@wheelsaustralia 121
A5 Cabriolet Smooth operator on smooth roads
Competitive pricing for its class; quality interior; sparkling drivetrains; elegant shape
Pricey options; gesture of a rear seat; compromised ride with roof open and closed
The Pick:If you’re after a driver’s S5, go the coupe. Otherwise, the 2.0 TFSI fits the style bill
2.0 TFSI $83,400 L4T 2.0 140 320 S7 1600 7.9 — 5.9 95 55 F
2.0 TFSI quattro $95,000 L4T 2.0 185 370 S7 1710 6.3 — 6.7 95 57 A
S5 $119,11 V6T 3.0 260 500 S7 1840 5.1 — 7.9 98 64 A
A6 Finely crafted but fading fast
Cabin presentation; strong and efficient engines; thrusty bi-turbo TDI, S6, and RS6
Base wagons deleted; steering not its strong suit; dull front-driver; about to be replaced
The Pick:Fiery RS6 is tempting but either of the quattro diesels fit the bill
1.8 TFSI $80,355 L4T 1.8 140 320 S7 1570 7.9 — 5.7 95 46 06/15 F
2.0TDISLine $82,855 L4TD 2.0 140 400 S7 1800 8.2 — 4.2 D 46 F
2.0TFSIquattro $97,855 L4T 2.0 185 370 S7 1660 6.5 — 6.8 95 46 A
3.0 TDI quattro $102,355 V6TD 3.0 160 500 S7 1765 6.6 — 5.1 D 46 A
3.0 TDI Biturbo qttro $124,855 V6TTD 3.0 235 650 A8 1835 5.0 — 6.1 D 46 06/ 15 A
S6 $170,427 V8T 4.0 331 550 S7 1895 4.4 — 9.4 95 42 06/15 A
RS6 Avant Perf $244,827 V8TT 4.0 445 750 A8 1935 3.7 — 9.6 98 42 A
A6 Allroad A6 goodness, elevated
Handsome; gorgeous cabin; lush ride quality; strong and silky turbo-diesel V6
Ride height blunts on-road dynamics; definitely not an off-roader; depreciation
The Pick:Still expensive despite price drop, but A6 Allroad is one of our favourite Audis
3.0 TDI quattro $112,855 V6TD 3.0 160 500 S7 1890 7.3 — 5.6 D 46 07/15 A
A7 Sportback Timeless, but its time is almost up
Adds hatchback versatility, A8-rivalling space and rakish rear styling over an A6
S7 is all about fast motorways, not tight mountain passes; sizeable premium over A6
The Pick:Twin-turbo diesel delivers on torque and presence, but RS7 delivers thrills
3.0 TDI quattro $115,855 V6TD 3.0 160 500 S7 1825 6.8 — 5.2 D 47 06/15 A
3.0 TDI Biturbo qttro $144,855 V6TTD 3.0 235 650 A8 1895 5.2 — 6.1 D 42 06/15 A
S7 $180,427 V8T 4.0 331 550 S7 1955 4.6 — 9.3 95 51 06/15 A
RS7 Performance $257,426 V8TT 4.0 445 750 A8 1920 3.7 — 9.7 98 51 A
A8 Refining first-class travel
Beautifully made luxury-sedan interior; S8’s astonishing thrust
S-Classand7SeriesmaketheA8/S8feeldynamicallyuninvolvingandabitlast-decade
The Pick:Wait for the new model (which is moments away) or push hard for a bargain
3.0 TDI quattro $198,855 V6TD 3.0 190 580 A8 1880 5.9 — 5.9 D 47 07/14 A
3.0TDIquattroLWB $210,855 V6TD 3.0 190 580 A8 1935 6.1 — 6.0 D 47 A
4.2 TDI quattro $257,426 V8TTD 4.1 283 850 A8 2040 4.7 — 7.4 D 47 12/13 A
S8 $282,327 V8TT 4.0 382 650 A8 1990 4.1 — 9.6 98 47 12/13 A
S8 Plus $329,927 V8TT 4.0 445 750 A8 — 3.8 — 10.2 98 47 A
TT TT take three, done better
Engine flexibility; sweet six-speed manual; quattro’s all-paw traction; that interior!
