Tuned 2016-18 A6 3.0T Competition - good alternative to B8.5 S4?

[djapeA4]

Hi all,

I know of the similar discussion on here, but I'm more curious to hear experiences from people who actually tuned their Competition model - not regular S-line A6. I'm contemplating on upgrading from a lightly tuned A4 6MT to an S4 or A6 3.0T Comp. I know the S4 is way thirstier while the face-lifted 2016 A6 3.0t has the stop-start fuel saving function which is good for city driving which I do 80% of. A used Competition model looks very attractive because of those beautiful and sporty S6 seats, plus my guess is it would handle much better than regular A6 3.0t because of the torque-vectoring rear sport diff that other A6's don't have. Sounds to me like a great base for a mod that could be as fast and fun as an S4 but also being able to average 25MPG on a constant basis.

Anyone tuned their A6 Competition 3.0t (not TDI) and liking it?

Thanks,

DJP

[doughboy17]

Definitely drive the S4 before making a decision. Having driven my friend's RS7, it is a completely difference experience. Quick? -- Yes! but much more shielded from the road. Less visceral. The A6 will provide more room, luxury, and probably gas mileage. Although the RS7 was a great experience, I enjoy driving my S4 more. Just my opinion. Now, I need to score a drive in the same friend's TTRS ;-)

[gk1]

Finding an A6 Comp might be like finding hen's teeth.
Trans might be a big deciding factor.
A6's Traditional ZF vs. S4's S-tronic or manual if you can find one.

[djapeA4]

Finding an A6 Comp might be like finding hen's teeth.
Trans might be a big deciding factor.
A6's Traditional ZF vs. S4's S-tronic or manual if you can find one.

So you think it's not worth looking for A6 Comp because they are rare or because of the 8 speed ZF transmission not being good enough? Doesn't B9 S4 use that same trans and people have said it's pretty fast shifting, unless that's a different 8 speed altogether. Transmission aside, what I want to know is if A6 Comp having some of the sporty features from S6 would handle better and be more connected to the road than the regular A6?

[djapeA4]

Definitely drive the S4 before making a decision. Having driven my friend's RS7, it is a completely difference experience. Quick? -- Yes! but much more shielded from the road. Less visceral. The A6 will provide more room, luxury, and probably gas mileage. Although the RS7 was a great experience, I enjoy driving my S4 more. Just my opinion. Now, I need to score a drive in the same friend's TTRS ;-)

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I will test drive both A6 an S4 at some point before making any decision. I really didn't think that A6 would feel that much different from the A4 in terms of handling, in fact I've heard it feels like a much smaller car at the steering wheel. On the other hand many have said that S4 tends to understeer a lot while A6's are much more composed or neutral in corners but have slightly more body roll. I guess I really need to go out there and test drive them both to find out for myself .

[gk1]

So you think it's not worth looking for A6 Comp because they are rare or because of the 8 speed ZF transmission not being good enough? Doesn't B9 S4 use that same trans and people have said it's pretty fast shifting, unless that's a different 8 speed altogether. Transmission aside, what I want to know is if A6 Comp having some of the sporty features from S6 would handle better and be more connected to the road than the regular A6?

Trans is fine, they are just different. You may prefer one to the other.
AFAIK the A6 comp is very rare.... maybe even more-so in Canada.
Other than seats and sport diff what performance benefit does the A6 comp have over an A6 s-line? +7HP ? Wheels and painted calipers don't count. Dunno if it is really worth it. If you can find one for a good price maybe.
Don't get me wrong, sport diff is a fine piece of equipment, but a lot easier to find on an S4 than an A6. S4 will handle better than A6 or S6 anyway since it is lighter and smaller. Most of the B8 suspension is used in the C7 anyways.
Either way enjoy.

