A6 - SE vs S Line or air suspension

[Jinboy]

Hi

Having driven BMWs for as long as I can remember I recently test drove the new A6 SE 3.0TDI 245ps quattro. I was pretty much sold after 30 mins!

My dilemma is which suspension setup to go for. I found the suspension on the SE just about perfect for me (I drove it on 19s), and wouldn't want to go much firmer. However I much prefer the S Line styling and at least 19 wheels.

I'm pretty sure you can't get S Line styling with SE suspension, so I was wondering whether the adaptive air suspension would help? Or would the standard sports suspension (-20mm) versus the full S Line suspension (-30mm) still be ok?

Thoughts and ideas appreciated!

[shabazmo]

I have the standard suspension on 18 in wheels on my A7 and find the ride handling just great and won't want it any firmer. I also drove the A7 with sports suspension on 19s and did not find it too firm but it was only a 15 min test drive. Paying £2K for adaptive suspension seems a lot of money if you want to drive it on comfort setting. From the press road test reports, comments were that they did not like the comfort settings. I can't help feeling that S-line with 19s will be too firm, but we already know that the ride of the new A6 is significantly better than the older models. I hope the above opinion helps.

[johnblue56789]

Hi - How many miles a year do you anticipate driving in your new A6?

[Jinboy]

Expect to drive about 10-12k per year, but it's the full range so I'm looking for something that performs on both B roads and Mway (my experience was that dynamic setting on the SE with 19s was plenty firm enough for the twisty B roads).

Should I assume that with standard drive select the comfort setting on S Line will be like dynamic setting on SE? I'm just wondering if the air suspension would give a bigger range?

Also, does anyone know how much the ride height changes with the air suspension? I live on an unmade road so a bit of extra height esp on an S Line wight be very useful!

[nealeb]

Recently ordered a new A6 so it's too late to change anything but reading this post made me wonder - if you don't have air suspension, does changing any of the comfort/dynamic/efficiency etc settings actually make any difference to the suspension? I thought it didn't as the standard suspension doesn't have any way to change settings on the fly, unlike air suspension. Am I wrong? I'm not worried either way as I shall have the standard suspension and my ideal car is more-or-less a powered armchair but I am curious about it!

[Jinboy]

Hi nealeb

Having subsequently driven an A6 with air suspension, I can confirm that this does allow suspension settings to be changed (noticeably). With standard suspension the Drive Select settings change throttle response and steering weighting, but don't affect the ride.

[robbyg]

Jinboy
I am having the exact same dilema, want s-line looks with se ride (expect when having fun then hard is fine).

How did you find the air suspension? How about a mini review?

thanks
rob

[Jinboy]

A few months ago I was lucky enough to get a week's loan of an A6 SE 3.0TDI Quattro with air suspension from Audi UK (which also meant it had just about every option fitted).

Overall, I was really impressed with the car. The air suspension provided a very impressive breadth of ability: comfort setting was very smooth without too much 'wallow' and dynamic really sharpened things up but never felt too harsh. The 'lift' mode was particularly useful on our unmade road. You can also customise settings e.g. to have comfort suspension with dynamic transmission which can be quite useful if you like higher revving/sharper changes but softer suspension.

The engine was always smooth with plenty of torque, and the S-tronic gearbox was much more responsive - particularly in dynamic mode - than any of the competitors we have driven. In terms of drving dynamics my only reservation was the electric steering, although I found I did get more used to it by the end of the week.

In terms of extra equipment, we found the head-up display to be most useful. It feels a bit 'gimmicky' at first but then you really
get used to not having to look down at the speedo.
> >
The adaptive cruise control was very useful too in stop-start traffic, although there were a few occasions when a car pulled into our lane in front when I wan't sure whether it had been 'detected'. Maybe the system would have intervened, but I didn't wait to find out!

Voice control was useful, especially when you're not used to the layout of all the buttons etc.

