Help me choose my RS6's spec

[installer69]

Those of you that have read my posts in the S4 V8 area will know about the numerous problems I've had in my 3 months of ownership.

After the latest breakdown last week in which a lower front suspension arm was replaced (nothing compared to the gearbox!) they finally agreed to replace my car.

Then audi customer care lent me an RS6 Avant............

So now I don't want another potentially flawed S4. I'm going to have an RS6 avant instead.

Here is where you guys come in. Advise me. What colour? What colour interior? Any extras? (if there is anything that it doesn't come with?)

When I get it I'll see you at the next meet.

And the best bit? It only increased my insurance by £118!!!! (but my fuel bill by a lot more) Tripled my excess though.

[runrowsam]

Good move! [img]images/graemlins/bowdown.gif[/img] The RS6 is a legendary car if you ask me, and you really can't go wrong for an all round beast. Better noise than the S4 too [img]images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

My personal colour choice is as Martian has it, Mugello Blue with the leather in whatever that colour is, not the mushroom one, the Ferrari-esque "Magnolia" colour. Awesome. 19" 5 spoke wheels are a must. Otherwise, it's all goooooood! [img]images/graemlins/kissmyrings.gif[/img]

Whatever you get, I hope you have much better luck than with the S4, certainly from what I've heard the '6 is pretty much indestructible. Good luck mate,

Rock on
Sam [img]images/graemlins/thumbs.gif[/img]

[ChrisB]

You're lucky to get a test drive first - I had to jump on blind faith, and I'm glad I did.

Exterior colours? Well, red's only for those with a serious "look at me" complex and a desire for plenty of points on their licence, green just doesn't suit the RS 6 IMHO, and black is a good stealth colour, but makes the Avant look a bit like a dog's hearse.

That leaves you with Mugello Blue, Avus Silver or Daytona Grey, unless you fancy a special order colour. Avus looks dirty quickly in winter when muddy road filth gets sprayed up it, but then Daytona and Mugello will show salt spray easily. Avus will hide light swirl marks more than Daytona or Mugello, but doesn't reflect as many hues in the sun when it's clean. Have a look at my pictures to see how Mugello looks in the sun.

Interior colour - black IMHO. The light leather looks nice, but apparently it can stain easily from dark coloured jeans etc. I borrowed my dealer's blue Avant with white leather recently and it did have a few grubby marks visible when I picked it up even though it only had 350 miles on the clock. Black works so well with the carbon fibre trim and black door handles as well.

Options? Well, you might want to add rear side airbags if you often carry passengers - standard is driver, passenger, front side and sideguard airbags. You may be interested in a phone kit, but don't be surprised if your dealer can't tell you much about how it works and with what phones - there's very little concrete information about. I've heard the sports suspension makes handling better, but if you're happy with the one you drove (which is likely to be standard suspension), you may want to stick with that - I have standard suspension and I think it's got a good blend of handling and comfort.

Apart from that, the RS 6 is pretty well specified and all the major bits are already there - bi-Xenons, Nav, Bose, CD, heated seats, V8, turbos... [img]images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Oh, I just thought - load safety net if you can't "borrow" one from another car, and pop down Halfords and buy a non-slip boot mat otherwise everything you put in the boot will get trashed.

[peterb]

Colour: I ruled out red, black and green (which is very dark) because they're not my colours. I felt the Avus was too light and would show marks, also I was looking for something a little more stealthy. It was a difficult choice between blue and grey - settled because my old A4 was Blue Pearl - somewhat similar to Mugello - so Daytona Grey it was.

Interior colour: I found that the black roof lining to be a little oppressive, so chose the Silver. Yes, it does show marks, so it does need some care, but I think it makes a good contrast with the Daytona exterior.

Options: Not really essential - the standard UK spec has almost everything you need, and lots of things I don't need (eg. TV). I chose the rear side airbags, alcantara centre inserts on the seats (giving better grip than the pure leather) and the luggage area mat (expensive at £75, but it does fit and match, and is double sided - carpet and rubber). I see that Chris mentions the sports suspension - I agree with him, I think you need to be very sure if you want to go stiffer than standard - it's fine on the open road, but a little 'jiggly' in town. Phone prep - I was advised against by my dealer, but it would have probably made things easier when I came to install my phone kit. I would have chosen electric steering wheel adjustment and folding mirrors if those had included memory - however, memory is not available with the Recaro seats, so I didn't bother.

In respect of zero-cost options, you would have to be a big fan of cassette in order to forego the Nav+ screen. I did take the 18" wheels - I'm not a big fan of ultra-low profile tyres, and I prefer the 9 spoke to the 5 spoke design. Also, I chose the Poplar wood in preference to carbon or aluminium.

Pics of my car are available here.

Have fun making your choices, and let us know how you get on.

[installer69]

Thanks for your help guys.

Oh, I think you misunderstood the meaning of 'lent me an RS6'. I should have said 'lent me an RS6 until my new car, whether it be another S4 or an RS6, arrives.

