five mid size luxury sedans priced in the high 50 to low 60,000 dollar range. After doing several days of evaluating the cars they concluded that no one would be making a mistake buying any one of these cars. However, here are the results.

Mercedes-Benz E 350: 5th place.

The engine was the weakest of the bunch and a little coarse. Works better on the highway than the hills.

Jaguar XF: 4 th place.

The 300 horsepower V8 is no stronger than the competing V6s. Jaguar's fancy gear selector was problematic, and like the Mercedes it wasn't at home on the twisty roads. Not very spacious for the rear occupants.

Infinit M45: 3rd place.

Strong acceleration from the 325 horsepower V8. The sport package that comes with rear steering steering which didn't work too well. Car and Driver did find the Infiniti roomy and liked the transmission and the short breaking distances of the M45.

BMW 535i: 2nd place.

The only car with a manual in the test and the lightest of the group, the BMW was the quickest of the group. The BMW was also the most expensive of the group, almost reaching 64,000 dollars.

Audi A6 3.0T quattro: 1st place.

Car and Driver was impressed by the dynamics of the supercharged V6, best in test steering and good break feel. They also found the ride compliant and the automatic gearbox did what it was supposed to. On the negative side there was tire noise and a few weird controls.