[ANMS4]

I went with the A6 sport when I was shopping between the S4 and A6. For me the luxury factor more in the A6 and the transmission was a huge factor for me. I read to much about maltronic issues with the S4's and the ZF8 transmission better more reliable( has some issue but not as much). I have a IE SGT2 DP+TB, HX and Melen TCU tune and couldn't be happier. The car RIPS, shift super fast and I get 19.5 MPG.

[djapeA4]

Trans is fine, they are just different. You may prefer one to the other.
AFAIK the A6 comp is very rare.... maybe even more-so in Canada.
Other than seats and sport diff what performance benefit does the A6 comp have over an A6 s-line? +7HP ? Wheels and painted calipers don't count. Dunno if it is really worth it. If you can find one for a good price maybe.
Don't get me wrong, sport diff is a fine piece of equipment, but a lot easier to find on an S4 than an A6. S4 will handle better than A6 or S6 anyway since it is lighter and smaller. Most of the B8 suspension is used in the C7 anyways.
Either way enjoy.

I went to Montreal, a different province to buy my current A4 6MT, and there are couple of Comps available there and in TO. Is it worth it, maybe not but once I sat in those S6 seats at the dealership, they felt unbelievably comfortable and supportive. Way better than the S4 seats even the B9 S4 diamond stitched ones felt too firm. The regular A6 seats are just OK, kind of what I have in my A4 but slightly better. Gas mileage is a big factor for me too, because if I didn't hate how the B9's look like, they would be my top choice. They have very neutral handling and that's how I read the A6 sport with 20" wheels behaves. If this is far from the truth then I might stick with the B platform.

[gk1]

I went to Montreal, a different province to buy my current A4 6MT, and there are couple of Comps available there and in TO. Is it worth it, maybe not but once I sat in those S6 seats at the dealership, they felt unbelievably comfortable and supportive. Way better than the S4 seats even the B9 S4 diamond stitched ones felt too firm. The regular A6 seats are just OK, kind of what I have in my A4 but slightly better. Gas mileage is a big factor for me too, because if I didn't hate how the B9's look like, they would be my top choice. They have very neutral handling and that's how I read the A6 sport with 20" wheels behaves. If this is far from the truth then I might stick with the B platform.

Take it with a grain of salt. If you can find one at an acceptable price to you then excellent. The S6 seats are indeed very nice.
Handling can be a bit tricky. The B8 S4 is smaller, lighter and is already maximum stock sport S suspension. Maybe too much for your tastes. The A6 is always geared more toward luxury than sport even with sport suspension options. My S6 took a slight lowering and H&R sway bars to get back to the way I felt the stock B8 S4 handled. Albeit that is on an air suspension, but supposedly "sport" air suspension and the S6 is heavier than both the S4 and A6.
As for gas mileage I'm not sure what the governing body is up in CA that test mileage, but the EPA rates the C7 A6 getting 3mpg better in the city than the S4 maybe in part due to start-stop, but the A6 gets 1 mpg better highway (8spd).
S4 18/28
A6 21/29
So overall not a huge difference and depends more on how you drive than anything else.
FWIW I feel the current testing is geared to benefit turbos more, hence the move to turbos and it is hard to achieve in the real world what the tests indicate so the B9 S4's 21/30 might be a bit optimistic.
(Again grain of salt) On fuelly 2016 S4 averages 20.9mpp whereas 2019 S4 is 19.9. (It is harder to determine the A6 on fuelly since it is combined with RoW diesel options.)

[djapeA4]

I went with the A6 sport when I was shopping between the S4 and A6. For me the luxury factor more in the A6 and the transmission was a huge factor for me. I read to much about maltronic issues with the S4's and the ZF8 transmission better more reliable( has some issue but not as much). I have a IE SGT2 DP+TB, HX and Melen TCU tune and couldn't be happier. The car RIPS, shift super fast and I get 19.5 MPG.

That's awesome. How do you find the seats, are they bolstered (s-line) or regular? I'm just curious if they make you feel while cornering. The regular seats in my A4 make me slide out of them every time I take a hard corner - now that I have that thick 034 sway bar in the rear.

