What's it like to own a C7 A6?

[samer1abbas]

I'm looking at a 2012 A6 for my next car and want to know what I'm getting myself into. I currently own a 2002 A4 1.8t 5-speed and have enjoyed owning it for the most part. It did have quite a collection of annoying and sometimes costly defects/ quirks though. I do most of my own work but have had to defer to the local repair shop and dealership on occasion (like for the timing belt or when I can't find the source of my issue). So for those of you who have owned a C7 for a while, what should I expect? How much work/ maintenance can I do on my own and how much would be out of my hands? What are some common issues? I know these are very general questions but really I just want to hear your experiences.
Thanks!

[PBPhantom]

I'm looking at a 2012 A6 for my next car and want to know what I'm getting myself into. I currently own a 2002 A4 1.8t 5-speed and have enjoyed owning it for the most part. It did have quite a collection of annoying and sometimes costly defects/ quirks though. I do most of my own work but have had to defer to the local repair shop and dealership on occasion (like for the timing belt or when I can't find the source of my issue). So for those of you who have owned a C7 for a while, what should I expect? How much work/ maintenance can I do on my own and how much would be out of my hands? What are some common issues? I know these are very general questions but really I just want to hear your experiences.
Thanks!

I love my C7!! there are some disappointments I can share from my POV. I came off of a BMW 750li (current other car is a Benz GL 550)
1. The cupholders suck!! If I have 2 large water bottles, forget using the holder. Any Venti drinks from Starbucks don't fit....then you run the risk of spilling on the electronic components/buttons.
2. The quad zone A/C is a joke. Any increase in airflow to the rear will rob from the front...it becomes a negotiation w/ the rear passengers. Unless you "sync" the airflow gets really noisy and inefficient. Many other vehicles have separate blowers for rear...not the case here
3. The all around camera system is also a joke. I can not depend on it to fit into tight spots (or avoid objects in garage) as the fish eye distortion is so bad you lack any precision
4. The lane departure is too short lived....and unpredictable...sometimes the wheel will pull the car back into the lane...other times I drift right off the lane (so much for demonstrating this feature to friends)
5. The premium seats are not the quality of the euro models or S6. My seating felt like a downgrade from my 750
6. Wifi sucks...sales person suggested ipads + Netflix in lieu of rear TV screens...while it sounds good on paper....Wifi is to slow to stream Netflix. Amazon Prime, however seems to work much better.

The style is very eyecatching!! I prefer this over the A8 (as I debated both body styles)
The LED lights are nothing short of COOL!!! I wish other MFG would not be catching up so fast...I like the exclusivity and uniqueness!!
The ride is very very smooth...I have the Prestige 3.0 fully loaded...I do miss the V8....still the car can be very very quick
The nav is awesome...google maps are very cool
I honestly don't use the finger pad to write...plus the system locks this feature out if your driving
Mileage is excellent
Very cool car!! I have mixed feelings if I would buy again....

[Laserrs]

My touchpad works while diving. I do get a message saying be careful or similar.

I've had mine for only 2 weeks. The cup holders aren't great but then again knowing their size, adjust your beverage size. However do NOT try styrofoam, that would be a disaster. Love the seats (Premium Plus), no complaints coming from a G35x. A car always needs more power, but coming from a 1.8t this would feel like an R8!

Wifi I've not tried other than my phone while simultaneously on a conference call. Verizon iPhone 5s, no data while on voice. The wifi is 3G which is ridiculous but it works as you'd expect 3G to work. I'm in desperate need of coffee, will try and gather additional thoughts post caffeine intake.

[Xtek]

I had the C7 A6 before I traded it in for a C7 S6.

Before I talk about the car I'd also like to point out my touch pad works while driving just fine. I use it quite often as I can write on it while driving and not have to look down/take my eyes off the road.
The nav isn't Google Maps. It has Google Maps Earth tiles and if you pay for Audi Connect you get wifi which gets you the ability to search Google Maps for destinations but the nav itself is built into the car, its pretty good though.

The car...
1. Its a big luxury car. The fit and finish is fantastic.
2. The 3.0T engine is also great, lots of torque.
3. At first I didn't like the styling because I thought it was too plain, now I love it.
4. The LED daytime running lights are very distinctive. Whenever I pick people up they mention how they saw my car coming from a mile away.

Options:
1. The HUD is amazing. I bet most people find it gimmicky, I did at first as well. But after using it for almost 2 years now I get into cars that don't have it and absolutely hate it. It displays your speed so not having to check your speedo is a safety feature.
2. LED headlights on this car are a must. The lighting on the road is so much better at night and just the look of them is very distinctive.
3. Driver assistance is very useful. For highway driving I keep lane assist on 90% of the time. If I check the nav or something else and start to wonder the car will keep me in check. The adaptive cruise control is a godsend on long drives or traffic.

