Audi A6 Avant review: A plush executive car with plenty of added space

The Audi A6 Avant offers a sumptuous cabin with plenty of up-to-date tech, all wrapped up in a sleek and sophisticated exterior. There’s much to like about its comfortable and refined road manners, and it still makes for a great alternative to an SUV.

However, newer rivals offer plug-in hybrid models with superior electric range and lower emissions, or provide an all-electric option for lower company car tax costs. Plus, while the A6 Avant is versatile enough for family life, some competitors — namely the Mercedes E-Class Estate — offer greater boot space in both regular and plug-in hybrid forms.

About the Audi A6 Avant

It may feel like SUVs are taking over our roads, but the Audi A6 Avant is indisputable proof that there’s still a place for the traditional large estate car. The current A6 has been with us since 2018, but it still offers a highly impressive combination of style, driving dynamics and, perhaps most importantly of all, practicality. 

The current model is wider and taller than the one it replaced, which equates to a larger cabin. Curiously, the luggage capacity remains unchanged at 565 litres.

The rakish and stylish exterior houses a quality-rich cabin that’s filled with plenty of up-to-date technology and three digital screens. Based on the interior alone, the A6 Avant can rival some of the best in the segment, feeling like a smaller version of the Audi A8 limo.

The A6 Avant shares the same core engine line-up as the saloon. The entry-level 2.0-litre four-cylinder 40 TFSI petrol is mated to an S tronic automatic transmission and front-wheel drive, while the more powerful 45 TFSI petrol and 40 TDI diesel get quattro four-wheel drive. 

These engines benefit from a 48-volt mild hybrid system that allows coasting at speed to improve fuel economy while delivering a power boost to aid initial acceleration.

There’s also the choice of a 50 TFSI e plug-in hybrid variant. This consists of a 2.0-litre petrol engine working in tandem with a single electric motor. The result is a claimed fuel economy figure of well over 200mpg, although achieving this in the real world will prove challenging.

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The core A6 Avant range has three trim levels: Sport, S Line, and Black Edition, all of which are generously equipped. 

Further up the range are the S6 Avant and RS 6 Avant performance models. Unusually for a sporty car, the S6 Avant opts exclusively for diesel power, and its 3.0-litre TDI engine pumps out 339bhp and 700Nm of torque. The range-topping RS 6, meanwhile, is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine producing 621bhp and 850Nm of torque.

The S6 is available in Black Edition or Vorsrpung trim, while the RS 6 has the choice of performance, Carbon Black or Carbon Vorsrpung spec.

Prices start from around £45,000 for the A6 Avant 40 TFSI Sport, increasing to nearly £48,000 for the S line. At the top of the core range is the TFSI e Black Edition, which commands over £65,000. Predictably, buyers can choose from a wide range of comfort, technology and safety options, many with a four-figure price tag.

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The executive estate market has shrunk over recent years, but the A6 Avant still faces some capable competition. Its age-old Mercedes E-Class Estate and BMW 5 Series Touring rivals are still going strong, while some fully-electric contenders, such as the Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer and BMW i5 Touring, have also entered the ring, 

In response to these new arrivals, the next-generation A6 will be a fully-electric model called the A6 Avant e-tron. The next combustion-powered estate will become the A7 Avant.