First drive: Audi A6 Avant

Not many cars look better as an estate, but Audi has created a slimmed down A6 Avant which is ultimately more desirable than its saloon sister.

The Avant has always been an aspirational model for families looking for something stylish that is still practical and the Audi badge brings with it a starting price of £32,100. That’s pretty competitive against the
equivalent BMW 5 Series Touring costing £33,465.
The German brand has taken 70kg out of the car to help improve efficiency and engineers have streamlined the body to boost fuel economy up to as high as 56.5mpg on the 2.0-litre TDI 175bhp model.
The majority of the engine line-up is diesel.

Four variants are on offer with power ranging from 175bhp to 313bhp in the 3.0-litre V6. There’s one petrol option in the form of a 3.0-litre V6.

The 2.0-litre TDI will be the biggest seller, particularly with company car users, who will welcome the steps to improve efficiency and reduce CO2 which is now down to 136g/km.

The 2.0-litre diesel offers a good amount of power and steering feels nicely weighted and precise.

Despite being quite a lengthy estate, it handles well with minimal body roll and ample grip.

The Avant has 565-litres of boot space with the seats up and 1,680 litres with the seats down.

Two trims are on offer: SE and S Line. The SE will be the volume seller and it features a generous amount of standard kit, including alloy wheels, leather upholstery, cruise and front and rear parking controls, sat nav, Bluetooth and rain sensors.

The cabin is roomy, comfortable and like all Audis, expertly designed, with solid switchgear and well stitched high quality leather.

The centre point of the Avant interior is the new 6.5-inch MMI monitor which customers can use to operate the audio, Bluetooth and SD card-based satellite navigation system, which comes as standard.

On-board internet access is the new technology making its way on to many new cars now and the Avant follows suit.

Customers can connect up to eight devices to the car’s own wireless local area network.

New optional features include an automatic boot which opens if you poke your foot in and out underneath the tailgate.

Handy if you’re laden with bags.

Customers can also specify a hi-tech night vision camera system, Bang & Olufsen sound system and park assist.