All the fun, none of the depreciation, tyre wear, servicing costs etc. (except fuel, argh!)

Basically, to prolong the joy, I have to order my RS6 in a combination that is not sitting at a dealer!!(daytona yellow with green leather)

The one I have parked outside is in the Grey which I feel looks a bit too understated. Black works for me as does a clean Mugello blue. I like silver but it doesn't seem to suit such a large beast. Red and green - not for me.

I take your points about the interior. My S4 had silver leather and my Wife's Saab Cab has mushroom. Both became filthy in just weeks.

Looks like it will be black leather but I'm a bit unsure how that will work with a light roof lining (I've ruled out an alcantara ceiling- too 70's pimpish for me)

I may have talked myself out of Black paint/black leather. Could always get the tints as well and drive menacingly down the high street. Hmm, hydraulic bouncy suspension. Now there's an option I didn't look for.

I've contacted a couple of places in the USA that do very good DVD etc add-ons for the sat nav plus. Anyone know of any such mods available here?

Do the 18" wheels alter handling/performance etc. Are the tyres a lot cheaper? (I know I shouldn't have to ask but I'm financially comfortable not financially suicidal)

Is no spare wheel standard? (I was being nosey on the one I've got outside)Are heated rear seats standard?

I think I may be able to lay my hands on a cargo net. Shhh.

I'll give the sports suspension a miss. AmD remap, anyone?

[peterb]

Thanks for your help guys.

Oh, I think you misunderstood the meaning of 'lent me an RS6'. I should have said 'lent me an RS6 until my new car, whether it be another S4 or an RS6, arrives.

Yep, I understood that!

All the fun, none of the depreciation, tyre wear, servicing costs etc. (except fuel, argh!)

Basically, to prolong the joy, I have to order my RS6 in a combination that is not sitting at a dealer!!(daytona yellow with green leather)

Not difficult to refuse, surely!

The one I have parked outside is in the Grey which I feel looks a bit too understated. Black works for me as does a clean Mugello blue. I like silver but it doesn't seem to suit such a large beast. Red and green - not for me.

I take your points about the interior. My S4 had silver leather and my Wife's Saab Cab has mushroom. Both became filthy in just weeks.

Looks like it will be black leather but I'm a bit unsure how that will work with a light roof lining (I've ruled out an alcantara ceiling- too 70's pimpish for me)

The alcantara headlining is standard, and it comes tha same colour as the seats - it costs £2100 to have a special order headlining colour! One interesting option I was offered when I elected for the alcantara centre seat panels was to have the alcantara in the contrasting colour. Mind you, the alcantara is a £1450 option.

I may have talked myself out of Black paint/black leather. Could always get the tints as well and drive menacingly down the high street. Hmm, hydraulic bouncy suspension. Now there's an option I didn't look for.

I've contacted a couple of places in the USA that do very good DVD etc add-ons for the sat nav plus. Anyone know of any such mods available here?

Installing DVD isn't a big problem, Bushy has done it with his RS4, and I know a guy in Oxford has had DVD added to his RS6. I have installed a PhatBox in place of the standard CD changer.

Do the 18" wheels alter handling/performance etc. Are the tyres a lot cheaper? (I know I shouldn't have to ask but I'm financially comfortable not financially suicidal)

I suspect that the performance difference is not huge - some say that the car was designed for the 18" and behaves better, others say that the 19" offers improvements. I also believe that the 19" tyres will be more expensive, but have no hard facts.

Is no spare wheel standard? (I was being nosey on the one I've got outside)Are heated rear seats standard?

There's nowhere to put a spare wheel, so yes - that is standard. US spec cars do have a spare, but the battery takes up space in the boot, and is probably one reason why they don't get the Avant.

I think I may be able to lay my hands on a cargo net. Shhh.

The elastic net is standard. There is an option for a stronger one with adjustable straps - I'm happy with the standard net and the standard partition net.

I'll give the sports suspension a miss. AmD remap, anyone?

Good call. There are a number of performance upgrade options - I'm still thinking about it.

[kcsun]

It has gotta be Noggy with Hi Tec interior, 19" 5 spokes and GMBH sports exhaust (makes it sound like it should) [img]images/graemlins/clap.gif[/img] [img]images/graemlins/clap.gif[/img] [img]images/graemlins/clap.gif[/img]

Just my four penneth

kc [img]images/graemlins/s4anogaro.gif[/img]

[runrowsam]

Obviously I don't know how you drive, but it seems to me you certainly appreciated the more "sprited" journey [img]images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
In which case I believe the best sporty options are;
- As ken said, the sports exhausts. Marked improvement in the sound throughout the rev range, and a little easier breathing too.
- Reprogramming the gearbox. The standard programme isn't the best in the world for looning around like your pants are on fire [img]images/graemlins/FIREdevil.gif[/img] It needs reprogramming to hang on to gears that bit longer.
- Sports suspension. But only if you're a serious madman. The RS6 is a big car, and it's never going to corner like a dog. The standard suspension is hunky dorey for most, but if you spend much of your time on smooth roads doing 140mph round tight corners, then 'tis a grand idea so 'tis. Much better turn-in, more positive cornering feel, irons out any wallowing over bumps.

