No frills A6 Avant

[Saablover]

I picked up my 2.0 Multitronic Avant today and so far I'm completely delighted with it. It has absolutely no options and I just wanted to reassure others who are put off by all the discussion on here about essential add-ons that the standard car is still a fantastic machine.

Admittedly I'm coming from a 1998 Saab but the Audi's standard seats, 17" wheels, ride height, DAB radio, 4 spoke steering wheel, Multitronic gearbox, power, MMI, etc all seem to make a great package.

My iphone connected easily and I got an indicated 45mpg on the trip from the West Midlands to Oxford with the AC belting out.

Only slight beef is that the halogen lights can't be turned off.

Looking forward to putting some miles on it.

[ukgroucho]

Congrats on the new car!

"halogen lights can't be turned off"? Surely not... you mean the headlights or the running lights?

[Passatier3]

I don't think many will argue with you Saablover but it's always good to discuss extras etc! :D

Though in my case I didn't have any choice as the car was already in the country. But it is a Black Edition! :D

As regards a "great package" the likes of Audi have had to, as said before, up their game and provide "basic" well specced cars because the spec of more mainstream cars (not meant in a disparaging way) like the Focus etc. are so good and well equipped - chap's at work has more toys than my A6, folding mirrors, rear camera etc. as well as sat nav, good music system etc.

If I'd ordered a car then I would have gone for one or two extras but as standard the A6 is pretty well equipped and I love it. The days of German cars being very basic and everything being an extra have long gone.

[Saablover]

Congrats on the new car!

"halogen lights can't be turned off"? Surely not... you mean the headlights or the running lights?

What I meant was that the running lights, which are one of the lights in the headlight cluster, are always on. I'd prefer the option of being able to turn them off.

[ukgroucho]

Gotcha... it may be a market specific thing (UK might be trying to force running lights as a safety thing). MAY be something you can adjust in the MMI - my old C6 generation A6 had that option.

Personally I prefer to have running lights... I rode motorcycles for a long time, lights are a life saver (prevent SOME idiots from ignoring your existence).. my just replaced A6 was metallic gray, great colour but too close to "road colour" for me to be confident that Mr or Mrs Blind who had rushed up to an intersection and taken a cursory glance before rolling out into traffic would actually see me approaching (at speed). I think running lights are a very good idea... if someone does pull out on you then they have even less of a case irrespective of weather conditions.

Overall I don't think they consume much power (the newer LEDs certainly don't) and in the 8 years I owned my old A6 (non LED running lights) they were always on and I never replaced a bulb....

[Guest 2]

You can turn them off via a diagnostic tool called VCDS. It will also enable the DRL menu in your Car/Systems menu to switch them on and off.


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[Bash D Bishop]

I picked up my 2.0 Multitronic Avant today and so far I'm completely delighted with it. It has absolutely no options and I just wanted to reassure others who are put off by all the discussion on here about essential add-ons that the standard car is still a fantastic machine.


My A6 Allroad is completely standard except for metallic. The only thing missing is DAB and I plan on having this retrofitted. If I was ordering another today I'd order exactly the same again although DAB is now standard.

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[JamesMo]

What I meant was that the running lights, which are one of the lights in the headlight cluster, are always on. I'd prefer the option of being able to turn them off.

Pre February 2011 you could turn them off (you could on my 2009 a4), however since the law change to mandatory drl's for all cars since adoption of some EEC directive in February '11 the option has been removed. You could turn them off by vcds if you really wanted to.

[fernar]

Ref Bash D Bishop comments on reto fit DAB..... there was a communication on the Audi web site stating that they would offer an official Audi retro fit DAB for 'newer' Audi cars to be availabl ein the simmer..... I asked about this at the Audi dealer for my wife's A1.... I even printed out the communications and gave it to them...

Firstly the dealership didnt even know about the communication... and then when they tried to find out about availability and cost - apparently they could not find any further information.....

I hope they get the details out soon..... (not that I need it for my car... but my wife would love DAB for her A1)

[Saablover]

The dealer mentioned this yesterday when we were discussing why Audi had made the DAB radio standard for MY2014 cars. His version was that the retrofit would be a little box stuck to dashboard (similar to a bluetooth kit) and that, in the event of the conventional signal be turned off, Audi foresaw a problem in telling owners that their £30k+ car required such a bodge.

[Bash D Bishop]

Given how the EU like to mandate stuff I'm amazed that they didn't mandate the fitting of DAB to new cars a number of years ago. There is a pan-European desire to switch off analogue radio signals but it keeps being delayed due to the low adoption rates. When car manufacturers are selling £45k cars without DAB it is little wonder take-up is so low.

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[belly buster]

LOL at a Saab lover complaining about not being able to turn off the lights :D

[Saablover]

LOL at a Saab lover complaining about not being able to turn off the lights :D

Why? you could turn them off on my 9-5.

[ScottyA6]

The dealer mentioned this yesterday when we were discussing why Audi had made the DAB radio standard for MY2014 cars. His version was that the retrofit would be a little box stuck to dashboard (similar to a bluetooth kit) and that, in the event of the conventional signal be turned off, Audi foresaw a problem in telling owners that their £30k+ car required such a bodge.

I think it would have to be because it needs to have an ariel like any other receiver. Personally I can't understand it, manufacturers are all moving towards the point where we will be buying upgrades to our cars like apps on an app store. Pay your money and click the button and the upgrade is updated or 'unlocked' in your car. For that to work it all has to be there to start with, just not all activated. The actual cost is all but nowt for the manufacturer as these are all sealed units put together like lego at the factory, in fact it is often more expensive to have bespoke 'downspec components' for individual cars rather than benefit from economies of scale and fitting the same bit for all and either switching the gizmos on or not. by the time I'm changing my new car I bet it is here, mostly software driven at that.

I had this conversation when I did the factory tour at Jag's Castle Bromwich plant and it is the future of car specs, without a doubt.

[Wuffles]

Pay your money and click the button and the upgrade is updated or 'unlocked' in your car. For that to work it all has to be there to start with, just not all activated.

Blame it on large scale computing. IBM AS/400 for example had (might still do, I avoid big computers these days) hardware installed, but not available to you unless you pay. Which makes a mockery of the cost of purchasing the items when it's absolutely clear from the start if you buy a lower end box of the same proportions of the higher end (unlocked) box the same hardware was always in it, so the cost of hardware isn't the issue at all, which makes it feel like you're being ripped off when you pay for the higher specced box. If that makes sense I'll eat my own hat.