The night vision was very impressive, although not sure how often we would really use it. Also, once you get used to the head-up display it's actually a bit of a pain to keep looking down.

The Park Assist was fun, but didn't seem to work as effectively as it might on most occasions i.e. having to make multiple
adjustments to get into a space.

The B&O stereo sounded amazing, but then again, so is the price....

A few remaining niggles:

1. Whilst we had no issues with the ride, there was a noticeable amount of tyre roar on poor surfaces. I guess this is inevitable
with the 20in wheels, but they do look so much better!

2. There was an intermittent but quite noticeable rattle in the dash above the instrument panel. Just luck of the draw I guess.

3. Whenever I turned on the rear a/c, the front a/c become noticeably louder. This happened even when the temperature setting
was the same on each. When I looked in the MMI system and selected a/c settings, there was just a message saying 'rear a/c settings driven from front only' (or something like that). Apparently this is because the a/c is all one unit, so it will always happen. May be fine fo most people, but I found it a bit annoying.

Hope that my observations are useful.

[robbyg]

brilliant. thanks.
no noticeable negatives to the air suspension then?

Have you ordered yet?
Did it by any chance have the LED lights, and were they any good?
rob

[Jinboy]

Rob

I thought the air suspension was great - no real negatives....apart from the cost of course. Shame they won't do an SLine with SE suspension.

We did have the LED lights and they looked really cool - better than the 'strip' effect you get with the xenons - but not sure if they were worth the chunky premium (versus other options like the air suspension and tech pack etc)

Unfortunately change of job meant I couldn't order - at least in the short term - but it's still top of my list if I can get the money together!

[robbyg]

For anyone else who might be interested; i managed to test drive an A6 with adaptive air suspension today, then an SLine with normal suspension 5 minutes later on the same roads. (also drove an SE with normal suspension about a month ago). All were 3.0tdi.

Summary of my thoughts:
Car 1. 19" wheels. Set off in comfort mode. I couldn't detect anything special about the suspension. Ride was good, still relatively firm for a big car. Just like the SE.
Changed to dynamic. No instant change, i was quite disappointed at first. Giving a good wiggle of the steering wheel changed direction but the car stayed flat.
Back to comfort, that same wiggle also made the car roll, noticeably different.
Did a few miles in comfort.
Back to dynamic. Realised that i could suddenly feel all the minor bumps in the road much more - drains, tarmac repairs, expansion strips etc. The car just seemed a little more jittery but certainly had less roll on curves. Certainly would be better set up for chucking about.
Back to comfort, the drains, repairs and strips and minor bumps disappeared into the background again. The car became more serene. Left it in comfort back to the garage.
The difference was surprisingly subtle. Dynamic would definitely be less relaxing after an hour or so in the car but was by no means harsh or unpleasant. I walked away thinking there's no way it was worth £2k extra, i`l just go for standard SLine.

Car2. SLine suspension also 19" wheels. First impression was similar, its a big car with a firm ride. After a few minutes i realised it was definitely more "crashy" over the bumps, and generally a less relaxed ride. By no means intrusive but certainly less smooth. I decided it was a little harder than i would want for say driving to south of France. I chucked it round a few bends this time, plenty of grip, but not an awful lot of feel through the steering wheel. Didn't have too much fun - don't want to be a hooligan in someone else's car.

Given the choice for a long journey i definitely would not chose the standard SLine, but it was still a pleasant and very comfortable ride compared to many other cars ive driven and is comparable to my current volvo xc60.

Outcome for me:
I have decided i am going to go for the air suspension, purely because it gives me the best of both worlds. The difference between modes was subtle, passengers would barely realise. I don't want an overly soft squashy limo in comfort, and i dont want a stripped down racer in dynamic, so subtle must be a good thing!
I spend most of my time on the motorways, but then enjoy the country roads at the end in Scotland and Northumberland. The SE would keep me happy 90% of the time but disappointed 10%. The SLine would make me happy 10% of the time but probably niggle the 90% on the motorways.
For me, its worth £2k to be happy 100% of the time. Plus it might save a little bit of fuel as it lowers itself to reduce drag at motorway speed. Its also likely to be more consistent to drive when empty / full of people or stuff.

