I will start out by saying what a great car in general the A6 is from 1997 to 2004. The C5 body style has been completely refined from the older 1994-1997 C4 style that was so popular. Audi was able to bring a somewhat lightweight body for the size, keeping curves and giving a very futuristic feel to the car both inside and out. I am writing this review based on my personal experience from owning, driving, and tearing into these well built machines.
Starting backward with the 4.2L V8 DOHC engine that they somehow managed to stuff under the hood of this A6. Out of all the options for engines I am most fond of their 4.2L for the simple fact of immediate torque and the distinctive growl that is just unattainable with the smaller liter engines. The 4.2 has consistent power through all stages of acceleration and the small cylinder v8 does well under load yet will still purr on the freeway with a great cruising speed around 80 mph. This is my first choice as an option for the A6 although the 2.7T has more potential for increasing power giving you more bang for your buck if that is the route you are looking at.
The 2.7T is a work of art and similarly to the 4.2L it is crammed under the hood of the short nosed A6. Both the 2.7T and 4.2L are comparable in width except for the extra room the K03 turbos take up. If work is ever needed on these cars expect to be pulling off piping in order to get at anything other than the nice shiny emblem on the top of the engine. The way both post and pre boost piping is routed makes it one of the most difficult engines to work on and also makes it prone to leaks typically from the turbo to the intake. All of this looks great though when you open the hood but it was not built with the everyday mechanic in mind. Besides the mechanics of everything, the 2.7T is an extremely well balanced engine. The more lightweight V6 gives the car a lighter feel and during acceleration it is the opposite of under powered. During the first initial moments of acceleration you do feel a slight lag until the K03 turbos build enough to satisfy the 2.7L thirst for air. After boost is built be ready for a consistent pull through all gears with the torque feeling steady up until about 500 rpm before red line and if you choose to upgrade to the K04 turbo and upgrade/re-program the ecu with something from APR, you will feel that power to the limit of the engine. As a stock 2.7T it is a well built power plant by itself but with a simple upgrade such as Ko4 turbos you will create a whole new car. In my opinion it is well worth the investment. The cost to horsepower is by far the best deal not to mention tying it all together in a sleek, option packed German piece of engineering!
My conclusion is that if you want a an A6 ready to go that gives you consistent power with a nice roar the 4.2L is for you. On the other hand if you would like a well powered car with the potential of being an extraordinarily powerful car with minimal investment then the 2.7T is the right choice.
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