TTS’sbrutalrough-roadride;roof-uprear-three-quartervisioninRoadster
The Pick:The manual Sport is tempting but the traction and pace of the quattro wins out
Sport $73,950 L4T 2.0 169 370 M6 1230 6.0 — 5.9 95 56 04/15 F
Sport $74,950 L4T 2.0 169 370 S6 1260 5.9 — 6.3 95 56 F
Sport quattro $80,355 L4T 2.0 169 370 S6 1335 5.3 — 6.4 95 56 04/15 A
Sport quattro Rdster $83,905 L4T 2.0 169 370 S6 1410 5.3 — 6.4 95 56 A
S-Line $81,005 L4T 2.0 169 370 M6 1230 6.0 — 5.9 95 56 F
S-Line $82,450 L4T 2.0 169 370 S6 1260 5.9 — 6.3 95 56 F
S-Line quattro $87,855 L4T 2.0 169 370 S6 1335 5.5 13.86.4 95 56 06/15 A
S-Line quat. Rdster $91,405 L4T 2.0 169 370 S6 1410 5.3 — 6.4 95 56 02/16 A
S quattro $100,855 L4T 2.0 210 380 S6 1385 4.7 — 6.8 98 56 02/16 A
S quattro Roadster $101,200 L4T 2.0 210 380 S6 1500 5.0 — 6.9 98 56 A
RS quattro $137,611 L5T 2.5 298 480 S7 1440 3.7 — 8.4 98 56 A
RS quattro Rdster $141,611 L5T 2.5 298 480 S7 1530 3.9 — 8.6 98 56 A
R8 Lambo on a budget
Sharper,lighter,andbetterthantheexcellent original; V10 is a great supercar engine
Not as flamboyant inside as rivals; is that evolutionary styling a tad too subtle?
The Pick:Save yourself $55K and 50kg and grab a rear-drive RWS, if you can get one
RWS $299,500 V10 5.2 397 540 S7 1590 3.7 — 98 50 R
Coupe V10 quattro $354,325 V10 5.2 397 540 S7 1640 3.5 — 11.4 98 53 A
Coupe V10 Plus qttro $389,325V10 5.2 449 560 S7 1580 3.2 — 12.3 98 53 04/16 A
R8 Spyder Less roof, more exhaust noise!
Pumps up the R8’s aural and visual sex appeal; brilliant forward vision
Additional 100kg and reduced body rigidity affect dynamics, but only slightly
The Pick:RWSischeaper,hasbettersteering,thesameV10andlovestooversteer!
RWS $321,000 V10 5.2 397 540 S7 1680 3.8 — 98 50 R
V10 quattro $388,500 V10 5.2 397 540 S7 1720 3.6 — 11.7 98 53 A
Q2 Fashionably fetching
Interesting styling; well packaged; efficient drivetrains; instantly dates the ageing Q3
Notabigcostsavingcomparedwiththelarger Q3; tyre noise; the fully optioned price
The Pick:2.0 petrol gets the punch the chassis deserves
1.4TFSIDesign $41,800 L4T 1.4 110 250 S7 14058.5 16.4 10.695 55 07/17 F
2.0 TFSI Sport q’tro $48,500 L4T 2.0 140 320 S7 1430 6.5 — 6.5 95 56 A
2.0TDISportq’tro $49,100 L4TD 2.0 110 340 S7 1605 9.3 — 5.2 D 56 A
Q3 First in Q to challenge X1
Excellent 2.0-litre fours; classy cabin; surprisingly agile dynamics; amusing base model
AWD variants are significantly heavier; lumpy ride; small rear doors; compact boot
The Pick: Probably the base 110kW 1.4 turbo-petrol, though the Q2 is cooler and better
1.4 TFSI $42,900 L4T 1.4 110 250 S6 1405 8.9 — 5.9 95 55 F
2.0 TDI quattro $48,500 L4TD 2.0 110 340 S7 1605 9.3 — 5.2 D 56 A
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2.0 TFSI Sport qttro $52,900 L4T 2.0 132 320 S7 1540 7.6 — 6.7 95 56 A
2.0 TDI Sport qttro $57,500 L4TD 2.0 135 380 S7 1625 7.9 — 5.4 D 56 A
RS Q3 $83,927 L5T 2.5 228 420 S7 1655 5.2 — 8.8 95 58 04/14 A