Hope this is of some use to you

Rock on
Sam [img]images/graemlins/thumbs.gif[/img]

[TarmacTerrorist]

It has gotta be Noggy with Hi Tec interior, 19" 5 spokes and GMBH sports exhaust (makes it sound like it should) [img]images/graemlins/clap.gif[/img] [img]images/graemlins/clap.gif[/img] [img]images/graemlins/clap.gif[/img]

Just my four penneth

kc [img]images/graemlins/s4anogaro.gif[/img]

Think I'd go with the full alcant headlining and some of those shiny bits we saw them putting on at Quattro gmbh

[img]images/graemlins/1syellow1.gif[/img]

"Exclusive" line of optional extras?

[Alan]

Peter,
where did you get your Phatbox?
I want to get one of these myself!
I'm also interested in DVD [img]images/graemlins/1syellow1.gif[/img]

Also:
it is my understanding that the "sports suspension" offered on the website is now standard (about £480 if I remember correctly), as are the 19" 5-spokes (which I'm not that keen on either). The suspension is certainly not on the printed options leaflet and under standard equipmet it IS listed.

[ChrisB]

I understood you on the loan of an RS 6 - my dealer loans me RS 6s and A8s while my car is in for a service or having stuff done under warranty (like cracked brake discs that weren't caused by agressive driving, honestly [img]images/graemlins/sekret.gif[/img] ). I just think it's great that you got the chance to drive one before buying one, even though I was 99% sure I'd love the RS 6, it was a new and unsettling thing for me to buy a car I'd never driven.

Ordering in a combo that's not available from stock. Hmmm, that might not be so easy. The trick might be to find an obscure option and leverage that. Twin pane glass? I bet there aren't many cars with that option, although it is £1100, but that may be cheaper than paying for the RS 6 for a few more weeks! The solar sunroof would be a firly nice option with a black interior, to reduce the heat buildup on sunny days, but that's a sturdy £1445.

Have you had a play on the configurator? If not, click here and then click on "Configure your Audi" in the Options box.

With regard to the Alcantara roof lining, I've got the "black" lining, and it's actually a dark grey. In my opinion it suits an all-black interior quite well, the whole look is pretty sombre but most people comment on how it looks quite "hi-tech" or "sporty". Mine seems to have an Alcantara parcel shelf as well, but it wasn't listed on the documentation as an extra, wheras on Audi's configurator it is.

Continental SportContact2 Extra Load in 255/35 ZR19 96Y are anywhere from £200 to £250 a corner from the dealer depending upon availability (they actually use a local tyre dealer as they don't have the kit to handle 19" wheels themselves). I don't know how that stacks up to 18" costs.

[ChrisB]

it is my understanding that the "sports suspension" offered on the website is now standard (about £480 if I remember correctly), as are the 19" 5-spokes (which I'm not that keen on either). The suspension is certainly not on the printed options leaflet and under standard equipmet it IS listed.

There seems to be a lot of confusion within Audi dealers about this (perhaps within Audi UK as well?). If I remember rightly, the RS 6 brochures and price lists say "sports suspension" as standard, but in those days I think there only was one option available, then quattro GmbH came out with the optional stiffer suspension (2ME code?) which has also been called the "super sport suspension" because the other one (2MC code?) was called "sport suspension"... [img]images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[ICE]

Re.colour i picked mugello blue as i wanted an RS6 sooner rather than latter as (the 2 dealers i saw were quoting 4th quarter of 04 for delivery!)but 1 of them had a grey & blue RS6 on order for themself !? but if i was patient i would go for cherry black (one of the exclusive colours)as it looks wicked in sun light
As for all the other options its really up to u

[peterb]

Peter,
where did you get your Phatbox?
I want to get one of these myself!

I ordered it from an Audi dealer in the states - Clair Auto Parts. I haven't got the contact details with me at the mo, but I can find them for you, if you wish. However, the arrival of the PhatBox as an Audi UK dealer accessory must be imminent.

I'm also interested in DVD [img]images/graemlins/1syellow1.gif[/img]

Also:
it is my understanding that the "sports suspension" offered on the website is now standard (about £480 if I remember correctly), as are the 19" 5-spokes (which I'm not that keen on either). The suspension is certainly not on the printed options leaflet and under standard equipmet it IS listed.

I have never seen the suspension listed on the price list. It says 'sports suspension' is standard - but only on the same way as sports suspension is standard on all A6 models in the UK. I suspect that there is still an uprated suspension which is not standard - it goes by the code of 2MT, or something like that. It has been discussed at rs6.com. I would think that the uprated suspension would be too hard as the standard offering. As for the wheels, the 19" have always been the standard fitment for the UK, with the 18" available as a no-cost option.

[peterb]

Ordering in a combo that's not available from stock. Hmmm, that might not be so easy.

I suspect that selecting a non-standard colour would do it or, perhaps, the alcantara centre panels.