[djapeA4]

Take it with a grain of salt. If you can find one at an acceptable price to you then excellent. The S6 seats are indeed very nice.
Handling can be a bit tricky. The B8 S4 is smaller, lighter and is already maximum stock sport S suspension. Maybe too much for your tastes. The A6 is always geared more toward luxury than sport even with sport suspension options. My S6 took a slight lowering and H&R sway bars to get back to the way I felt the stock B8 S4 handled. Albeit that is on an air suspension, but supposedly "sport" air suspension and the S6 is heavier than both the S4 and A6.
As for gas mileage I'm not sure what the governing body is up in CA that test mileage, but the EPA rates the C7 A6 getting 3mpg better in the city than the S4 maybe in part due to start-stop, but the A6 gets 1 mpg better highway (8spd).
S4 18/28
A6 21/29
So overall not a huge difference and depends more on how you drive than anything else.
FWIW I feel the current testing is geared to benefit turbos more, hence the move to turbos and it is hard to achieve in the real world what the tests indicate so the B9 S4's 21/30 might be a bit optimistic.
(Again grain of salt) On fuelly 2016 S4 averages 20.9mpp whereas 2019 S4 is 19.9. (It is harder to determine the A6 on fuelly since it is combined with RoW diesel options.)

Grain of salt for sure, even fuelly is often inaccurate due to people not resetting their apps or whatnot. However I do think that B9 S4 and 2016+ A6 both having stop-start impact the gas mileage in the city. Notice how it's identical at 21 mpg as per EPA? And if you filter out diesels from A6 by selecting 3.0t, fuelly will show you mpg for those engines only. 24.39 MPG combined or 9.64 L/100km which is better than my A4.

[djapeA4]

I did this exact thing. It took me some time to find the right a⁶ comp, but did finally. Pic attached. It is to be sure, a fair bit different driving experience, i don't regret it however, needed a bit more room. The s⁴ was, in my opinion a slightly better driver's car. Stage 2 tune, zf tune, h&r springs/ sways. You def feel that it is a bigger car, because, i suppose it just is. It is within a sneeze as fast as my stage² tuned s⁴ and have logged 3.79 0-60 and 12.0xx 1/4 mile @115+mph times on dragy. The brakes are not as good, stock for stock in my opinion, but possibly not a fair comparison as I upgraded to stoptech slotted rotors and stoptech pads in the s4.Attachment 179270

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Finally, I thought I was alone in contemplating this. The car is beautiful. How is the mileage now that you tuned it? Nowhere does the APR website mention 340hp 3.0t, just the old 333hp tunes. I guess it would be that one that applies. I think I could live with S4 being "slightly" better drivers car, provided that A6 Comp would blow A4 out of the water. The only way I could justify going from 6MT to ZF8.

[christianb5s4]

The competition A6 has the same suspension as the A6 s-line, so besides that the interior and red brake calipers are the only real difference at that point. Comp A6s are around $10K more than comparable spec A6 s-lines so whether it's worth it or not is up to you.

[djapeA4]

The competition A6 has the same suspension as the A6 s-line, so besides that the interior and red brake calipers are the only real difference at that point. Comp A6s are around $10K more than comparable spec A6 s-lines so whether it's worth it or not is up to you.

You are forgetting torque vectoring rear sport diff that none of the A6's have & not all S4's have. Everyone says how great that is and the difference it makes to an S4.

[gk1]

The competition A6 has the same suspension as the A6 s-line, so besides that the interior and red brake calipers are the only real difference at that point. Comp A6s are around $10K more than comparable spec A6 s-lines so whether it's worth it or not is up to you.

Jeez $10k really...that is crazy. Even today a 2020 S6 is only $9k more than a 2020 A6 w/ sport package and at least then you get 100+HP engine upgrade.

[gk1]

You are forgetting torque vectoring rear sport diff that none of the A6's have & not all S4's have. Everyone says how great that is and the difference it makes to an S4.

