Mind-blowing option The Audi A6 3.0L TDI Quattro is a serious consideration for midsize luxury sedan customers, as its creature comfort and performance mix rivals—or even betters— most in its class.

FOR the local midlevel executive or corporate top gun, the Audi A6 has always been a great alternative to those tired of seeing BMW 5-Series, Mercedes Benz E-Classes, Volvo S60s and even Jaguar S-Types on the road. Problem was, the previous A6 models were just that—alternatives—due to the aforementioned superstar competition and rather staid styling.

But when the sixth generation A6 was launched in 2005 (with the diesel version coming up a year later), this product from Ingolstadt, Bavaria interested many. In order to find out why the new A6 charms a lot of landed gentry, this writer recently stepped into an A6 to discern its fine and freaky content.

Sixth gen feature savviness

The A6 lent to this writer was a black 3.0L TDI (turbodiesel injection) Quattro model, shod with 12-spoke 18-inch wheels with a near chrome finish. Although the C6 (chassis codename for the sixth gen A6) is visually an evolution of the previous model, the front end—especially the gaping maw-like grille—is the first thing that onlookers notice when it arrives. Unfortunately the same can’t be said of the A6’s rear, which looks like it has been unchanged since the first units of the previous A6 rolled out of the factory.  Sit inside and you’ll see that the interior is a welcome contrast to the A6’s outside. But for this particular unit, the interior color way and wood trim looked rather chintzy, trying too hard to call attention to themselves.

The good news is that the car is full of satisfying creature features. The air-conditioning vents within the B-pillars, the automated rear glass sunshield and manual pull up-type side glass sunshields for rear passengers are a welcome relief, especially during the summer months. The interior lighting is bright enough to see small items hidden in the inside nooks and crannies. The front seats have power-assist adjustment, including for lumbar support. The Bose audio entertainment is topnotch, even replicating loudly the background tunes on the theme from Magnificent Seven. Although the multimedia interface system (MMIS) can be confusing to use at times, the MMIS and its seven-inch menu screen (within the center dashboard) is a great help and (to this writer) is easier to operate than the BMW 5-Series’ iDrive. And the parking brake lever at the left of the automatic transmission, or A/T, stick is perhaps the easiest parking brake among all the vehicles driven by this writer. Simply pull up the lever to activate, while deactivating it requires a light tap on the brake pedal and a push on the said lever.                

“A” for diesel performance

Although this diesel-powered A6 can be slow off the line, once it gets into the powerband (1,750-plus rpm) this C6 variant is mighty fast. The turbo kicks in rapidly and early (2,250 to 2,500 rpm), and when full boost (3,750 to 4,250 rpm) occurs and the Bosch injectors are delivering diesel at a pressure enough to break glass, the car is capable of hitting a tested 251 kph. But that’s not the only good news—this writer logged a 10.125 kilometers per liter consumption rate on four days of mixed driving. 

The six-speed Tiptronic’s even gearing, manual mode and steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters are a big plus, making emergency lane changes quick and easy. A downer: the engine’s clatter can be distinctly heard from the outside.

The A6 3.0L TDI comes with Quattro permanent all wheel drive, keeping it in line even on broken tarmac. Traction can hold up to 135 kph thanks to the amazing grip from the Pirelli P Zero 245/40 R18s rubber, and only breaks at 140-plus kph. The traction control only wakes up during extreme yaw or pitch, and the antilock system comes alive only at three-fourths to full effort on the brake pedal. Better still, the A6’s brakes grab hard (even with the slightest tap) and the steering is a bit blunt but light and responsive. And the exterior lighting’s “dim” setting is the equivalent of the “bright” setting on many low-end cars. Probably the only bad part about the car is that the rearward vision is somewhat limited; this writer had to put down the rear bench headrests in order to see clearly what was approaching the A6 from behind.

Clearly the current model A6 has come a long way from its “me, too” forebears. Whether it’s the base model 2.0 TFSI Multitronic or this here 3.0L TDI Quattro, this German sedan plainly presents itself as a top-of-mind option for those seeking for a high-end blend of greatly satisfying performance and verifiable value.

‘IT is a dream come true for me,” said Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. chief operating officer Toshiyuki Shiga after officially launching the company’s all-new Grand Livina in the showroom of PT Nissan Motor Indonesia in Jakarta.

IT has been several months since the passing of the Bio-fuels Law but we have not heard of any credible reports on whether it is being implemented or not.

“The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today but such oils may become in course of time as important as petroleum and the coal-tar products of the present time.”–Rudolf Diesel, Inventor of diesel engine, 1858-1913

FOR the local midlevel executive or corporate top gun, the Audi A6 has always been a great alternative to those tired of seeing BMW 5-Series, Mercedes Benz E-Classes, Volvo S60s and even Jaguar S-Types on the road. Problem was, the previous A6 models were just that—alternatives—due to the aforementioned superstar competition and rather staid styling.

FORMER Dirt Trial champion and Marlboro Red Racing School member Carlos Anton laid down the proverbial gauntlet, when he outclassed a crack field of drivers from rallying, slalom, circuit racing and drifting, who came to compete in the first round of the 2007 Hill Climb Series organized by the Hill Climb Club of the Philippines under the aegis of the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP), which was held on April 2 on the portion of the National Road that links Talisay and Tagaytay City.

A LEADING international travel assistance provider recently launched its regional office in Manila with the establishment of car membership club to give motorists premium help in time of crisis on the road.

HONDA Motor Co. Ltd. announced the release of the all-new Civic Type R, a pure sports edition of the Civic with further enhanced driving performance. The new Civic Type R went on sale throughout Japan on March 30.