When the doors swing open for the 64th IAA Frankfurt Motorshow attendees will be treated to a 'Quattro' of new fast Audis with the fourth generation S6 among them.
In line with the Ingolstadt manufacturer's downsizing strategy the naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 engine of old has been replaced by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 powerplant with 420hp on tap and 550Nm of torque available between 1,400- and 5,300rpm. That power is set to be transmitted to the Autobahn via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and Audi's permanent four-wheel drive system.
Lightweight aluminium makes up approximately one fifth of the new car's construction meaning the fast saloon tips the scales at 1,895kg. The weight savings contribute to a 0-100km/h time of 4.8 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h.
It is not just engine capacity that has been cut since the previous generation of the Audi S6. Alongside stop-start technology the new 4.0 TFSI unit features a cylinder-on-demand system that deactivates four of the eight cylinders under part load. This contributes to an average fuel consumption of 9.7 l/100km, which is 25 percent better than the old V10.
Audi's new S6 will feature adaptive air suspension with variable damping and an Active Noise Cancellation system (ANC) that plays antiphase sound through the car's speaker system to cancel out intrusive noise.
The S6 saloon and Avant are set to go on sale in early 2012, with prices and more details expected once the covers are removed at Frankfurt.