Depends on your driving style. If you really push your car...sounds like you might...then it is nice, but if you never really push it to make use of it then it it makes near as no difference. There is some mild safety benefit to it also, but in my experiences I have not really seen it. Correct tires for the conditions make more of a difference than anything else.
For reference:
I've had B8 S4 with sport diff.
MKI SQ5 without sport diff
S6 with sport diff.

[djapeA4]

Depends on your driving style. If you really push your car...sounds like you might...then it is nice, but if you never really push it to make use of it then it it makes near as no difference. There is some mild safety benefit to it also, but in my experiences I have not really seen it. Correct tires for the conditions make more of a difference than anything else.
For reference:
I've had B8 S4 with sport diff.
MKI SQ5 without sport diff
S6 with sport diff.

So since you bought 2 Audi's with sport diff in them, do you feel disappointed in what you get out of them? I love my 034 rear sway bar that makes my A4 more tossable, that's why I thought the sport diff would be a must for a heavy V6 engine to feel light(er) in the corners. Precisely why and you can probably attest to the fact that S6 while being powerful is not great on a twisty road due to the weight of that V8 plowing the front end, despite all suspension gadgets and other niceties it has to counter the understeer. Right?

[djapeA4]

Frankly, the MPG returned on it is pretty remarkable. I average 23ish, and that includes running with some pretty heavy machinery on the reg. On the hwy chilling it easily pulls 34-35mpg at 75ish mph.Attachment 179277Attachment 179278Attachment 179279

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Nice! Nothing better than a luxurious 400+ hp that returns that kind of MPG. Love it.

[gk1]

So since you bought 2 Audi's with sport diff in them, do you feel disappointed in what you get out of them? I love my 034 rear sway bar that makes my A4 more tossable, that's why I thought the sport diff would be a must for a heavy V6 engine to feel light(er) in the corners. Precisely why and you can probably attest to the fact that S6 while being powerful is not great on a twisty road due to the weight of that V8 plowing the front end, despite all suspension gadgets and other niceties it has to counter the understeer. Right?

Not disappointed just not really a necessity depending on how you drive. Sport diff as a $1k option like it was on my S4 or included like on my S6 it is nice, and for my particular driving style, sure it is preferred, but most people do not need or use it. You may be an exception as well. However, at a $10k difference bundled with seats, wheels and painted calipers...I dunno if it is worth it. $1k more sure...maybe depending on the buyer $5k more, but at $10k it is up to you really.
I think it is just different demographics that Audi markets too... S4 "sporty", A6 and even S6 more "luxury", so the suspensions are tuned that way. Audi does not have to be worried about upsetting it's S4 target audience if it is too stiff or "sporty" but that would upset the A6/S6 target, so they have no choice but to soften it up some. You will always feel the weight of the car the sport diff just helps it to rotate better under acceleration as you push the limit. It is not like it magically makes the car handle better in every situation more like it makes it handle better in exceptional situations. The sway bars made a difference IMO both in reducing understeer and body roll, something the sport diff could not change.
It boils down to if you drive to the limit and you can get it for a price that is acceptable to you then sure the sport diff is worth it, but for most drivers (non-forum members ) they would not even notice and for myself $5k might be my limit for the additional goodies to the comp. package, otherwise I'd stick with an S4 or look for an S6... mileage be damned.

Since the SQ5 is the car I have without sport diff I did not see myself pushing it to the limit or accelerating hard through corners and I wasn't wrong. It still handles great for what it is and how it is driven, do in part to it's stiff suspension (rear passengers complain). I am seriously doubtful it would have been noticeably better with a sport diff for the way I drive that car. I may never know. Today they make the sport diff part of the $2500 package on the S4 which include adaptive dampers or $3000 on the SQ5 but includes air suspension. (CA might be different). Those options might be worth it for the adaptive suspensions alone and the sport diff is just gravy.

