sweet ride

Daddums just started leasing one of these, and I got the chance to put a fair number of miles on it when I last went home, and I was thoroughly impressed. I initially had told him to get an A4, as I absolutely love those things and they have a great value for the relatively low price. He went ahead and got the A6 with sequential semiautomatic transmission, and it is quite a joy to drive.

The ride is exceedingly smooth, such that bumps in the rode are felt only minimally, and the steering is very tight and precise for a car of this size. Despite the smoothness, I felt very connected to the road, unlike many luxury cars such as Cadillacs, which have a distinctly nautical feeling to them. The cabin is dead quiet, even at high speeds--it is quieter at 90 than many cars are at 60. The engine is very powerful and produces quick acceleration and great torque. The exhaust note, if you roll down the window so that you can hear it, is a pleasing soft luxury purr that fits this car well. As far as the transmission, I just left it in drive most of the time, as it shifts at pretty much the right time on its own, and very smoothly...none of the jolting associated with cheaper autos. When I did click it over to the sequential shifter I was pleased with the rapid response and smooth shifts, certainly faster than most people can manage on a manual.

The well-sewn leather seats were very comfortable, and easy to adjust. The driver's side sesat has 3 easy to configure memory settings so that several people can quickly adjust to their preferences (which I like because my dad is much larger than me). Climate control is masterful with two zones up front, vents everywhere, and an auto thermostat which does everything for you...it even refuses to blow when you first turn on the car on a cold day until the heater coil has had a chance to warm up, saving one from an icy cold blast of air on an already cold morning. There were also several other nice luxury features like a charmingly smooth sunroof and a passenger side mirror which tilts down when in reverse to aid in parking. This car has excellent visibility and very small blind spots compared to the Lexota Camry/GS, and is very easy to park in even small spaces.

Under the hood, everything is covered by sculpted plastic cowlings, leaving only a few dipsticks and ports for various fluids exposed. This provides a very clean, expensive feeling and makes it easy for one not well versed in cars to add wiper fluid or the like. Also, the interactive instrument panel displays warnings if any fluid is low or a headlight goes out, as well as other helpful indicators like miles until next fill-up (which is surprisingly accurate).

Overall, I love this car, and it is a joy to drive. It is expensive, but for a reason. This is a great car with many wonderful features, and I wish I had one for myself (unfortunately, the major midwestern military academy which I attend prohibits sophomores from owning cars).