Audi A6. Luxurious & powerful.

New platform, new hardware and new looks for next generation of combustion-engined big estate car

The future of estate cars S may be in doubt at Volvo, but they still have a firm place in the range of that other known purveyor of them. Avant is an institution at Audi, to the
extent that it’s launching its latest A6 (that’s the ICE one, not the unrelated electric one) as an estate first, with the saloon to follow later on. Globally, just over half of A6S are specified as a saloon, but the estate dominates in Europe. Even so, its role has changed over the past five decades of A6 and 100 production.

Today, buyers after a large, practical family car are more likely to pick an SUV. That leaves the A6 free to become more of a lifestyle product, one that puts more emphasis on style and driving dynamics. For this C9-generation A6, the rear windscreen is notably sloped, not unlike a 100 Avant of the 1980s, and there’s pronounced blistering to the wheel arches – Quattro, anyone? You will make up your own mind about the looks, but in the metal.

At launch, UK buyers can choose either a conventional 2.0-litre petrol or a 2.0-litre diesel with Audi’s new
MHEV Plus system, which puts a 24bhp electric motor on the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and a 1.7kWh battery under the boot floor. There’s also a 3.0-litre V6 with the same hybrid system (the same
powertrain as in the S5), but that won’t be offered in the UK. The aggro around the CO2 targets of the ZEV mandate didn’t make it worth it, apparently. But don’t despair: an S6, presumably powered by a more powerful V6, will be along shortly. Naturally, a plug-in hybrid is also on the way, supplementing the petrol four-cylinder with a 140bhp motor and a 20.7kWh battery.