[djapeA4]

Not disappointed just not really a necessity depending on how you drive. Sport diff as a $1k option like it was on my S4 or included like on my S6 it is nice, and for my particular driving style, sure it is preferred, but most people do not need or use it. You may be an exception as well. However, at a $10k difference bundled with seats, wheels and painted calipers...I dunno if it is worth it. $1k more sure...maybe depending on the buyer $5k more, but at $10k it is up to you really.
I think it is just different demographics that Audi markets too... S4 "sporty", A6 and even S6 more "luxury", so the suspensions are tuned that way. Audi does not have to be worried about upsetting it's S4 target audience if it is too stiff or "sporty" but that would upset the A6/S6 target, so they have no choice but to soften it up some. You will always feel the weight of the car the sport diff just helps it to rotate better under acceleration as you push the limit. It is not like it magically makes the car handle better in every situation more like it makes it handle better in exceptional situations. The sway bars made a difference IMO both in reducing understeer and body roll, something the sport diff could not change.
It boils down to if you drive to the limit and you can get it for a price that is acceptable to you then sure the sport diff is worth it, but for most drivers (non-forum members ) they would not even notice and for myself $5k might be my limit for the additional goodies to the comp. package, otherwise I'd stick with an S4 or look for an S6... mileage be damned.

Since the SQ5 is the car I have without sport diff I did not see myself pushing it to the limit or accelerating hard through corners and I wasn't wrong. It still handles great for what it is and how it is driven, do in part to it's stiff suspension (rear passengers complain). I am seriously doubtful it would have been noticeably better with a sport diff for the way I drive that car. I may never know. Today they make the sport diff part of the $2500 package on the S4 which include adaptive dampers or $3000 on the SQ5 but includes air suspension. (CA might be different). Those options might be worth it for the adaptive suspensions alone and the sport diff is just gravy.

You are right, the cost is a big factor for sure and if I was buying new, 10k difference wouldn't make sense, but since I'm looking at used they don't differ as much from the top line A6's. My biggest beef with the A6 is the lack of supportive seats, so unless you go with the Comp, you likely slosh around in the corners a lot. Then everything feels exaggerated, undesteer, body roll and steering feel (as you are trying to grab on to it and it's light as hell). I think that for me i need to test drive both and find out for myself. And by the way, you have provided a lot of good pointers regarding the handling of those bigger Audi's, thanks for sharing your experiences.

[djapeA4]

With stage2 APR and the increased revs from the TCU tune, (allowing it to get to HP peak- it's actually making closer to 480-ish, and the dragy numbers back that on a 4400-ish lb car. I can't say enough about the 3.0 SC motor in this and the s4. There are a few notable improvements to this generation, new ECU, the clutched pulley (which... sometimes I don't love, you can feel it engage/ disengage) and IIRC, it has a port injector in addition to direct injection So no carbon build up!

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I thought that we in NA were cheated out of port injectors to prevent carbon buildup and that those are only available in Europe. This coming from the S3 and Golf R forums (possibly B9 too) , so maybe that's not true for the C7 platform. That's awesome.

[xanmato]

I thought that we in NA were cheated out of port injectors to prevent carbon buildup and that those are only available in Europe. This coming from the S3 and Golf R forums (possibly B9 too) , so maybe that's not true for the C7 platform. That's awesome.

The C7.5 A6, A7, and the 4M Q7 received the CREC 3.0T before switching to the hotV turbo 3.0T in 2019. The B8.5 S4 and S5 were the ones that got cheated out of the CREC engine in the US for its final years.

[mikesae]

Careful, the Sport diff was optional on Canadian A6 Comps and very rare to find in my experience.

[inomniaparatus]

The C7.5 A6, A7, and the 4M Q7 received the CREC 3.0T before switching to the hotV turbo 3.0T in 2019. The B8.5 S4 and S5 were the ones that got cheated out of the CREC engine in the US for its final years.