Hope someone else might find this useful or interesting?
rob

[ti rich]

I have the s-line and 19" wheels and have found the ride to be very good. Coming from a BMW 330d M-Sport on 18" wheels the ride is much better despite the larger wheels.

[robbyg]

Agreed.
Please don't think i am criticising the SLine. The ride is very good and i would be very happy if i had one.

I just think i'll be slightly more happy with the air susp. Just a shame its so expensive.

[ti rich]

Agreed.
Please don't think i am criticising the SLine. The ride is very good and i would be very happy if i had one.

I just think i'll be slightly more happy with the air susp. Just a shame its so expensive.

Didn't think that at all, no worries!

[ianfarnham]

I've had a couple of A6 SE's previously and always found the suspension setup good. this time i wanted to get the 3.0 SLine and as you describe you can only get the lowered/sports suspension as standard. So that is what I went for and to be honest I've never looked back. i've seen a few reviews on this site worried about the SLine suspension but I do quite a lot of motorway and B road driving and whilst it is different to the standard set-up I've been very pleased with the result and have never regretted the decision.

[Timothy Nathan]

I am actually amazed by all the pro S Line suspension comments. I have been counting the days until I can return the big wheeled S Line I have been lent so that I can have my nice, comfortable SE with little wheels and big, fat shock absorbing tyres.

Every bump, drain cover and unevenness is transmitted straight through you. It turns what would otherwise be a comfortable car into a bone shaker.

I am not arguing with the rest of you, I am just scratching my head in bewilderment as to what you are experiencing so differently to me.

[ti rich]

Tim

I don't think you are experiencing anything different at all - we just all have different expectations. I would rather have a more firm sporty ride - its what I have been used to and prefer. I am happy to trade comfort for better handling and more agressive looks with the bigger wheels. I personally hate cars with small wheels where the arches are unfilled - to me it looks wrong.

We are all different and a good job too else we would all be driving the same car!

[Timothy Nathan]

to me it looks wrong.

This is somewhere where I am again, apparently, quite weird.

I care not a jot what a car looks like from the outside. I actually couldn't be bothered to discuss with the salesman what colour I wanted, I chose Aviator Blue because I am a pilot.

I also don't wash new cars because I don't want them to look shiny and new to thieves (I have a personal plate for the same reason).

Maybe I am on the wrong forum.:D

[ninjabob]

No one here seems to have the standard S line with 18inch wheels - that might make a difference to ride quality. I did read somewhere that Audi had toned down the sportiness (hard ride) of the A6 Sline by dropping the suspension by 20mm instead of 30mm - 30mm is still an option. I am picking up my first ever Audi today - a 2.0TDI Sline so will let you know. I have come from a C220CDI Sport - drives well but is extremely hard and neck snapping in it's ride quality - probably down to it's shorter wheelbase. SE seemed quite boring in it's looks so it had to be the S line or nothing for me. There was the option of air suspension (available on the s line as well as the SE) circa £2000 and a wait for the car to be made. The car I chose in the showroom had all of the options I would have gone for had I have ordered it anyway.

Audi A6 2.0TDI S Line Multitronic - Technology Pack - DAB Radio - Heated Seats - Folding Mirrors - Phantom Black

[Blackmore Spur]

A month into A6 S Line on 29 inch wheels.... Amazed by the comments about S Line in big wheels being bone shaker. Took a year of test driving everything Audi and BMW including A4, A5, 3 Series and 5 series. Settled on the A6 Sline with big wheels because it was for me the best all rounder across different roads.... And the best looking!

[nealeb]

This is somewhere where I am again, apparently, quite weird.

