Audi S6 4.0 TFSI Quattro in the test

' More and more, more and more 'was already being sung by Herwig Mitteregger in the 1990s. The automotive industry listened attentively and happily added performance to each new model. A seemingly endless swinging game with a splendid round table excitement potential. Now, of all people, Audi is turning the spiral around: Compared to its predecessor, the new Audi S6 dispenses with 1.2 liters displacement, two cylinders and - shock - 15 hp.

Ten-cylinder, free-sucking Lamborghini force has to be a four-liter -Biturbo V8 with 420 HP soft. That costs emotions: the new Audi S6 doesn't sound as dirty as the old one, and the greedy, snapping speech is just as passé as the iconic excess of an Italian V10 in a mid-range body. But the loss is not dramatic, because now the Audi brand claim “Vorsprung durch Technik” can show what it can do. Not exactly wasted in the recent past, it should compensate for the PS deficit - which works perfectly.

New Audi S6 faster than stronger predecessor

Faster: The power characteristics of the V8 are cheaper. Its 550 Nm - ten more than before - come in much earlier at 1,400 rpm and stretch up to over 5,000 tours. This violence no longer portioned a comfortable, but phlegmatic automatic converter, but a lightning-fast, clinging seven-speed dual clutch transmission. Together with the slightly rear-heavy traction of the permanent all-wheel drive, the Audi S6 shoots to 100 km /h in 4.4 seconds. This means that it is obviously top of the range (factory specification 4.8 s) and is far behind its predecessor (measured value 5.5 s). Then there is the babbling and muffled roaring from full gasoline heart. It pushes out of all tours with a brutality that is lightly wrapped in fluff and depends very directly on the gas for a turbo.

More economical: In the partial load range, the V8 of the Audi S6 paralyzes the injection on four cylinders and closes the valves. This results in a wide spread in consumption (9.6 to 13.4 L /100 km), but costs little smoothness because a counter-sound system via the hi-fi system and an active motor mount suppress disruptive vibrations.

Steering looks synthetic and decoupled

The driving behavior leaves a mixed impression. The Audi S6 is very agile in terms of sport, springs considerably more convincingly than an RS4 and brakes without fading, but its steering appears synthetic anddecoupled. That costs precision in order to drive the wide car, which understeers in the late limit range. That can certainly still be worked on, but the general direction is right: Get more from less.