Oddly enough....engine code on my Comp is CREH

[xanmato]

Oddly enough....engine code on my Comp is CREH

Yea seems like there are a billion different engine revision codes, I guess a better way to put it is that we did receive simos16 based engines.

[inomniaparatus]

Yea seems like there are a billion different engine revision codes, I guess a better way to put it is that we did receive simos16 based engines.

Brilliant. Solves that for me. CREC this and CREC that, come to find out mine was CREH. I felt left out for a bit(and confused).

[WatchMeSpend]

Finally, I thought I was alone in contemplating this. The car is beautiful. How is the mileage now that you tuned it? Nowhere does the APR website mention 340hp 3.0t, just the old 333hp tunes. I guess it would be that one that applies. I think I could live with S4 being "slightly" better drivers car, provided that A6 Comp would blow A4 out of the water. The only way I could justify going from 6MT to ZF8.

Stage One APR was a blast and Stage 2 is a blast as well. The fuel mileage is pretty much the same and the only loss is if you tune it for higher octane fuel and they use ethanol. In Canada 91 Octane gas doesn't usually have ethanol in it. If you were to run Stage 1 or 2 with APR, the fuel mileage is the same. Driving in comfort goes the furthest on a tank. At highway speeds with a bit of city driving, it's not uncommon to look down and see 32-33mpg.

[McNeil]

I have an A6 comp, sme basic mods right now, RS7 airbox with a BMC filter, transmission insert.

Currently commute 70 miles/day highway and get 29mph at 80mph.

It’s a great car and I don’t get tired driving or looking at it.
61127054060__49B81FE7-88D1-4251-90D6-907A36E9DB01.JPG


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[JWebb_C7_Comp]

I have an A6 comp, sme basic mods right now, RS7 airbox with a BMC filter, transmission insert.

Currently commute 70 miles/day highway and get 29mph at 80mph.

It’s a great car and I don’t get tired driving or looking at it.
61127054060__49B81FE7-88D1-4251-90D6-907A36E9DB01.JPG


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2018 Stage1 A6 Comp here. I compared it to on the s4, but decided I wanted the slightly larger car and I’ve been happy with my choice as it handles my needs well. I often have 3 kids in the back seat and a ton of stuff in the trunk. So size matters. No doubt the s4 was a bit more fun, but a stage1 A6 has got plenty of power and handles pretty well (especially given AWD and sport diff) for its size..




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[coop3422]

Do a lot of you use the auto start/stop function? I've had it turned off since I got my A6. I grew up being told turning on a car is the most stress you can put it through, so doing that at every light just seemed like a bad idea.

As for the original question, totally depends what you want out of it. I got my A6 because the wife loved it and the extra size considering we had a baby on the way. I liked it, but moreso there was nothing else on the market I wanted at the time. I've had buyers remorse since the beginning. I much prefer the drive of the slightly smaller S4, but I prefer smaller cars and you do feel the size of the A6. If that doesn't bother you, then it's an amazing car. The other thing for me is that while the ZF is a great box, I hate autos and have been missing manual since getting it. I've been trying to trade it for a 15+ S4 6spd or a 16+ Golf R 6spd, but no luck. I know I'm in the minority with this, so take it with a grain of sale. Those A6 Comp seats are gorgeous though!

[christianb5s4]

I used to be anti-auto start/stop but I really like it for city driving, it definitely saves a meaningful amount of fuel while sitting in traffic or at lights. Engines with auto start/stop have beefed up components to handle that stress such as a more robust starter motor and other things.

Start/stop has been out for over a decade on tons of cars, even more so if you include hybrids that also stop/start, so if it were detrimental to long term reliability it would have been seen by now I'd think.

[gk1]

... Engines with auto start/stop have beefed up components to handle that stress such as a more robust starter motor and other things. ...