Q5 Style utility vehicle
Class and quality with SUV space and versatility; torquey turbo diesel; ripe SQ5
Needs adaptive suspension to ride; doesn’t like getting its skirts wet off-road
The Pick: The petrol 2.0 is sweet, but the SQ5 with optional sport diff is a chuckable delight
2.0 TDI qttro Design $65,900 L4TD 2.0 140 400 S7 1845 7.9 — 5.5 D 63 A
2.0 TDI qttro Sport $70,700 L4TD 2.0 140 400 S7 1845 7.9 — 5.4 D 63 A
2.0 TFSI qttro Sport $73,211 L4T 2.0 185 370 S7 1795 6.3 — 7.3 95 63 A
SQ5 quattro $99,611 V6T 3.0 260 500 A8 1935 5.4 — 8.7 95 63 02/18 A
Q7 Mothership Q7 finally seats seven
Sublime ride on optional air suspension; silky 3.0; grunty V8 TDI in SQ7; elegant interior
Storage up front is light-on; lots of options on base; gearbox not as lag-free as SQ7 grunt
The Pick: Either 3.0 TDI is a great engine, though we’d tick the box for air suspension
3.0 TDI quattro $96,855 V6TD 3.0 160 500 A8 2135 7.3 — 5.8 D 63 A
3.0 TDI quattro $104,855 V6TD 3.0 200 600 A8 2135 6.5 — 5.9 D 63 02/16 A
SQ7 $153,327 V8TTD 4.0 320 900 A8 2330 4.9 — 7.2 D 63 AContinental GT Enough grunt to go Continental drifting
Successfully fights 2.3-tonne heft with mountains of continent-shifting grunt
Suspension tries desperately hard to be dynamic, but it doesn’t quite win that one
The Pick: Arguably the lighter, almost-as-swift V8 S over the monster W12
GT V8 $402,600 V8TT 4.0 373 660 A8 2320 4.8 — 10.5 98 63 02/ 13 A
GT V8 S $427,900 V8TT 4.0 389 680 A8 2320 4.5 — 10.6 98 63 A
GT W12 $431,300 W12TT 6.0 423 700 A8 2333 4.6 — 16.5 98 63 07/11 A
GT Speed $485,200 W12TT 6.0 467 820 A8 2320 4.2 — 14.5 98 64 09/14 A
Supersports $569,522 W12TT 6.0 522 1017 A8 2280 3.4 — 15.7 04/17 A
Continental GTCAn open display of wealth
Pedestrian can admire the gorgeous cabin; top-down access to W12 decibels
Doesn’t quite handle like a land yacht but it does drink like a sailor
The Pick: Less than half the cost of a Phantom Drophead? We’ll take two
GTC V8 $443,700 V8TT 4.0 373 660 A8 2485 5.0 — 10.9 98 62 A
GTC V8 S $443,700 V8TT 4.0 389 680 A8 2485 4.7 — 10.9 98 62 10/14 A
GTC W12 $474,600 W12TT 6.0 423 700 A8 2505 4.7 — 14.9 98 63 07/12 A
GT Speed $534,400 W12TT 6.0 460 800 A8 2495 4.4 — 14.9 98 64 A
Supersports $626,474 W12TT 6.0 522 1017 A8 2455 3.7 — 15.9 98 ABentley
3yr/unlimited
bentleymotors.comAudi’s A6 Avant represents a sleek and cerebral antidote to
high-riding SUVs, but Australia is set to miss out on all but the
most extreme version. Audi Australia says the business case
for selling the ‘regular’ A6 Avant in Australia just isn’t there,
despite its elegant looks and 48-volt mild-hybrid drivetrains.
Australia’s insatiable appetite for performance means the big-
booted RS6 is a shoo-in locally though. The hardcore wagon is
yet to be revealed, but knowing the badge’s history, it’s certain
to be a ball-tearer.A6 Avanten gardePOWERED BY
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