Hi guys,

I am new to this forum. I have a 1997 Audi A6 2.8 quattro with 114,000 miles on it. I am now considering trading it in for a 2001 or 2002 A6. However, I am having trouble choosing bewteen the 2.7T and the 4.2. What are the pluses and minuses of each model and which would you choose?

Thanks for your help.

 

i am also looking at getting an A6 myself, however i am leaning toward the 2.7t. the V8 option is attractive it has 50 more horsepower to start, but i figure the 2.7 would be easier to upgrade being that it already has a turbo platform to build off of. if you get a fully loaded 4.2 there are a few extra ammenities that come with it.. but do not make a difference to the performance. good luck with the search...

 

Thanks for your reply and good luck with your search.

 

depends on what your looking for and how much money you want to spend and how many miles are on the car. if the car has high milage the turbos might not last very long and you'll have to replace them very soon, usually about 100k unless they used synthetic the cars whole life. next issue is what your looking to do with it. They are both pretty fast to begin with, but for the money you can make the 2.7t faster because it already has the turbos like he said. i love the 4.2 body style with the wide fenders and everything else. there aren't very many mods for the 4.2 but if your looking to spend some money you can put the new PES G4 supercharger on it when it comes out in a couple months, which should make it pretty fast. and they have exhaust for the 4.2 also. PES SC are very relieable and have been tested to perform for a very long time, plus SC are way better then turbos.

 

Do a search on the forum and you'll find this issue is covered quite a bit. Opinions are as varied as the people stating them. My shot at a synopsis...

2.7T

Advantages
[ul][*] Turbo kick is a blast[*] Stock performance equal to or better (with a manual transmission) than the 4.2[*] Greater potential for upgrading performance through various modifications (e.g., chipping)[*] Better gas mileage[*] Available with a 6-speed manual trans[*] Lighter & nimbler
[/ul]

Disadvantages
[ul][*] Potential concern over turbo failure (exacerbated if you don't know car history, drive it hard, or push the envelope with lots of stress-inducing modifications; minimized by following good rules of turbo ownership, keeping it stock, and buying with low miles so you can pamper it yourself)
[/ul]

4.2

Advantages:
[ul][*] "Power on demand" anywhere in the power curve (v.s. low end torque & turbo punch)[*] Depending on year, rear seats offer contoured seating[*] Potential higher reliability due to lack of turbos[*] Styling differences (fender flares) give more agressive appearance & add exclusivity
[/ul]

Disadvantages:
[ul][*] Lower gas mileage[*] Fewer potential performance mods
[/ul]

Bottom line: Do your research (as you are) and then let the car choose you. Drive good examples of both and let your gut/heard decide. They're both good rides (a very knowledgable and honest friend who has owned both says this EVERY time this topic comes up) and you'll love either one. It's really a blond vs. brunette vs. redhead thing. What's your pleasure? Can't tell until you ride it.

 

Thanks guys!!! Right now, I'm leaning towards the 4.2. I really like the flared fenders. I also heard that the flares allow you to put on larger wheels and tires which is a huge plus since I really like the big S6 rims.

 

How big do you want the rims to be? I have 19x8.5 on my 2.7T and I doubt you'd get anything bigger in there.
The later model 2.7Ts (mines a 2004) have the bigger brakes, which is very comforting.