your thoughts please.........

[rtd]

come on then guys tell me what you think of your V10 power-houses as an everyday proposition......

whats the difference between a mapped and standard car?

whats it like on a twisty a-road?

any options which are essential to have?

is the power really that impressive?

[Condor24]

Power truly awesome .... remap really gets the 2 ton beast going. Even though I've got 'nil points', I'm always poodling on the motorways at around 90mph, but the power seems endless.

On a twisty A road its great but not as engaging as a manual high performance motor car.

But then you wouldn't wear brogues to the gym ....

Options ... if you're a townie, advanced parking & I could not live without a sunroof !

[Nudenut]

Had mine mapped from about 1000miles and yes... big difference!!!

Putting out 800Nm torque you can load it to the roof and it still pulls like a train!!
And the Howl it makes when the beans are administered is awesome!

Comfortably left a new 911 Turbo in my wake last week to 180ish he was just disappearing in the rear view... gave him 2 chances at me too!!! Ok that was in a straight line but sure I'd hold my own on the bendy stuff in the wet!!

Twisties... put suspension in Dynamic or Sport (need a good road for sport) and she's great fun but it is a 2t car at the end of the day!

[alphamail]

I agree the RS is a heavy weight, having said that, I seem to remember the Murcielago 2004 Roadster wieghs in at a gnats under 2 tons, so the RS is not the only fatty on the block.

[rtd]

thanks for the comments guys.

well i test drove one today and i have to say that it left me feeling somewhat confused. i always had my apprehension regarding the handling and how could it ever manage to hide all that weight in the corners however, i was amazed at the poise and balance through the twisty stuff very sure-footed and planted. riding on 20" wheels the ride was also very compliant when driving back to the dealership took a detour down some pot-hole ridden roads and again very good ride.

and when i stamped on the loud pedal there was not the 'wack in the back' feel that i was expecting maybe i had built this moment up too much in my head however, i put this down to the excellent soundproofing and the way in which the power is delivered. its not as raw as what i get in my B5, there is no doubt it's fast but it wasn't an 'oh my god fast, i need this in my life feeling', like i got when i test drove a mapped B5.........

with the autobox in sport mode i found the shift downs to dare i say violent/very eager - in normal drive mode it worked well powering on with a huge wave of torque i think a remap would further compliment this mode.......

fit and finish very good but again didnt get that feeling of granite buildmanship - the controls/weight of materials feeling very light to the touch, not like the nice weighted feel of the B5 controls/materials......

so overall what did i think? looks an amazing machine and the overall package very appealing however at the current prices bit to much for me will wait until they drop a bit further......

[tartan_rob]

rtd. Fair comments and TBH how I remember the car.

I am not sure what guise your B5 is in but the C6 has a very progressive power delivery in std guise to avoid that 'wack in the back' acceleration. If your B5 is remapped it is likely that you were simply expecting this but did not get it. A rempa on the C6 could this out for you if it is what you want.

[rtd]

rtd. Fair comments and TBH how I remember the car.

I am not sure what guise your B5 is in but the C6 has a very progressive power delivery in std guise to avoid that 'wack in the back' acceleration. If your B5 is remapped it is likely that you were simply expecting this but did not get it. A rempa on the C6 could this out for you if it is what you want.

Tartan_Rob, my b5 is standard at the moment however maybe reading all the hyperbole regarding the power of the 6 in press reviews built up my expectations of it being some sort of rocket ship. it is quick however i think all the soundproofing and damping soften the impact of the power a little.....but having said that it is a great car and would be lovely to live with day to day and probably the best motorway mile eater you can get.

[seawise]

i had the perfect RS 6 weekend recently - had to take it as a support car for a weeked at the nordschiefe with some much more 'focused' cars. anyway it cruised at 100-130 on the way there and back with total disdain, and whilst there we used it for rather too many 'sighting' laps and it humbled a lot of much more sporting machinery. ok it was very hard on tyres and brakes, as the next imminent bill will prove, but now it's back to it's usual role as family wagon and weekday commuter without a murmur. it's a great 'all-rounder'.

[Robbo66]

rtd. Fair comments and TBH how I remember the car.