Things I don't like...

1. Cup holders are a bit of a pain, but the Germans believe in not having distractions while you drive and I've just avoided getting drinks or get water bottles that you can put in the door cup holders, those things are huge
2. Quattro will bind at full steering lock the car will vibrate, kind of annoying but not a huge deal
3. The surround camera view is great for pulling into parking spaces but almost useless for parallel parking. I wish they had a "curb view".
4. If you get the HUD you can't wear polarized sunglasses and see the HUD as the windshield is polarized as well.

Overall its a great car, if they had an C7 RS6 in the US I would get it.

[samer1abbas]

Thanks for the input guys! Didn't really expect cupholders to get much better, that just seems like an Audi thing. Anything will be a step up from my cupholder hanging over the radio and the other 2 inside the arm rest (the one I rest my arm on for shifting

Seems like a great car to own and drive, does anyone have experience with maintenance/ repair issues? On a side note, is it pretty easy to change the oil on your own. Also, I've been noticing in the pics of cars I'm looking at that the seats seem to wear very quickly and have the types of cracks and creases I had in a 10 year old buick. These cars had between 40 and 60k miles on them. What's up with that?

[Waaazooo]

I've noticed my vented leather seats are showing more noticeable wear than a standard leather seat would. I'm told as long as you don't have a wallet print in the chair you can get the seat replaced under warranty for the first 12k miles or first year.

This is my first Audi, I have a 14' prestige, led head light are awesome, stereo (Bose) is pretty good but I'm not an audiophile. There is noticeable road/wind noise I wouldn't have expected in a 60k car. But I might be unreasonable.

The back up camera does have a serious walleyed ness to it. I always think I'm on the garage wall, then I get out and look and I have 6" to spare....I suppose that's useful.

Being that this is my first Audi and had an old vw back in the early 90's.... I really didn't know what to expect with a new German sedan. I'm hoping that cost to own (repairs) won't be as bad as people claim. But that said, I am expecting to own the car 1 week or 500 miles short of the warranty unless my gray whale proves otherwise.

I love driving it, gas mileage is dead on the combined ratings...I was hoping it was conservative but it's not... 22mpg city/hwy 50:50.

Hope this helps


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[Silent Drone]

I'm on my 3rd A6 (first C7) so you can guess that I think it's a great car. I have a 14 prestige with driver assist. I can't comment on the diy maintenance but I will say I've never had a problem that wasn't covered by warranty so there hasn't been an issue for me.

I think the 3.0t is a gem and one of the main reasons I'm in this car. I also find the 8 spd ZF tranny to be a worthy upgrade from the previous 6 speed.

I like the styling a lot. It's a much better looking car than the bimmer or Benz, especially if you get the black optics package and s line exterior.

My biggest dislike is the electronics--stereo, MMI and nav. The processor is slow and it can freeze up or act quirky sometimes. There's a new processor in the 16s that will be out soon and I'm sure that will help but overall I think that Audi could do better in these areas.


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[QuattroMoto]

Awesome. I have gone through a lot of cars, and my most recent luxury sport sedan was a 2008 BMW 535i, Sport, 6 speed manual, tuned to 400 hp / 390 tq. I just picked up a 2014 A6 3.0T PP and am thrilled with it. Solid, tight, sporty, just fun to drive.

My only complaints - no manual transmission available, not as easy to tune (due to Audi's strict monitoring and limited options), and while the seats are very nice, my BMW had something insane like 18 way adjustable seats, including the bolstering on the sides. I could loosen it up for regular driving or clamp it around me and feel like I was in a racing seat.

With that said, I would buy the A6 all over again in a heartbeat. Can't wait to upgrade to an S6 down the road

[l's tls]

These reviews are wonderful as I am also shopping for a 2012 CPO Prestige A6. I'm cross shopping the car with a 2012 Acura TL-SHAWD (comparable in most features, much better in price but lacking in power and certain amenities) and a 2012 Infiniti M37xS. I used to be in a market for an S5 but the need for rear seat room will continue to grow for me as I plan to have children in the next few years.

Looking forward to reading more reviews.

[audispeed]

These reviews are wonderful as I am also shopping for a 2012 CPO Prestige A6. I'm cross shopping the car with a 2012 Acura TL-SHAWD (comparable in most features, much better in price but lacking in power and certain amenities) and a 2012 Infiniti M37xS. I used to be in a market for an S5 but the need for rear seat room will continue to grow for me as I plan to have children in the next few years.

Looking forward to reading more reviews.

The audi is way more car than either of those in terms of overall experience.

