Drove to Florida to catch the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona (done) and linger here for a few weeks until the Daytona 500 (not done) and enjoy the sun. Except once the race ended, I relocated to Miami with my wife, who joined me for a week to escape the brutal Virginia snowstorm (she shoveled while I enjoyed the race – I do feel bad), the Florida weather dropped to near freezing, and we dodged giant flesh-eating iguanas plummeting from trees. She flew home, the sun is back out, and I feel guilty….so putting in some “work” blogging.
Just dumb luck, I stumbled on another pair of Audis.
I found a 2015 Audi S6 unicorn with the V8 motor a good month ago, and it’s still available with low miles and a low price. Audi launched the S6 way back in 1999, the third generation ran from 2012 to 2018, and the 2015’s in the middle of that run were facelifted. Interestingly, Audi S6’s started with the 4.2 liter V8, switched to a 5.2 liter V10, the Lamborghini-derived motor (used to see these at CarMax – check this out!), back to a V8 – a twin-turbo 4.0 liter for this generation, and in 2019, transitioned to a 2.9 liter mild-hybrid six cylinder. The six has the most horsepower (444) and is the quickest to 60 mph at 4.0 seconds. But first let’s focus on the 2015 with the V8!
Nothing fancy inside the 2015 Audi S6, though it’s quite well equipped. This car has heated, cooling, and massaging leather seats, a heated steering wheel, auto cruise control, cross-traffic alert, heads up display, and maybe night vision, although it’s not a listed item, and the photographer left out that dashboard shot. The listing says it has a Bang & Olufsen audio system and a Bose audio…..it’s Bose. I’ve driven a few Audis like this and dug the motorized infotainment screen, although I can hear my Dad saying, “Just one more thing that can go wrong,” although it would be covered by MaxCare.
For a mid-size sedan, the S6 has a decent trunk, although the rear seat shot is misleading. When I scoot the seat back, there ain’t nobody sitting behind me. Your leg length may vary.
My best bud had a 2014 Audi A6 TDI (diesel) he loved – it was comfortable and strong and survived the Audi diesel scandal, but not a violent encounter with a deer in Pennsylvania, and like the turbodiesel, has ceased to be. It always felt sophisticated to me. Guess this is a facelifted model, in its own way?
The Audi S6 performs well – 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds – because of the 420 horsepower V8, All Wheel Drive, and a 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission (DSG style). It has a governed top speed limit of 155mph. The car sold new for about $75,000 a decade ago and is holding firm at $32k now. With only 29,000 miles, you can get MaxCare for another 96,000 miles of warranty-covered driving. I’d do it. Oddly, this one-owner lifetime California car is being shipped all the way to Rochester, New York. You can track it here, or keep reading to see what the 2020 Audi S6 has to offer?
Stock No: 28021737 VIN: WAUF2AFC1FN013876
The 2015 Audi S6 is a bit analogue – just five years later, the 2020 model below gives a more digital impression. More modern. To be expected. And $9,000 more expensive and yet still within unicorn territory.
The 2020 S6, the current generation, is six years old and yet still sleek. The dual-screen system below looks as contemporary as anything on the road. The 2020 model is similarly equipped to the 2015, although with more sophisticated driver assistance (hands-free?), Apple CarPlay, and an all-digital dash. Love the quilted seats and the subdued red seats. It does, in fact, have the Bang & Olufsen audio.
The 2020 S6 is powered by a 2.9-liter mild-hybrid six that makes 444 horsepower, and with an eight-speed Tiptronic transmission and again, AWD, Car and Driver made 60 mph in four seconds flat – a half-second quicker than the V8! I asked the net to simplify the choice between the 2015 S6 with a V8 and a 2020 with a V6 and got this:
2015 for classic V8 power and character.
2020 for more tech, efficiency, and refined performance.
The 2020 Audi S6 is a two-owner, accident-free car that split its time between Florida and Illinois before being listed by CarMax in Richmond, Virginia, and now being shipped to Charleston, South Carolina. It sold new for $75-80,000, not much more than the 2015 – and is now listed at $41k – with higher miles than the older 2015, though. Here’s the listing if you want to track it.
Stock No: 27845634 VIN: WAUDFAF24LN041380
