S6 vs. RS6

[Copper]

Trying to compare the (C6) S6 vs the (C5) RS6 is like trying to say which Playboy Playmate is better, Ms. October or Ms. November?

As far as the 2003 RS6 looking "dated"... I think that really only applies to people who own Audis. Honestly, until I bought my first RS6 I never paid any attention to Audis (Volvos as well, still don't). They all sort of looked the same to me with the exeption of the TT. I think that 90% of the population does not have a clue as to what an S6 or RS6 is. Maybe more like 99%. With updated LED tail lights on the RS6 the car looks very similar to the C6. The big grill being the exception. No one seems to know what year my RS6 is. I mean no one. Shock and surprise when I tell my clients "Oh it's an older 2003 Audi, no big deal..." It is one of those cars that if they look close enough they see the big brakes and the wheel arches, not quite sure what it is but they know if is something special.

That said, I too almost purchased an S6 recently that was at a local Audi dealer. They had taken $15K off the list price. I liked the interior and upgraded electronics, etc. Recaros were also nice. While it drove nice it was not anywhere close to producing the power of the RS6, esp. with the Revo upgrade I'm running. To say it was slow is not correct. It was plenty fast to get me thrown in jail (twice) . Something about the boost on the RS6 that puts me in that "happy place". For now I'm waiting for the C6 RS6 Sedan to arrive (still have a deposit) and if they don't bring it over then I'll seriously have a tough time finding a suitable replacement in a few years. I've even considered buying another RS6 with low miles and storing it until this one has racked up 100K miles. I just won't tell my wife...

[RS6-4dr911]

Copper, if you're going to put it in those terms we'll need some pic's first . . . .

[RS6-4dr911]

I vote for October (blondie)

[DuckWingDuck]

Bwahahahahaha

[DHall1]

Good points. I agree completely

that's why you do incremental updates! Like I'm slowly adding things like RNS-E, suspension, then ECU/TCU.

[TheBrit]

Have any of you actually driven an S6?

Yes, and I bought an S8 instead.

It comes down to what you want the car for.

The C5 RS 6 has that wonderful feeling that it's attached to your lower gut, and it's dragging the rest of your body along by pulling it, where the S6 is just fast. The human body can't really detect acceleration, merely change int he rate of acceleration, so the very linear acceleration of the S6 (and D3 S8) doesn't feel as fast as the "swell" of forward urge you get in the C5 RS 6.

The S6 has lots more electronic shinyness - DVD nav, a better Bose setup, iPod interface, reversing camera, tyre pressure display etc as options. The ESP system is smarter too, in my opinon.

The S6 (in Avant guise anyway) both does and doesn't handle as well as the RS 6 - more roll and a more wallowy (but less crashy) ride, but less understeer because of the lower nose-weight and rear-biased torque split.

The S6 is not the most fuel-efficient beast ever, and if you spank it all the time it drinks like the RS 6. It's also more effort to hammer along because you need to rev it high all the time to liberate the horses.

The brakes are better on the S6 for fast road use - it's nowhere near as easy to cook them.

But nothing has matched that (literally) gut feeling of raw performance of the C5 RS6, not until the C6 RS 6 came along, that is. If that's what you love about the RS 6, you just won't get it in the S6. If you want a comfortable and capable, but still fast, luxury car for every day and every weather, the S6 is a good choice if you can get your kicks with another car, but I'd always go for the S8 over the S6 if I'm honest.

[RS6-4dr911]

Brit - Minor technical correction to your post - the human body can most definitely feel acceleration, which is a change in velocity, what it can't feel is velocity. If you feel a greater surge in the RS6, then you're feeling greater acceleration.

[Copper]

The S8 is a great choice. I bet that thing will eat up the miles in such comfort... Question, sort of off topic. Did you get the B&O audio option? If so, is it really all it's cracked up to be? at +$6700 over the stock system, 20% of A8/S8 owners went with the B&O option so it must sound pretty good?

Post some pics of your new ride when you get a chance. We don't get enough car p0rn around here (you know just pics of old boring outdated B5 RS6s///)

[TheBrit]

Did you get the B&O audio option?

Nope - I think it was a little OTT in the S8 to be honest. For sure, the S8 is a quiet car for it's performance, but it's not as quiet as say an A8L W12 with regular suspension, where I think you would really be able to hear the great range of the B&O system properly. I'm not sure the S8 with it's wider 20" rubber and firmer suspension bushings really has the same interior dynamic for audio.

The B&O is also very loud, so it may be worth it if you have titanium eardrums and can stand the volume. I suspect a lot of B&O buyers turn it up loud to showcase to themselevs and others, but have it nowhere near it's maximum volume most of the time.

I like to have music quite loud (given the confined interior of a car), but still be able to hear important sounds (like car horns) from outside, and as I don't have the finest audiophile ears in the world, Bose does me fine as I think the A/S8 Bose setup is about he best there is in the Audi range.

I really don't have any decent pictures of the RS 6 (or the S5 for that matter), as I only managed to grab a couple of mobile phone pictures when it was new and clear, and right now it's got about five weeks of road grime, salt and mud on it. If I get time to clean it and if I get time to get out with a camera while it is still clean, I'll try to take some more over Christmas and New Year.