Fridae

Movie: The Chase
Cast: A Mercedes Benz 280E from the 1970's
A BMW 5-Series from the 1980's
A Lexus ES300 from the 1990's
A 2009 Audi A6 3.0T
And of course... Jason Statham

Has anyone caught the recently released Transporter 3?

Transporter is an action packed movie (3 installments so far) with spectacular car chases and hunky Jason Stathom as the lead actor. For the last two series of Transporter, Jason Statham has been driving an armored Audi A8. Hence he has been associated with the German luxury car maker since. Perhaps as a sign of trends, he dumped his BMW 7-series in the first Transporter for the Audi A8.

Advertising is an important vehicle for car manufacturers to project their intended image or the make-believe lifestyle that could come with the car/brand. And Audi has come up with many excellent campaigns over the years. At the recent Super bowl mega advertising season in the United States, Audi's recently facelifted A6 came into the limelight with Jason Stathom reprising his role in Transporter (1, 2 and 3), running for his dear life again. Nothing unusual in this television commercial except for three things; a 1970's Mercedes 230E, a 1980's BMW 5-series and a Lexus ES300 from the 1990's. All were made to play second to the refreshed Audi A6 3.0T Saloon.



The hilarious ad included a quick flash back to the golden era for each of the other premium car makers; Mercedes Benz's 230E glittering star glamour in the 70's. BMW's 5-series which popularized sporting dynamics into executive cars in the 80's and Lexus's upstart in the early 90's with trusted Japanese reliability and armed to the teeth equipment list that made the Germans looked stingy.

Jason Stathom's preferred Audi A6 3.0T made a late appearance and expectedly give an assuring drive that finally rid the clumsy baddies. If numbers could tell a story, the A6 has been Europe's best selling executive car in the last couple of years. The ad says it all. Now is the golden era for the Ingolstadt based manufacturer.

Check out the other cool car advertisements on this week's Fridae AutoClub Newsletter

Oh, in case you are wondering about the car itself, the newly facelifted A6 comes with some refreshed exterior bits, with Audi's signature LED daytime running lights making yet another appearance at both front and rear ends. The re-designed rear lights does look like it has been inspired by the A5. Not bad, as it is pretty attractive, giving the A6 a better balanced rear appearance.
The technical highlights would be the inclusion of this new 3.0 supercharged 6-cylinder engine. While this engine will be featured in the forecoming S4 in a more powerful state of tune, the A6 3.0T 's 290 horsepower and more importantly 420 NM of torque is no slough by any chance as 0 to 100km/h takes only 5.9 secs. There is exactly zero lag for the supercharger to kick in and power is extremely linear right through the rev band.

Pity Audi has decided not to stick with turbo-charging, or maybe just not yet for this new engine. Supercharging means a departure from the trademark Audi's turbocharged engine's characteristics, but we should be encouraged by the better fuel efficiency. Also, some minor fine tuning lends to a slightly improved ride and handling.

As usual, the interior of the A6 is logically laid out and intuitive to use. And in the test unit, the S-line trimmed interior lifts the ambiance even more.

The Audi A6 is Europe's biggest selling executive car and it is also highly sought after in China. Given its ever-increasing edge over arch rivals; the Mercedes Benz E-class and the BMW 5-series, the newly facelifted A6 would only gather more momentum, with the newly added 3.0T serving up as an impeccable express executive sporting saloon.

	Audi A6 3.0T
Engine	2,995cc 6 cylinder 24V, DOHC, Supercharged
Transmission	6-Speed Automatic
Max. Power	295bHP @4850rpm
Max. Torque	420NM @2500rpm
0-100 km/h	5.9 secs
Top speed	250 km/h (limited)
Fuel Economy	9.7L/100km (combined cycle)
CO2 Emissions	225g/km (Euro IV compliant)
Dimensions (L x W x H) / Weight	4927mmX1855mmX1459mm / 1725 kg
Price with COE*	$238,000

*Prices quoted are indicative of prices in Singapore. Please contact your local distributor for prices in your country.