2012 Audi A6 vs. 2011 BMW 535i Road Test
BMW has ruled the luxury midsize car market for a quite some time now. The new BMW 535i has been designed to be more quieter and have less emphasis on performance and it was expected that other manufacturers will follow in BMW’s footsteps.
But Audi didn’t pay any attention to what BMW was doing and they redesigned the 2012 Audi A6 3.0 TFSI Quattro to be a superb handler and also be very quick in a straight line, all qualities which were there in the BMW 5-series of yore, but not of the present. But the A6 isn’t just a performance car because it comes loaded with high technology which will appeal to modern buyers.
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And rightly so the 2012 Audi A6 at the moment is the most coveted car in the luxury midsize segment, pushing the 2011 BMW 535i to the second place, which is unfamiliar territory for it.
2012 Audi A6 vs. 2011 BMW 535i Road Test
Design
The Audi A6, with the redesign, shares the MLB platform with the A4, A5 and the A7. The engine is mounted longitudinally and behind the front axle, which negates the feeling that you are driving a front wheel drive Audi rather than a rear-wheel-drive BMW.
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The A6′s front overhang is shorter by three inches and this means less mass at the front, which makes the car respond quickly to inputs by the driver. All A6s are powered by a 3000cc V6 engine and get a quattro all-wheel drive system, which diverts 60 per cent of the torque produced to the rear wheels and this allows the car to steer better under normal driving conditions.
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The good thing about the A6 is that with an all wheel drive system, the weight of the car is just 100lbs more than the BMW 535i, which is rear wheel drive. The weight of the A6 is 4176lbs and this is due to the extensive use of aluminum in the construction of body panels and suspension parts.
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The two cars are also almost identical when it comes to length, width and height, with the BMW having two inches of extra wheelbase.
Powerplant
To compete with the 3000cc N55 in-line six cylinder engine powering the BMW 535i will take something special. The engine is very smooth, refined and have oodles of performance whenever the driver floors the throttle pedal. The engine uses a twin-scroll turbo and direct injection to come up with 300hp and 300lb/ft of torque.
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The A6′s 3000cc V6 has more grunt lower down the range and the response of the car is quick off the line and the torque curve is very broad. The performance put down by the A6 is astounding and not what you would expect from a V6-powered car.
The power output is 310hp and torque produced is 325lb/ft. In performance the A6 outshines the 535i in the both the 0-60mph acceleration test and also in the quarter mile test. In the former, the Audi completes it in 5.2 seconds, which is quicker than the BMW by half a second, while in the later it is again quicker by half a second and achieves it while going at 102mph, which is 5mph faster than the BMW.
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Both the cars use identical ZF 8-speed automatic gearboxes, though the BMW 535i can be had with an optional 6-speed manual.
Sum up
The 5-series made the midsize luxury segment look cool, but the 535i isn’t as good as the outgoing car when it comes to handling and braking and more importantly it isn’t fun to drive. The Audi A6 has never been a big seller in this segment as the 5-series outsells it five to one.
But the 2012 Audi A6 is a great handler and it will put a smile on the driver’s face when he steers it into a corner and again when he guns the throttle when exiting it. Without any doubt the all-wheel-drive A6 is more entertaining to motor around than any other car in this segment with rear wheel drive.
