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2002 Audi A6 3.0 quattro AT5
What Luxury Should Be

Susan Frissell

2002 Audi A6 3.0 quattro AT5

Audi’s A6 sedan is what a luxury vehicle should be; ride, handling, comfort, looks. What more could anyone ask? And Quattro besides. The A6 is a vehicle for all ages, shapes, sizes and seasons. Celebrating 20+ years of Quattro, or all-wheel-drive (1980), Audi is going strong and selling more and more vehicles to the North American market.

Our test A6 AT5 quattro came equipped with a few extra goodies, including a Preferred Luxury Package (Glass Sunroof, Leather Upholstery, $1,800), Premium Package (Multi Function Steering Wheel, Xenon High Intensity Headlights, Rear Parktronic, $1,200), Bose Premium Sound System ($750), Convenience Package (Homelink Remote Transmitter, Auto Dimming Interior Mirror with compass, Auto Dimming and Electricfolding Exterior Mirrors, Memory for front seat positions, $730), and heated front/rear seats ($550). Audi’s pricing on some of their options seems a tad steep, making one consider dropping one or two to bring down the total vehicle price. However, once accustomed to these amenities, it’s hard to do without. The MSRP on our A6 AT5 quattro was $37,150; total vehicle price, $42,755; destination, $575.

The A6 we drove came equipped with Audi’s 3.0-liter, 220 horsepower 5-valve per cylinder engine. It’s plenty fast, however, Audi claims its 2.7T is the "quickest A6 available in North America." We’d like to try it.

The A6 (and A6 Avant) are available in four different versions, with Quattro, the 3.0 sedan, 3.0 Avant, 2.7T and 4.2-liter. The all-new aluminum 3.0-liter V6 engine model we drove is standard with Audi’s 5-speed automatic with Tiptronic. A transmission without gears, this thing shifts effortlessly and quietly, eliminating any "lurch" or pauses. The multitronic adjusts continually, providing unlimited combinations of horsepower and torque. The end result, brags Audi, is a transmission that shifts smoother than a traditional one, is faster than a five-speed manual and more fuel-efficient. In a luxury vehicle? Ok. We’ll buy it.

The Tiptronic picks up a "Sport" mode this year in the A6 automatic. By selecting the "S" on the selector guide, the shift pattern becomes more performance-oriented. When you’re tired of that, you can just move the gear over to the right side of the shifter box and shift clutch-free: A simple flick of the finger forward shifts the A6 upward and pushing back on the shifter causes the transmission to gear down. Pretty cool.

The largest of the A6 engines, the 3.0-liter in our test vehicle is the largest capacity engine. With five valves per cylinder, the 3.0-liter pumps out 220 horsepower. With the multitronic, the A6 can reach speeds of 130 miles-per-hour; accelerating from 0-60 mph in 7.1 seconds.

All A6 models are equipped with Audi’s latest ESP generation and hydraulic BrakeAssist system.Optional sport suspension with 17-inch wheels is available for the 2.7T and 4.2 versions. Standard tire size on the A6 3.0 is a 16-inch.

For 2002, the A6 has added visible dual-exhaust tailpipes with different configurations depending on the drive train combinations; clear glass headlights; optional high-intensity Xenon headlights with automatic headlight range control; new door seals, thicker glass in the side windows (better insulation), improved sound insulation which reduces tire noise by almost 40 percent; redesigned instrument panel with the addition of aluminum accent rings; restyled gear knob; redesigned, and now illuminated, rotary headlight light switch and mirror adjustment stalk, new steering wheel.

These new redesigns and updates to the A6 interior make it appear more luxurious and inviting. The new steering wheel is easier to grip for the driver with smaller hands. We especially liked the redesigned IP with the addition of the snazzy aluminum rings. Although we’re in a luxury vehicle, this touch lends a sporty feeling the cockpit.

Audi has added an air sensor inside the cabin that detects outside air pollution. If a high reading is encountered, the sensor shuts off the outside air. Once the air quality improves, the sensor reintroduces the outside air.

Audi interiors are as plush as can be expected in a luxury vehicle, complete with comfortable, good-looking leather upholstery, high-quality dash materials, real-wood trim (seems to be making a comeback), aluminum accents and just plain class. The kinds of things that appeal to those buying luxury, and Audi delivers.

Today’s vehicles are getting so sophisticated we’re likely to be living in them 100 percent of the time. With the introduction of air sensors, reclining seats, high-tech sound systems and navigation systems, we’ll never want for anything.