how to use the transmission? and where is the battery??

[kismetcapitan]

although I'll be buying my RS6 when I arrive in the States in a month, I decided to test drive one locally here in Korea. With an MTM ECU, the car was absolutely fantastic and compared to my Skyline, completely effortless to drive with instant power. I'm sold - it's exactly what I need.

The car I drove had originally been sold in Dubai, then imported to Korea. It was in general, a Euro-spec car (other than the mirror warnings written in Arabic :P). NICE Recaros, hopefully the US-seats are as nice?

I struggled with trying to manually control the transmission. Is there any way, short of a TCU reflash, to take complete manual control of the transmission? I tried the S shifter setting, and kicking the shifter over to the Tiptronic side...while the car would change gears with the paddles, it wouldn't stay in gear. Either automatic, or full manual - this partial manual felt like I was arguing with the car about gears!!

Finally, US market cars have the battery in that breadbox in the trunk. The car I looked at (and all photos of Euro-spec RS6s I've seen)...I couldn't find the battery for the life of me. Is it under the rear bench, as Audi did with my old high-school 5000CS turbo quattro? And if so, why stick it in the trunk for US-market cars? Can the battery be moved to the Euro-spec location with US-market cars?

I honestly didn't expect the car to be as fast as it is, nor did I expect it to be so effortless! I'm sold on the car for certain! I will want that ECU upgrade to 500-odd bhp though.

[ben916]

Those are Euro Spec RS6 Recaros (didn't come with the US based RS6 - DAMN!!!), which can be had via importing from Europe and then some wiring mods - you might want to PM Headshot to inquire on "things"
Transmission - Drive is drive, Sport - holds the RPMs higher and longer, Tippy - holds the selected gear until you upshift/downshift with either the paddles or the shifter.
Battery - the one you drove in Korea might have had the lightweight aftermarket battery located in the spare wheel well.

There is quite a bit of debate thread on ECU tuning - search is your friend.

[marklar182]

The trans is not as sporty as you would expect. Its not a DSG or GTR style trans, just a regular auto box with paddle control, so don't expect lightning quick response.

The car you drove may not have had a MTM TCU (trans controller) chip, that mod alone makes the trans sportier, but still not like a SMG or GTR.

US Spec RS6 will have a huge battery in the trunk taking up a bunch of space. I love when I have had to emergency jump start someone and I casually back the car beside theirs and pop the trunk, or open the passenger rear door and run the cables to them, haha!

[Elevens]

If your running an MTM Ecu your already at 500+ HP. And remember your driving a High Power German luxury sedan so It will feel totally different from a little Skyline with huge power under the hood. In terms of driveability there's probably no comparison (Never driven a Skyline). And If you can get one with the Euro Recaro's, go for it. We over here in the States aren't so lucky and and have to settle for what we have. Good luck on the search and keep us informed......................

[kismetcapitan]

I actually loved the RS6 handling even though it's very different than the Skyline. Skylines require a mad rush of testosterone to really work. The clutch has to be at least a twinplate to handle the power (my clutch is at its limit as I'm at 700bhp). The handling is epic and the car's reputation stems from both the racetrack handling plus the relatively easy power gains.

But the turbo lag makes the car slow and the requisite uprated coilovers make it as harsh as it possibly gets in daily driving. The car has a 4' straight pipe, so it is ridiculously loud, and you have to hold the engine at 6000rpm to get a decent launch, and the car only works from 4000-9000rpm. The limits are so high that if you get it wrong in a corner, you'll likely die. But it's a front engined four seater with AWD that can handle just as well, if not better, than a Gallardo or 911 GT3.

I just loved the comfort of the RS6 however, and the power that was literally secretly on tap. It was completely effortless to get 80% of the performance of my Sktyline. A perfect complement to a hardcore tuned car!

[twinsteve]

I actually loved the RS6 handling even though it's very different than the Skyline. Skylines require a mad rush of testosterone to really work. The clutch has to be at least a twinplate to handle the power (my clutch is at its limit as I'm at 700bhp). The handling is epic and the car's reputation stems from both the racetrack handling plus the relatively easy power gains.

But the turbo lag makes the car slow and the requisite uprated coilovers make it as harsh as it possibly gets in daily driving. The car has a 4' straight pipe, so it is ridiculously loud, and you have to hold the engine at 6000rpm to get a decent launch, and the car only works from 4000-9000rpm. The limits are so high that if you get it wrong in a corner, you'll likely die. But it's a front engined four seater with AWD that can handle just as well, if not better, than a Gallardo or 911 GT3.

I just loved the comfort of the RS6 however, and the power that was literally secretly on tap. It was completely effortless to get 80% of the performance of my Sktyline. A perfect complement to a hardcore tuned car!

I see from your sig that you are going to be in Nashville...I am in Atlanta, so let me know anytime you want to come on down to check out a few RS6s ...3-4 of us get together semi-regularly

[kismetcapitan]

I see from your sig that you are going to be in Nashville...I am in Atlanta, so let me know anytime you want to come on down to check out a few RS6s ...3-4 of us get together semi-regularly

sounds like a plan! my girlfriend is a Georgia native, and my folks are fixing to retire in Atlanta in about a year or so, so I figure I'll be swinging down there quite a bit.