BITDi BE Air Suspension - Anyone have experience?

[SussexJon]

Hi All,

I'm currently looking at buying a C7 A6 Avant BE BiTDi. My wife and I test drove both the Avant and Allroad yesterday and thought that the Allroad ride quality was much better than the Avant. I've spent the past couple of days reading up on all things A6, most question have been answered! Does anyone have experience of the Avant with Air Suspension? Would like to know if there is much difference between the air suspension between the Allroad and Avant?

Many thanks,

Jon

[wja96]

As far as I'm aware the only difference is that the allroad can go a bit higher on the ultimate 'raise' setting. The lowest setting on dynamic is the same. What setting were you on in the allroad as there is quite a bit of difference in my experience between the high suspension settings 'allroad' and 'comfort'. But that's the damper firmness, not the ride height.

i have to admit I just leave mine in 'efficiency' the whole time as it rides beautifully but doesn't go barge-like in the bends.

'dynamic' in the allroad is much more comfortable than the optional sport suspension but about the same as the standard s-line suspension.

The main point of difference for me isn't the ability to vary the ride height though, it's the ability to vary the damping, as that's what really gives you the comfort. And that's the same across all the cars with air suspension.

[ukgroucho]

My thoughts are that the allroad in 'normal / comfort' (2 bars on suspension) rides much like my old C6 SE 3.0 Tdi avant... the C6 S-lines were often criticised for being too hard. Dynamic (1 bar) tightens things up but you are still aware that this is a big and ... 'not light' car (it kinda IS light cos of all the aluminium but still no featherweight courtesy of its size).
As per previous post an Avant with air suspension would be similar to an allroad but with a few less 'options'.. no "raise" function and missing the additional ESP trickery that provides for hill descent mode and (I believe) some additional mud-plugging tweaks when in allroad mode (4 bars) where the traction control is adjusted for more slippery conditions (like mud or snow).

So here is a thought... if you are looking at an avant BiTdi with air suspension.. then why not just get an allroad? If you don't like the contrasting body kit then just opt to have it colour matched. There are a few extra goodies thrown in (storage pack, under body protection etc.) and the price differential is pretty small - plus residuals are higher.

[Andyman10]

Hi Jon,

I've had the A6 Allroad BiTDi Auto for 18 months or so and driven Allroads and Avants before that without it. I'd definitely recommend it. Normal (Auto) mode adapts very well to different driving styles and gives, I think, a better ride than the standard car. Comfort is, well, very comfortable, though slightly less sharp through the bends and Allroad mode is great for rutted tracks, fields, snow and the rest. Dynamic mode is also quite a surprise as it really improves the handling for such a big car when you want to put your foot down a bit round country lanes ( which you will with that engine!) you still know you're in a big car but coupled with the more aggressive auto gear changes and sharper throttle response it's surprisingly sporty...and that noise! ..The car in dynamic mode modifies the exhaust system and sounds like a V8 :-)

[SussexJon]

Afternoon all, thanks for your replies. I've been looking more and more at the Allroad but my main sticking point is that although the base price is very similar, once I've added some of the options to the Allroad that come as standard on the BE I end up a good few £k above. One thing I've just realised is that the Allroad we test drove was on 18" wheels whilst the Avant was on 20" which would also contribute to the improved ride quality. Part of me is definitely swaying towards the Allroad, just need to see if I can whittle down the options to make the price closer to the Avant...... Tricky!

[SussexJon]

Quick question, what size wheels do you guys have on your allroads? Thanks, Jon

[ukgroucho]

Standard equipment 18"

[Andyman10]

Afternoon all, thanks for your replies. I've been looking more and more at the Allroad but my main sticking point is that although the base price is very similar, once I've added some of the options to the Allroad that come as standard on the BE I end up a good few £k above. One thing I've just realised is that the Allroad we test drove was on 18" wheels whilst the Avant was on 20" which would also contribute to the improved ride quality. Part of me is definitely swaying towards the Allroad, just need to see if I can whittle down the options to make the price closer to the Avant...... Tricky!

19" wheels on my Allroad..which I think is probably the best option. Though in winter I switch to 18" and a narrower profile winter tyre that really grips...and rides very well. I should also say that a bit of firm haggling when I bought mine, which must have been one of the first over here, yielded a discount of about 11% for a brand new model despite their initial reluctance. Just find out when the dealer's quarter ends and make your offer a few weeks before that after checking out best offers for UK dealer supplied cars on the Net. They have volume quotas and if they haven't reached them they lose discount so they'll bend over backwards during the last month of that quarter to take orders. Now might be a good time!

[SussexJon]

Thanks guys, my mind is nearly made up. 19" is what I'm currently thinking Andy. I'm going to pop in to see them today to see what we can work out. Currently thinking:

Ice Silver
Technology pack
Full paint finish
Lighting pack
19" wheels
Rear blinds
Privacy glass
Electric / Memory seats
Bose (currently undecided on this as my young son is normally in the car with us so may not actually be worth it)

Getting quite excited at the thought of getting one now!

Thanks for your input guys

[Allroad_2013]

Quick question, what size wheels do you guys have on your allroads? Thanks, Jon

We have the standard 18" wheels on our Allroad and personally I think they're better for a couple of reasons:

1. I have a thing about off road cars having large wheels and rubber band tyres - it just looks wrong IMHO.
2. The simple design of the 18" wheels means cleaning each takes barely a minute. Life is too short to properly clean the fancier designs.
Oh, and a third reason - the cost! I mean, £1280 for the 19"ers or £2445 for the 20"ers? There's plenty else on the options list I'd choose above a set of wheels!

Thanks guys, my mind is nearly made up. 19" is what I'm currently thinking Andy. I'm going to pop in to see them today to see what we can work out. Currently thinking:

Ice Silver
Technology pack
Full paint finish
Lighting pack
19" wheels
Rear blinds
Privacy glass
Electric / Memory seats
Bose (currently undecided on this as my young son is normally in the car with us so may not actually be worth it)

Getting quite excited at the thought of getting one now!

Thanks for your input guys

Obviously options are a personal choice, but to your list I'd definitely add the heated seat option and maybe the sports seats and possibly the 4 zone air conditioning.
I'm sure the BOSE system is good, but I doubt you'd be too disappointed with the standard setup.

Interesting that your colour choice is silver but you've gone for the full colour treatment. I like the contrasting arches as it helps to make the car stand out as an Allroad and the silver (along with Dakota) gets the black arch/bumper treatment which I think looks nicer than the grey on the rest of the colour range.

As for getting excited, well I suggest you await a delivery date first and see how long you'll have to sustain that excitement for!! In the meantime, you'll no doubt do what the rest of us did and that is search this forum long and hard for the answers to every little question you can think of (and which isn't covered in Audi's rather poor and inadequately detailed brochure), read every review (at least twice) and search the web for pictures of cars in the same colour/spec as the one you've ordered!

It will be worth it though!