I care not a jot what a car looks like from the outside. I actually couldn't be bothered to discuss with the salesman what colour I wanted, I chose Aviator Blue because I am a pilot.

I also don't wash new cars because I don't want them to look shiny and new to thieves (I have a personal plate for the same reason).

Maybe I am on the wrong forum.:D
No, stick around and we can keep each other company! I don't know why people compromise on ride and comfort for cosmetic reasons that you can't even see when you're driving the thing either...

My comparison test of S-line with air suspension and SE was with 18" wheels on the S-line and I found that a bit harsher and noisier even in comfort mode compared with the SE and its 17" wheels. In dynamic mode, certainly the S-line was that bit sharper and better to drive, but not £2K worth! But that's why Audi have a long options list and I preferred to spend my money on a different set of toys:D

[Blackmore Spur]

The wheels are big but thats being silly...Whoops! meant to say 20inch, apologies for typo

[shabazmo]

I guess what we need is a meet up somehwere in Hampshire to test drive some of our cars to feel the difference for ourselves. Anyone interested?

[Timothy Nathan]

I guess what we need is a meet up somehwere in Hampshire to test drive some of our cars to feel the difference for ourselves. Anyone interested?

I'm game. It's a bit geeky though, I'd have to tell my wife I was going to a brothel.

[ninjabob]

I'm game. It's a bit geeky though, I'd have to tell my wife I was going to a brothel.

Dogging? :D

[shabazmo]

I'm game. It's a bit geeky though, I'd have to tell my wife I was going to a brothel.

On second thoughts, your idea sound better, but I am not sure what we would test and how we compare notes at the end

[ti rich]

.......The ride quality of course!!

[Anelka123]

Didnt think it necessary to start a new thread but have just ordered an s line on standard 18" wheels. Im trying to decide between stickig to standard 20mm sport suspension or the no cost option of a s line suspension which drops the car 10mm more. Ive tried my best to search everywhere for experiences but havent really found much on the s line 30mm suspension. Does anyone have the 30mm suspension? Do you think the ride is too hard, unsettled and recommend I stick to the standard 20mm suspension or would it be okay to go the extra drop as visually I think the car will look better

Thanks

[PhilR]

I've just got an s-line Avant on 19s and it's fine. It's miles better than the A5 Sportback S-Line on 18s which was much harsher, especially at low speed.

[MFGF]

Didnt think it necessary to start a new thread but have just ordered an s line on standard 18" wheels. Im trying to decide between stickig to standard 20mm sport suspension or the no cost option of a s line suspension which drops the car 10mm more. Ive tried my best to search everywhere for experiences but havent really found much on the s line 30mm suspension. Does anyone have the 30mm suspension? Do you think the ride is too hard, unsettled and recommend I stick to the standard 20mm suspension or would it be okay to go the extra drop as visually I think the car will look better

Thanks

My car has the 30mm drop S line suspension with 20" wheels, and the ride is far less harsh than my previous C6 with S line suspension and 19" wheels. I don't find the ride too hard or at all unsettled. Of course, it's all subjective, and if I were to ask a couple of SE lovers I can think of, they would probably say it's awful and unbearable (but of course, they are completely wrong ;) ) If you live anywhere near to me, you're welcome to drop by and see for yourself.

MF.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Anelka123]

Thanks for the replies and thanks for the offer MFGF, As long as it doesnt make the ride too harsh and does make the ride unsettled then I would like to opt for the s line suspension. Has anyone driven both setups with 20mm and 30mm drops and compared the two?

[5678]

I've got the standard S-Line suspension with 19" wheels and it's fine.

If anything, I wish I'd opted for the increased drop in ride height! The 10mm difference is going to make no noticeable difference in ride quality IMO.

[Anelka123]

Yes I would like to think the same, but Audi say that not only does it drop in height but 'Optimised road contact due to firmer spring and shock absorber settings'
So thats the thing that I was worried about