If anyone is interested....
Looks like:
The starter with start/stop is made by Denso 1.7KW and has one more tooth. (11T)
The starter without is made by Bosch 1.4KW (10T)

[coop3422]

I used to be anti-auto start/stop but I really like it for city driving, it definitely saves a meaningful amount of fuel while sitting in traffic or at lights. Engines with auto start/stop have beefed up components to handle that stress such as a more robust starter motor and other things.

Start/stop has been out for over a decade on tons of cars, even more so if you include hybrids that also stop/start, so if it were detrimental to long term reliability it would have been seen by now I'd think.

Fair points. I track all my tanks in Fuelly, I should turn it in for a tank or two and see what the results are. Currently I get 19-20mpg, pretty even mix and while I don't floor it, I drive sporty with little concern of fuel economy, always in manual mode.

If anyone is interested....
Looks like:
The starter with start/stop is made by Denso 1.7KW and has one more tooth. (11T)
The starter without is made by Bosch 1.4KW (10T)

So upgraded, no idea if the amount is significant though 0 as I know nothing about starters lol.

[christianb5s4]

Fair points. I track all my tanks in Fuelly, I should turn it in for a tank or two and see what the results are. Currently I get 19-20mpg, pretty even mix and while I don't floor it, I drive sporty with little concern of fuel economy, always in manual mode.



So upgraded, no idea if the amount is significant though 0 as I know nothing about starters lol.

That's an interesting technical tidbit about the starter! Gas mileage definitely goes down as soon as the fun pedal is pressed more, but I like that if you want to maximize fuel economy you can just flip over to comfort and the car gets an easy 30+mpg on the highway at 75+mph (I measure at the pump, MMI is pretty accurate in my experience) and the car just hums along stress free.

[coop3422]

That's an interesting technical tidbit about the starter! Gas mileage definitely goes down as soon as the fun pedal is pressed more, but I like that if you want to maximize fuel economy you can just flip over to comfort and the car gets an easy 30+mpg on the highway at 75+mph (I measure at the pump, MMI is pretty accurate in my experience) and the car just hums along stress free.

Sorry to threadjack OP;

Honestly I don't notice much difference in the driver modes. Granted I never use comfort, but between normal and dynamic for the engine, I don't notice much difference. I created my own which had steering and suspension in dynamic, and engine in regular as economy seemed slightly better than dynamic. Do others noticed a difference in performances in dynamic?

[WatchMeSpend]

Sorry to threadjack OP;

Honestly I don't notice much difference in the driver modes. Granted I never use comfort, but between normal and dynamic for the engine, I don't notice much difference. I created my own which had steering and suspension in dynamic, and engine in regular as economy seemed slightly better than dynamic. Do others noticed a difference in performances in dynamic?

Comfort - Shifts quick and smooth at low RPM and has a very light feeling on the steering. Flooring the car makes it downshift but not aggressively and at speed it smoothly picks up. If the car is modified, you will not really notice.

Auto - Stays in comfort but will downshift much faster if floored pretty much flipping to dynamic about 1.5 - 2 seconds after. You can tell if the car is faster than stock when you get aggressive

Dynamic - Heavy steering at all times and pretty much drives like a normal car where the inputs match the outputs. Obviously if the car is modified you will notice much faster than auto because there is no delay to switch to a more aggressive mode.

Dynamic with sport - Car drives around 2-3 gears lower looking for a fight. Very easy to dip into the power. Aggressive noticeable downshifts.Heavy steering. If your car is modified it is very easy to notice even when giving minor inputs.

I did not mention suspension because I have an S-Line with no air suspension. If you have no air suspension, the modes don't mean a thing suspension wise.

I drove the car the other day in dynamic sport and when you put the cruise control on, it goes into comfort. As soon as you tap the brake and the cruise comes off, it goes back into dynamic sport immediately. I don't have a lot of room to unwind the car where I live. I was driving in dynamic sport to burn fuel because I needed to swap in higher octane gas for a new tune I was getting. With no engine badges or anything it looks just like what it is, an executive class car. Oh the fun I have had with people who thought they should be able to pass me as you quickly dispose of them. Almost always in a pickup truck with hemi badges all over it...because nobody else has a hemispherical combustion chamber...right??

