Avant-garde: New Audi A6 pushes boundaries
How do you improve on one of the best selling cars in its class?
In the case of the Audi A6 Avant, you make it quieter, cleaner and greener and introduce a whole raft of technological changes under the hood and inside the cabin.
The overall facelift is more subtle that dramatic, with tweaks to the grill, bumpers and tailpipes.
On the inside, the cabin too has been touched up, with additional chrome and a more powerful information system, adding to that sense of class you’d associate with high-end Audis.
The biggest changes have been reserved for revamped Ultra engines, which boast greater efficiency and lower emissions.
The new Avant is also quieter on the inside thanks to the introduction of the ‘acoustic glazing’ which reduces road noise levels.
Throw in four-wheel drive and killer looks, the S-line spec, and feel and you begin to get the picture.
Slightly biased here, but the current crop of ‘estate’ cars are some of the most eye-catching on the road.
The names may have gone back to the future with Avant this and Shooting Brake that, but the fundamentals are better than ever — an ideal family — transporter with enough style and sex appeal to attract a new generation keen to mix the rigours of city life with aspirations of the occasional getaway.
The S-line model tested, in refreshing white, was simply stunning to look at - the metallic paint, off-set by the the so-called ‘Black Pack’ — which includes tinted rear windows, piano black inlays and black roof rails — and 20” 5-twin spoke titanium alloys.
But be warned, the slick, super sporty look does come at a cost.
While the new Avant is a million miles away from the ‘box on four wheels’ estates of old, and offers a welcome respite from the multitudes of SUVs on the roads, it still has to meet the requirements of the modern family and modern family living.
The A6 is a big car, offering plenty of leg, elbow and head room in the back, even for three adults and there are plenty of storage options in front and back.
The boot capacity, while not the largest in the class, is still very generous — 565 litres of space, expanding to 1,680 litres when the split-level rear seats are dropped down fully.
The bootlid opens and closes automatically, and the low and wide opening and absence of a lip makes it easy to load items of all shapes and sizes.
Ask the modern motorist what he wants from a car and the list is endless — looks, feel, fun, space, practicality, sex-appeal, economy, class, affordability, luxury and a box full of technical wizardry. As you’d expect from a car in this class, the A6 ticks most of those boxes. Behind the wheel is a very nice place to be, offering a sense of style, safety and exclusivity.
The dash is clean and uncluttered, built around the 7” driver’s information system which offers a wide range of functions and connections.
The A6 comes in a range of 2lt and 3lt diesel and petrol engines; the 2.0TDI tested producing 190hp and boasting a top speed of 224km/h.
The 7 Speed S-Tronic transmission was crisp and comes with the option of paddle control.
There are four pre-configured drive settings, and although the ride quality is greatly improved, the lower sports suspension and larger wheels in the S-Line, combined with the appalling condition of Irish roads, makes it slightly uncomfortable in places, especially in dynamic drive mode.
The handling in the four-wheel drive is firm and reassured and offers welcome peace of mind in the wet and windy weather of recent months.
As my mother used always say, you get what you pay for — but in the case of Audi, you have to cough up for that little bit more.
The Avant is a luxury cruiser, and a match for its rivals in terms of style, space and comfort.
However, as we have highlighted before, the little extras that make all the difference can drive up the price significantly.
The model tested has a retail price of €57,600, but when you add on the extras that give it that standout appeal — metallic paint, S-Line Black Pack, Matrix LED headlights and the interior Tech Pack, the price tag creeps closer to €70k.
Anyone looking for a high quality, safe and secure, family carrier that’s up to the challenges of modern living; likes a little adventure every now and then and wants an alternative to the myriad of sports-coupe-utility-crossover-activity vehicles — or whatever passes for a family cars these days.
- This car summed up in a single word:
- If this car was a ... city, it would be Vienna— quality, intellectual, but not over exciting.
THE LOWDOWN
