Audi is renowned for its diverse range of products. In fact, the marque offers such a multitude of options that it can be difficult to fathom exactly where the target markets for the A5 Sportback and A6, as well as A6 Avant, A7 Sportback and A8 intersect. Yet the Ingolstadt-based firm shows no inclination to change its strategy.
With the international debut of the S6 and S7 Sportback performance derivatives of the A6 and A7 Sportback ranges in Munich, Germany, Audi has introduced a raft of new technologies encased in a pair of flagship models for two ranges that have not achieved particular sales success on the South Africa… thus far.
The direct injection 4,0-litre V8 at the heart of both these machines features two twin-scroll turbochargers (one for each bank of the engine) and generates 309 kW and 550 N.m of torque (from 1 400 to 5 300 r/min). Tuned to produce a full-bodied timbre matched with brusque exhaust blips when the motor and its transmission are in the most dynamic of settings, the S6 is said to progress from zero to 100 km/h in 4,8 seconds, with the S7 Sportback getting there in 4,9.
The S6’s adaptive air suspension works in conjunction with the Drive Select system, which alters the sports saloon’s on-road demeanour and responses to throttle, shift-paddle and steering inputs between the extreme poles of outright athleticism and cosseting comfort. The air suspension is evidently a boon to the S6’s body control on a challenging section of asphalt and although some will find the newcomer’s weighty steering feels a trifle contrived, the tardiness of the throttle-pedal responses when in normal driving mode proved the biggest frustration; perhaps these Audis are meant to be tourers, not tearaways?
The fuel-saving technology and refinement-enhancing features integral to the S6 and S7 Sportback certainly suggest they are… The S6 is said to consume 25 per cent less fuel than its normally-aspirated 5,2-litre V10 predecessor and apart from weight saving (up to 20 per cent of the newcomer consists of alumimium), energy recuperation and start-stop systems, there is a “cylinder on demand” function that deactivates half the engine when it’s operating under part load.
Although a cylinder management system is not a technical innovation, it’s the unobtrusiveness of Audi’s system that really impresses. The best way to deduce that the force-fed V8 has switched from operating on all – to only half – of its cylinders or vice versa is to call up the real-time fuel consumption read-out on the cars’ instrument binnacles. When cylinders 2,3, 5 and 8 are de-activated via electromagnetically actuated valve lifters, the 4,0-litre V8 essentially suffers a controlled quadruple misfire, which results in undesirable vibration and noise. To counteract that, an active noise cancellation system detects the intrusive sound elements and broadcasts an anti-phase sound through the speakers of the cars’ audio systems to largely neutralise droning. What’s more, the S6 and S7 Sportback’s electro-hydraulic engine mountings produce a range of targeted counter-pulses to attenuate the drivetrain’s low-frequency vibrations when the “cylinder on demand” system is on operation between 900 and 3 500 r/min.
Does all this fanciful technology come in a suitably upmarket package? Well, yes, because the aluminium-finish grille and aggressive front bumpers set the pair of Quattros apart from their lesser siblings. Attention-grabbing 19-inch wheels fill out the cars’ wheel arches with ease and the addition of quad exhaust tips and purposefully sporty bladed rear bumpers add to visual impacts of the cars’ three-quarter aspects. Inside, tasteful aluminium inserts, a variety of upmarket insert options, sculpted electrically adjustable front sports seats with S6/S7 model embossed leather, rombus-patterned stitching and integrated head-rests are but a few standout features of a suitably comprehensive interior specification.
The S6 and S7 Sportback are all-rounders – adept at transporting a driver and his or her passengers swiftly as well as in comfort; should the cars be spurred into Sport mode, they’ll deliver lively throttle response, generous in-gear shove and sure-footed handling that will impress all but the most hardcore of fans. But therein lies a problem, because as sure as these S models are destined for South Africa in September, there’ll probably be more potent RS-versions of the same shaped vehicles in the near future, which might disadvantage the S6 and S7.
Audi SA is determined to improve its sales of executive and grand saloons and Q7 SUVs. To that end, the marque offers (through its franchised dealers), trade-in support of R30 000 per customer to get him or her behind the wheels of the aforementioned Quattros. In the near future, Audi and Wesbank looks to offer sweetened finance deals to further strengthen the sales drive even further.
If I had to choose between the two, the A7 Sportback gets the nod over the S6 because it offers slightly more in terms of exclusivity and emotional appeal and its cabin feels more snug and driver-oriented courtesy of the acutely angled A- pillar and lower roofline. When CAR tested an A7 Sportback last year the test team came away impressed – and the debut of the S7 underlines the notion that these are some of the most underrated executive-class cars in the market!
