Audi has decided to up the ante and give its rivals a kick up the backside with launch of the new Audi A6! Set to make it’s debut in early 2011, the new A6 will definitely be an extremely smoochy sedan sporting a light body, agile chassis and packed with a wide array of new assistance and multimedia systems. The A6 will be a few millimeters shorter and lower than its previous model so you can expect an overall road-hugging sporty feel. Apart from this, the optional S line exterior package gives the car an even sportier look, with more prominently featured bumpers, grills on the air intakes, and diffuser insert. Audi is launching the A6 with a choice of powerful, sophisticated, and highly efficient four- and six-cylinder powerplants: two gasoline engines and three TDI units.The most powerful gasoline engine in the A6 family is the 3.0 TFSI V6 engine that produces 300hp at 310 pound-feet of torque and covers 0 to 60 in just 5.9 seconds with a top speed of 130 mph. Besides, it’s interiors get top notch luxury treatment with wood decorative inlays in the dash, center console and door panels, power-adjustable heated leather seats and a Bose Sound System with 13 high-performance speakers placed throughout to create a dynamic stereo experience.The base price for the 3.2FSI engine is $ 45, 200*. Perhaps, this is Audi’s way of kicking the butt!
Recently, a friend of mine busted his new Ferrari California while driving on the chock-a-block bandra roads. And all he got was a broken suspension and a bruised ego! But in Zillertaller Hohenstrasse, Austria the story plays out differently! Here you can wring the throttle to the hilt without breaking a suspension or rattling your guts. The interesting bit is that you can rent luxury cars like the Ferrari California, Maserati GranCabrio, Merc SLS AMG and a variety of Porsches and drive your way through the twisty Alps. The company that offers such power-packed holidays is Elite Rent and they source out not only roads but also customised driving itineraries. In short, you get to choose your kind of car as well as the roads you wish to drive your dream car on.
This part of the stretch is about 40 km long and situated high up in the Austrian Alps in the Tyrol region. It starts at Ried im Zillertal, which is approximately around 50km east of Innsbruck. In fact, Hohenstrasse has long straight stretches coupled with some twists and turns to keep you dialing in a few steering corrections from time to time. This road is really not about cutting corners because just after a brief lull, there are other corners where you'd like to unleash some serious horsepower of the thoroughbred V8 of either the Ferrari, Maserati or Porsche. There's a particular section in Hohenstrasse which is quite similar to the road from Manali to Leh. But unlike the Manali-Leh road, most of the hairpin bends have good visibility so you know well in advance what's coming up from the other side. Frankly, this is the part where you have all the fun with late braking and hitting the gas pedal hard while exiting corners. But hey, try not aping Michael Schumacher at all times as even a Maserati or a Lamborghini can wiggle its rear owing to the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) working overtime! You might even come across the odd trucker. But barring these sporadic occurrences, you'll definitely get hell loads of adrenaline rush with icy wind blowing straight off the snow-capped peaks.
