I know this is an Audi forum and I am myself Audi biased but I have to put this out there since I am thinking about purchasing one. An Audi A6 2.7T 6 speed sport vs. the BMW 540i 6 speed sport. How do they compare? Looking at numbers seems the A6 accelerates faster to 60 and has Quattro. What else is there to know? Has anyone driven both?

 

Hi
I had an E34 540 auto a few years back. 286 bhp. 0-60 around 6.4 seconds great for power slids.
I now own a A6 2.7T 2000 model. 230bhp 0-60 8.4 (tip) according the manual. quattro of course. The Audi is a great car but I'm dissapointed with the performance. I read all I could before buying the car. Mainly U.S posts stating 2.7T 0-60 around 6 seconds. The newer models from 2001 has 250bhp but I really cant see how 20 bhp could knock two seconds of the 0-60. In short the 540 was way quicker.

 

2001 2.7T does 6.7 with the tip, 6.0 with the standard. That's bone stock. Chip it and you'll do better. If you live where the snow flies, it's a no brainer.

 

I was looking at both when bought my A6 and the Audi drove smoother and had quattro so I when Audi

 

If your going to compare those two cars then you would need to stick with the same motor options. The 2.7t has a lot of options to MOD and by far, and with some $$, can be really fast. If you want to stick to bone stock figures then compare the 540I to the 4.2 v8 quattro. The 4.2 is 300 hp and produces a lot more torgue then the 2.7. You can MOD the 4.2 with exhaust, intake, and you can chip the tranny and computer although the chipping on this model doesn't produce as much gains as the 2.7 t. There are pros and cons to both but thw quattro on te AUDI's mad e most of the decision for me as a return buyer. BTW- I was looking at the 2003 540I before I bought mine, and the interior luxury, in my opinion, schools the 540I. I have the sport package with the optional wheels/tires and the A6 is just looks better than the 540 (more style). The best part is that the 4.2 felt like it had more pull than the 540. Both are cool cars. Good luck with your search.

 

Hi again.
Perhaps I should have said. I'm in the U.K. So maybe we have a different setup here. All the same I'm lovin my Audi just would be nice to have a little more go. I've looked at chipping but with 108,000 miles on the clock it may be a bit iffy. Plus I dont think I have the OBD so it will have to into the ECU direct. One thing I have noticed with mine is its very quiet. This makes me think the exhaust may be restrictive.

 

One thought...

prbayha's comments are well taken. One big difference between the 2.7T and the 4.2, however, is where the tourque peaks. It's between 3-4k on the 4.2 and at 1850 RPM on the 2.7T. This is one of the wonderful things about the 2.7T. If you want to, you can drive it economically by shifting early -- particularly if you get a stick. Whenever you need, you can stomp on it and get that wonderful kick-in-the-pants turbo kick, but you can also pinch your pennies if you're hauling kids or otherwise want to be sedate.

 

The reason I was comparing the two was that they both have the 6 speed option. The 4.2 A6 does not have a 6 speed manual and I may be wrong but I thing the 2.7T with the 6 speed manual will outaccelerate the 4.2. I prefer the interior outright on the Audi compared to the BMW and I agree with you about where the torque peaks.

 

I test drove a 2003 540i sport with the steptronic trans a few weeks ago and have been looking to buy a 540i. Yesterday I picked up a 2000 A6 2.7T tipronic, and I have no regrets with that decision! My thoughts on the 540i is that it does feel a little squirrely like a 5.0 mustang, but it did bring a smile to my face. I saw my audi a week ago, and decided to have a look, and I knew I was buying it. It was solidified when I drove it. It really helped that it is not stock at all, and I got it for less than half of what I was going to pay for the 540i ($13.9k vs. $29.5K) Also, my wife loves it, as well as the price!

 

I have a 2001 2.7T with tip. Gotta tell you: I've not had any problems passing and beating 540's.

Objectively, I'd say you have these advantages in the Audi:
+ Quattro!!!
+6cyl (even with turbos takes way less gas than 540)
+if you get a manual, it is as easy as chipping and changing the intake/exhaust to get close to 400 hp out of it, many mods won't even affect your warranty!
+way smoother ride than the bimmer (which could also be a disadvantage, actually...)
+probably cheaper to acquire and for the regular maintenance

on the other hand, in the Bimmer you get:
+rear wheel drive = powerslides!
+that series 5 loves to be driven hard = awesome experience (though it could get old fast)
+probably a bit faster than the 2.7T stock with both cars in manual trim.
+probably easier to maintain (no turbos=less chance of expensive work needed)
+purely theoretical, but that 4.4 V8 will last you hundreds of thousands of mile more than the bi-turbo V6 in the audi BUT WATCH OUT FOR TRANSMISSION/CLUTCH ISSUES ON THE BIMMERS!!! (I've seen them go very fast, especially stick shifts!) - most people in this country have no idea how to drive a stick

plus, consider all the small advantages and disadvantages that go with either car (durability, maintenance, mechanics, so on so forth...)
GOOD LUCK with whatever you decide