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Preeble,
I'm actually going through the exact same decision. I had decided on the 550i xDrive, but then test drove an A7 last week (no S models available yet). I was surprised how much I liked the way the Audi drove. BMW is always known as the sportier of the two brands, but with the new 6/7 platform, Audi has, IMO, changed things up. (Caveat: On a test ride, I didn't get close to the limit, so the whole steering feel at the limit issue reported by so many motojournalists in Audis didn't come up.)
First, you've probably already accounted for this, but the standard wheel size on the S6 will be 19 inch. The 20's are a $1000 option. And LED's are an extra $1400.
As noted, I test drove a 550i with the sport suspension last week when I was in the US, along with an A7 and agree with the above posts. The 550 has a much more isolated ride. Still athletic, but not as direct as the Audi. Also, from the seat-of-the-pants dyno, the A7 with the supercharged 6 felt as fast as the BMW with the V8. Yes, very scientific I know... Part of this is likely that the Audi weighs in about 400 lbs less than the 550. That is a lot of weight, think two full size males in the car at all times. As for the C&D time of 3.7, they always use the roll-out figures, so ad at least .3-.4 seconds to that time for a comparible number. Still very impressive. And we all know that BMW's times are always quoted slower than what the cars can actually do.
The seats in the 550 are hands down more comfortable that in the A7 i drove. I assume the S6 chairs will be the similar. Not that the audi seats aren't nice, but the seats in the 5 are class-leading and compare to those in the A8.
If you already have a 911 in the garage, I'd lean towards the BMW.... I don't, so will be leaning towards the S6 (if Audi can match the diplomatic price and Euro delivery option that BMW has...).
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