Where did you get your power numbers? The stock 4.2 has a few under 300 ft lbs. of TQ stock. What chip are you referring to that produces a 52 HP gain? That much HP gain and less than 15 lbs. of TQ gain doesn't seem accurate. Torque is where you get your jump off the line and acceleration. You could have all the HP in the world but without TQ than your screwed. I had a 1984 GMC diesel van with a 6.2 liter motor. The pig was barely 180 Hp but could surprisingly mop up most vehicles because of the 300+ ft lbs. of TQ at 1200 RPM. Please advise on the chip and source of your power numbers.Oh, and if you are considering a turbo A6, make sure you find one with very low miles as stated above. They could be a lot of trouble if not properly maintained and operated.

 

I have been deciding on my next car also....I compared the S4 2.7T, S4 4.2, BMW M5 and 540i and the A6 2.7T. Since I own an A4 I know that my next car must have more leg room even though the S4's are so much fun. I also have a weekend warrior to drive so ***** out performance isn't necessary. I never looked at the 4.2 A6 b/c I need a manual. Surprisingly the 5 series BMW didn't have much more space than an A4 and it doesn't have AWD. I have decided upon a 2003 A6 2.7T 6-speed b/c 2003 has sport package standard and the tri-spoke steering wheel like my A4. Good luck to you.

 

ill tell you why i picked my A6 2.7T S4 has the same motor and tranny, but its more sporty, i wasnt looking for a sports car and i didnt want to pay the higher insurance premium, with my record its high enough as is. the 2.7 has some nice power to it, yet its a very nice comfy ride on short rides to the supermarket or long arduous trips. the 4.2 is faster than the 2.7 but its a larger motor and will eat more gas. i dont have a super high paying job, so i cant afford to fill it once a week. either one is upgradable, so if u want to do some tuning its quite possible with each one. if u want a really fun car that is trackable, go with the S4. if you want more of a nice daily go with the 6 series. my car is basically a daily car that i use to go to work and whatnot and im working on getting a nice sound system in it so i can take it to sound shows in the spring, summer and early fall like i used to with my previous car. they all have positives and negatives, you just gotta figure out what youll be doing with the car and what type of driving it will be

 

I think you get the idea by other's comments. The S4 is definitely the more agressive performer (the weight difference DOES make a difference), but the A6 offers a level of luxury that is quite a bit higher, without giving up too much performance. For many, it's a perfect balance. Plenty of performance and room to mod but with a pretty big uptick on interior luxury and room.

Good luck.

 

Own a 2003 A6 2.7T MT6. If you read through the forum, you'll see there are a multitude of performance modifications you can make to this vehicle, approaching your Z's 500hp. However the stock car is relatively quick (6.6 seconds 0-60) and tops out at 133 (electronically governed). It is a very comfortable car for commuting or traveling. I put 50K miles on mine in 22 months, including a weekend trip from MI to CT (1800 miles) with wife and two teenagers. Plenty of room in therear seat. And the trunk is huge - easily handles two hockey bags and a couple weekend suitcases. It is fantastic in the winter. I owned a CJ7 when I lived in upstate NY and this far superior for driving on snowy roads.

Things to be careful of: make sure it was serviced regularly and they used Mobil1; be prepared to replace the timing belt at 90-100K (anywhere from $900-1500 per this forum). Be prepared to pay a premium for all your maintenance items including plugs, windshield wiper blades, etc. I can't speak for other luxury imports, but my Audi has had a few more things go wrong than I would have expected (hoped for) in a high end car. But it has a huge number of bells and whistles. So far the big items are an alternator and what recentlyseems to bea slippingclutch. I also chipped it (GIAC) whichincreased the hp to the 318 you noted. Is it faster?- not sure because I don't jump on it off the line - but it is noticeably quicker when I want to pass in the 70-100mph rangewith a very obvious surge when the turbos kick in. Oh - expect 18-20 mpg around town and 22-24 on the highway depending on how fast you drive.

Good luck.

 

I did not see, where you were mentioning model year which frankly would define the bhp question. the early 2000 models, (up through 2003) of the A6 were as follows:
A6 2.7 T ($40,850) is the rowdy member of the A6 family, equipped with a 250-horsepower turbocharged V6. It's the only A6 offered with a manual transmission, a six-speed gearbox. It's also available with a five-speed automatic for the same price. Sport seats are available as an option ($500), but 2.7 T comes standard with leather seating surfaces.A6 4.2 ($47,800) borrows the V8 engine from the mighty Audi S8. Stuffing this big 300-horsepower V8 into the A6 required Audi to stretch the nose slightly. While they were at it, they expanded the fender flares to cover wider tires.The 2.7 T is designed for more spirited performance with a broad band of torque (258 pounds-feet from 1850-3600 rpm) for quick acceleration performance. With the five-speed automatic, it's capable of 0 to 60 mph in just 6.6 seconds, according to Audi.A6 4.2 covers the 0 to 60 run in 6.7 seconds. More important is the torque from this 300-horsepower V8, 295 pounds-feet from 3000 to 4000 rpm, which gives it excellent passing performance.The six-speed manual gearbox found in the A6 2.7 T shifts smoothly and is enjoyable to use. The manual allows the 2.7 T to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 6.0 seconds, according to Audi.
From 2004 on, there was no turbo and the 3.2 carried 255 bhp and the 4.2 335.

If size matters drop the s4. If speed and performance only matters, get the s4. If you drop the s4, then you can chip the 2.7T to outperform the 4.2. Stock they are almost the same. From a style perspective and to have a less common car, the 4.2 is the choice. Also, the 4.2 is considered by most Audi guys as one of the most dependable made. According to most, chipping does very little to the 4.2 except keep the tip in 1st gear longer before automatically transitioning to 2nd gear. The good news is that all of these are awesome cars. Why not look at an RS6 while you are at it?




After that, the 4.2 went to 335BHP

 

Railrunner,

Best darn overview on the topic I've ever seen posted. Question asked a million times, but never answered better.

Hat's off.

 

thanks for that. The descriptive section regarding price etc is brought from another online source however. Actually, I went throught this same process when buying my 2003, 4.2 so I have some knowledge of the topic. The online source for that paragragh stated well what I would tell someone but I cannot accept the credit. Glad the combo of the two helped.
BTW I got a 2004, S4 cabriolet as a loaner the other day. HOLY SMOKES! Too bad the S6 is still mediocre under the hood. We are all waiting for the next RS6 to regain the thrown of luxury power.

 

Basically... A6 2.7t is very fast through the gears, it's midrange acceleration is awesome. The 4.2 engine is a work of art, again fast enough but more a long distance cruiser.

The A4 S4 is an awesome car, especially the latest model. It is perfectly balanced and handles like you would'nt believe. Only drawback is interior space, but the latest model has more rear space than the older model.

The RS6 and RS4 models are awesome, my friend works for Audi UK and has driven both. He says that they are both amazing. They are more expensive but you would nothave to pay for any mods as these models don't need any.

Watch out if you choose the 2.7t and mod it, that you don't overwork the turbo's. They cost a fortune to replace.

As everyone else has stated though, service history etc is crucial, whatever model you choose.

 

you know what, i thought about it and overall, either way, youre gettin yourself a real nice car, good luck with your choice man!