The Audi A6 has been one of the Ingolstadt company’s mainstay models, having its roots in the old 500 series saloon from the 1980s. The fourth-generation A6 to be sold in South Africa arrived here in 2011, and in late 2012 the dynamic V8-engined S6 version went on sale.
In April 2015 a new-improved version of the Audi A6 and S6 was announced. The S6’s power output rose to a heady 331 kW and 550 Nm of torque. The S6 has always been fitted with Audi’s famed all-wheel-drive system known as the quattro transmission, a good thing with all that power available. The fourth-gen cars used a 7-speed automatic gearbox.
The A6 and S6 have been un-listed as new cars for sale since early 2019
The Audi S6 was available for sale here in this form until early 2019, which meant that the fourth-gen S6 had a sales run of six years. The reason for its discontinuation here is that the fourth-generation Audi A6 was superseded by the fifth-generation car in Europe in mid-2018.
Early this year Audi South Africa indicated that the latest-generation A6 was due here for introduction in late 2019. One of the reasons for big gaps between European and South African introductions is that it takes a while for right-hand-drive models to be developed after the initial launch for left-hand-drive markets.
The latest news from Audi is that the new A6 will arrive in February or March 2020. The S6 will probably come at a later date.
Surely an Audi S6 is too expensive, too big and too powerful for new drivers?
The fourth-generation Audi S6 was launched in late 2012 at a cost R834 600 and, in its final appearance in South African new-car price lists in early 2019, it cost R1 207 000! It doesn’t make too much sense to give an inexperienced driver such an expensive, fast car to learn the basics of driving. There are a number of factors to consider which we will detail:
Audi S6 traits that are likely to trip up a new driver
- Power. The S6 has about six times the power of a car such as a Suzuki Swift, which is typically seen as an ideal car to learn the ropes of driving.
- Speed. No new driver can adequately cope with a car that can accelerate to 100 km/h in 4,4 seconds. It takes skill and sensitivity to moderate the accelerator pedal of a 331 kW car, and that first parking-lot accident could be a big one! Out on the open road, a top speed of 250 km/h-plus could be frightening in inexperienced hands!
- Complexity. The cockpit of an Audi S6 has all sorts of controls that may prove to be confusing to a new driver.
- Ground clearance. The Audi S6 is low slung with a low front spoiler that is easy to damage. A new driver may easily crunch this over a speed bump or against a kerb when parking.
AutoTrader published an Audi S7 Sportback - Car Review back in 2015 which is very similar to the Audi S6 of that period.
S6 plus-points for new drivers
- Unlike a cheap small car that typically serves as a new-driver “starter pack”, the Audi S6 has one of the most robust, strongest body cells in the world. It offers far more sheet-metal protection than a small light car.
- The fourth-generation Audi S6 had six airbags fitted throughout its production life.
- The Quattro all-wheel-drive system provides tremendous road-holding and enjoys a number of traction-enhancing and anti-skid devices useful for an inexperienced driver.
- The post-2015 Audi S6 models feature all sorts of additional safety aids, such as lane-departure warning and assistance, and radar-sensing automatic braking.
So would we recommend the S6 for new drivers?
The short answer is no. Much better to learn driving skills on a smaller unsophisticated car, and preferably a manual-transmission model. That power and speed potential in the Audi S6 could prove simply too much of a temptation for a new driver to explore. Much better to learn on a modest car, and once good skills have been honed, to step up into a sophisticated car with more power.
However, if you are an experienced driver with sporty inclinations, you may well be interested in a used Audi S6. AutoTrader currently lists 4 examples for sale.