I am not sure what guise your B5 is in but the C6 has a very progressive power delivery in std guise to avoid that 'wack in the back' acceleration. If your B5 is remapped it is likely that you were simply expecting this but did not get it. A rempa on the C6 could this out for you if it is what you want.

Tartan_Rob, my b5 is standard at the moment however maybe reading all the hyperbole regarding the power of the 6 in press reviews built up my expectations of it being some sort of rocket ship. it is quick however i think all the soundproofing and damping soften the impact of the power a little.....but having said that it is a great car and would be lovely to live with day to day and probably the best motorway mile eater you can get.

Came from an RS4. I drove one and felt totally underwhelmed. Lacks any sort of wow factor.
If the world were beige and I enjoyed posting pictures of my 'freshly washed car' (as some do), then I might go for it. But as it's not and I don't then I would go for the earlier version. Had one, and thought it superb.....for 12 months.

[gdavison]

I love mine .. its the most deceptive car I think I have ever driven and IMHO thats why some folk suggest its "boring" .. stick the speed alarm on 85mph and see how often it "pings" up .. (of course never on a UK road .. only abroad and on private tracks"

Watch the Aussie Top Gear videos ... I think they where excellent and the best motor prog view of the car ever

PT1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFsqdVsu0GY
If nothing else Watch the drag race from about 8 mins in ... "that just proves it to me that is the most deceptive car I have ever driven"

PT2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FBXfzDdDDs

The "feeling" was the RS6 just does not "feel" fast .. whereas the stop watch ..... says differently

I know mine gives me a huge grin every time I drive it on lots of different UK roads.. As to practicality .. it carries loads, it takes 4 people comfortably etc etc
On a B road .. the weak link is me .. car is fine
Traffic lights give no end of fun

Optionals / Must Haves .. Parking Camera system.. rest is all "jam" and very lovely .. I wish I'd got keyless ignition as I never have the key in my correct hand to start the thing

[Condor24]

"deceptive" .. its truly an amazing motorcar.

With 700 bhp, it delivers blistering acceleration in true disguise. The Miltek exhaust throbs away & with a debadged appearance, it is in complete disguise.

[mc3744]

I've only drive tested the car for half an hour, after which I decided to buy it (and I'm still waiting for it).

My "WOW" factor was indeed the lack of wow factor . I found myself on the city ring at 210 km/h and I thought I was going no more than 140!!
My wife wouldn't let me get away with a car that felt too fast . Hence I think and hope that the RS6 is the car I was looking for: a fast but comfortable family car that I can enjoy when I'm on my own too.

[Norrs2]

Many people will have different expectations depending on their past experiences / type of car they're used to etc etc.

I think it's fair to say that, not only from tests/comments like the ones done by Austrailian Top Gear and other peoples comments, that the car does an extremely good job of masking it's power delivery and sensation of speed. It would also be silly to say the car does not appear "fast enough" because clearly it is.

Can't remember which Mag it was (maybe Autocar) but they put it head to head on A/B roads with an M5 V10 and said in the real world, which includes tight bends (even in the dry), the RS6 was the faster car. Mainly due to the 4WD, better Gearbox and superior torque/power delivery. They stated that the M5 was having to be constantly overworked to have any hope of just keeping up!! That says a lot to me!!

However, it appears that a relatively simple and cost effective remap really puts the boot in to these perceptions (something you can't really do with a M5).

IMHO, the RS6 is some piece of kit, and should not be under estimated, regardless of how it's "perceived" or how it "feels".

[rtd]

norrs2 - have you actually driven a C6 RS6? there is no doubt about its performance however, unless you haven't driven one you want understand why some people come away feeling a bit underwhelmed.

[Condor24]

The C5 and C6 are two different motor cars ...

I own one of each & I love driving both of them.

Admittedly, I've had a Stage 1 remap on the C6. It has all the qualities of the C5 but is more solid, refined, smoother & a quieter motor car (apart from the Miltek). Its suspension and steering are 'more grown up'. Its immensely quick, so much so, that around London, I usually take the C5.
The C6 therefore feels a little more detached from the 'drive'.

The C5 is brilliant .. responsive, sure footed, smooth, powerful & reliable. The Bilstein suspension and Hotchkis A/r give a harsher ride, but one must remember that the C5 is over 6 years old.

Hope that helps ...