[ANMS4]

That's awesome. How do you find the seats, are they bolstered (s-line) or regular? I'm just curious if they make you feel while cornering. The regular seats in my A4 make me slide out of them every time I take a hard corner - now that I have that thick 034 sway bar in the rear.

I have bolstered seats :) so cornering I'm held tight. The sways are my next upgraded this summer, then I'm finished with her.

[chet.rowles]

What is, "dynamic with sport?"

Comfort - Shifts quick and smooth at low RPM and has a very light feeling on the steering. Flooring the car makes it downshift but not aggressively and at speed it smoothly picks up. If the car is modified, you will not really notice.

Auto - Stays in comfort but will downshift much faster if floored pretty much flipping to dynamic about 1.5 - 2 seconds after. You can tell if the car is faster than stock when you get aggressive

Dynamic - Heavy steering at all times and pretty much drives like a normal car where the inputs match the outputs. Obviously if the car is modified you will notice much faster than auto because there is no delay to switch to a more aggressive mode.

Dynamic with sport - Car drives around 2-3 gears lower looking for a fight. Very easy to dip into the power. Aggressive noticeable downshifts.Heavy steering. If your car is modified it is very easy to notice even when giving minor inputs.

I did not mention suspension because I have an S-Line with no air suspension. If you have no air suspension, the modes don't mean a thing suspension wise.

I drove the car the other day in dynamic sport and when you put the cruise control on, it goes into comfort. As soon as you tap the brake and the cruise comes off, it goes back into dynamic sport immediately. I don't have a lot of room to unwind the car where I live. I was driving in dynamic sport to burn fuel because I needed to swap in higher octane gas for a new tune I was getting. With no engine badges or anything it looks just like what it is, an executive class car. Oh the fun I have had with people who thought they should be able to pass me as you quickly dispose of them. Almost always in a pickup truck with hemi badges all over it...because nobody else has a hemispherical combustion chamber...right??

Sent from my SM-G977U using Audizine mobile app

[gk1]

What is, "dynamic with sport?"

Sent from my SM-G977U using Audizine mobile app

Sounds like maybe he was just making a distinction between Dynamic Drive Select settings and Dynamic with the transmission in "S" mode which is the default anyway when you switch to Dynamic, but you can pull back on the shifter and put the trans in "D" while everything else remains in "Dynamic". So you get the "Auto" level of throttle response and shift speed.
It is odd that coop3422 does not notice any engine difference between auto and dynamic as it should be quite noticeable since Dynamic defaults to "S" mode and usually drops down a gear or two as mentioned and the throttle response is usually more linear/responsive.
For my SQ5 I don't really care much for the heavy Dynamic steering feel and no adjustable suspension or sport diff so if I want a little extra gitty-up I just pull the shifter into "S" and go.

[djapeA4]

I much prefer the drive of the slightly smaller S4, but I prefer smaller cars and you do feel the size of the A6. If that doesn't bother you, then it's an amazing car. The other thing for me is that while the ZF is a great box, I hate autos and have been missing manual since getting it. I've been trying to trade it for a 15+ S4 6spd or a 16+ Golf R 6spd, but no luck. I know I'm in the minority with this, so take it with a grain of sale. Those A6 Comp seats are gorgeous though!

That's exactly what I'm afraid of happening to me too, missing my 6TM and getting bored of the automatic. The S4 manual would be a no brainer for me if it had the same fuel economy as the A6. And even before they added stop/start to A6 in 2016, they've had better mileage with the same engine and bigger, heavier body. Heck on paper 16 A6 Comp has 340hp (av. 24 mpg or 9.8l/100km) vs. 16 S4's manual 333hp (av. 20 mpg or 11.76 l/100km). I don't get it.