[07S6]

These reviews are wonderful as I am also shopping for a 2012 CPO Prestige A6. I'm cross shopping the car with a 2012 Acura TL-SHAWD (comparable in most features, much better in price but lacking in power and certain amenities) and a 2012 Infiniti M37xS. I used to be in a market for an S5 but the need for rear seat room will continue to grow for me as I plan to have children in the next few years.

Looking forward to reading more reviews.

I picked up a 2012 A6 Prestige after selling my 2007 S6 (V10). The A6 is much more car than the Acura or Infiniti in my opinion. The engine is absolutely fantastic and I have had no issues with mine. Easy to maintain.

[Laserrs]

I had a G35x prior, same VQ series engine as the M. The VQ is an outstanding motor that will run forever. While gas mileage isn't a huge concern, the M37 is something like 17/24? The Acura TL isn't in the same class and isn't really comparable.

[QuattroMoto]

I had a G35x prior, same VQ series engine as the M. The VQ is an outstanding motor that will run forever. While gas mileage isn't a huge concern, the M37 is something like 17/24? The Acura TL isn't in the same class and isn't really comparable.

I second this. I owned two Infiniti Coupes and they were great cars. I almost went with the original M35 and looked at the M37s again before buying the Audi. The best Japanese cars do not even begin to compare with a German car. They have closed the gap a lot over the years but are still not that close. If I was going that route I would go Infiniti over Acura hands down, but even the M will not give you close to an Audi (or BMW) feel.

[a44mark]

I made the exact same transition as the OP (2002 A4 1.8T 5-spd to 2012 A6 3.0T Prestige) just this past spring. I was cross-shopping the A6 against a 2010-11 S4. I do miss the manual transmission - in fact it was one of the main things that kept the S4 in the running for so long - but I do love the A6. The interior is SO much nicer than the S4 (except for the seats), and despite 2 generations of growth and refinement the S4's interior felt no bigger or different than by A4... I've got 2 small boys and I knew that I needed a bit more space to comfortably cart them around.

I do the majority of maintenance myself as well, and so far I've changed the oil 3 times and replaced a few filters. Oil changes are easier than on the A4 due to the filter placement, but a bit messier due to the vertical orientation of the drain plug. I'm a little worried about the longevity of some of the electrical gadgets (namely the flip-up screen - wish there was a way to keep it up via VAGCOM), but so far it's been great. Warranty runs out in 5 k miles, so I've got to start looking for things that annoy me and see if they can be fixed... :-)

So far I love the car!

-Mark

[l's tls]

The audi is way more car than either of those in terms of overall experience.

I picked up a 2012 A6 Prestige after selling my 2007 S6 (V10). The A6 is much more car than the Acura or Infiniti in my opinion. The engine is absolutely fantastic and I have had no issues with mine. Easy to maintain.

I had a G35x prior, same VQ series engine as the M. The VQ is an outstanding motor that will run forever. While gas mileage isn't a huge concern, the M37 is something like 17/24? The Acura TL isn't in the same class and isn't really comparable.

I second this. I owned two Infiniti Coupes and they were great cars. I almost went with the original M35 and looked at the M37s again before buying the Audi. The best Japanese cars do not even begin to compare with a German car. They have closed the gap a lot over the years but are still not that close. If I was going that route I would go Infiniti over Acura hands down, but even the M will not give you close to an Audi (or BMW) feel.

I made the exact same transition as the OP (2002 A4 1.8T 5-spd to 2012 A6 3.0T Prestige) just this past spring. I was cross-shopping the A6 against a 2010-11 S4. I do miss the manual transmission - in fact it was one of the main things that kept the S4 in the running for so long - but I do love the A6. The interior is SO much nicer than the S4 (except for the seats), and despite 2 generations of growth and refinement the S4's interior felt no bigger or different than by A4... I've got 2 small boys and I knew that I needed a bit more space to comfortably cart them around.

I do the majority of maintenance myself as well, and so far I've changed the oil 3 times and replaced a few filters. Oil changes are easier than on the A4 due to the filter placement, but a bit messier due to the vertical orientation of the drain plug. I'm a little worried about the longevity of some of the electrical gadgets (namely the flip-up screen - wish there was a way to keep it up via VAGCOM), but so far it's been great. Warranty runs out in 5 k miles, so I've got to start looking for things that annoy me and see if they can be fixed... :-)

So far I love the car!

-Mark

These are exactly the things I wanted to hear! While common sense would tell me that the German vehicles provide a better experience than the Japanese, I was still curious to hear from people who have been on both sides and you all did not disappoint. I'm going to go test driving this week (should be a fun experience). I've been lusting after Audis since my grandfather owned an Audi 5000 back in the late 80s and 90s, so I need to stop messing around and just get one