Audi A6 Awarded 2005 World Car of the Year

While New Award an Honor, Poor Quality of Interior Fit and Finish Should be an Embarrassment

Despite the controversy surrounding Audis new styling direction, one that has fans of VWs luxury division divided, forty-eight international automotive journalists representing sixteen countries have honored the new 2005 A6 as the best car in the world this year.

The award takes styling into account, as well as an additional twenty-two parameters, such as acceleration, braking and handling performance, plus passenger and cargo capabilities, plus safety issues, to arrive at a decision.

A total of thirty-six new vehicles took part in the evaluation, which took place at the end of last year, in at least five countries on two continents.

The organization, headed by a "Steering Committee" of six journalists who oversee and monitor the integrity of the voting process, chose the Canadian International Auto Show (CIAS) in Toronto to present the World Car of the Year trophy, with the ceremony held on February 16th.

"An award of this magnitude rests like a crown jewel among a host of accolades for our new A6," commented Johan de Nysschen, Executive Vice President of Audi of America Inc., who accepted the award. "To be selected as the ultimate winner from a list of so many deserving vehicles, by automotive experts from around the world is truly gratifying. It signals the universal appeal of Audis approach to designing and building the most progressive, sporty cars in the premium class"

Ironically the new A6 doesnt quite measure up to the outgoing model in all respects. Controversial styling aside, the fit and finish of its interior is not quite up to the unparalleled standards set by the previous generation.

Most evident are sloppily fixed buttons on the center stack, dash, lower console and steering wheel; each button loose enough to audibly hear the sound of clicking when plastic meets plastic. The outgoing A6 featured zero-tolerance buttons, with absolutely no play from side to side.

Such superior interior quality has been a hallmark of Audi vehicles during the last decade, and now that most rival, and even entry-level brands have benchmarked the German nameplate, the A6 has been surpassed in interior fit and finish quality by unlikely new vehicles sold by Honda, Mazda, Toyota, Hyundai and Kia. Many of GMs new models, such as the Buick Allure, also offer tighter fit and finish tolerances than the new Audi.

While some might not concern themselves with how a button feels when pressed, considering it a minor issue compared to the many other positive attributes a vehicle such as the A6 offers, many premium buyers will not be impressed with the vehicles perceived quality, especially if cross-shopping from another premium brand that offers better quality switchgear, such as BMW, Cadillac, Jaguar, Infiniti, Lexus or Mercedes-Benz. It no doubt is also an embarrassment to those in charge of the new A6 that it has slipped from first to last place in interior fit and finish.

On the positive, the revised Audi A4 offers much better interior fit and finish than the A6, with only one center stack button experiencing side-to-side play in the test car available. The A8 suffered the same fate as the A6, however, with all switches and buttons feeling loose, and therefore substandard.

Nevertheless, Audi has the honor of being the first automaker to ever receive this inaugural award, with the non-profit corporation that administers it expected to follow up with a new winner next year, and every year thereafter. Being a new award, there are no previous winners to compare the 2005 results to.