Audi A6 Avant Review

Thanks to Audi's naming conventions that would see all its electric cars badged with even numbers and combustion engines with odd numbers, the updated A6 Avant was going to see its name changed to A7 Avant. A change of heart at Audi recently has seen them revert back to existing names (we'll ignore the new A5 for now), so we're back to A6 Avant. And it's also the reason why it doesn't look much like the A6 e-tron Avant. Confusing, right?

Speaking of design, the new A6 Avant has had more than a simple nip and tuck compared to the older model. The grille sits lower at the front, and with just the right amount of sculpting along the side of the body, it results in a sleek and elegant-looking estate with a good amount of presence. Does it look better than an A6 e-tron Avant? We reckon the more muscular and distinctive lines of the combustion-engined car are more successful, but you might disagree. 

But this sculpting hasn't been done just to make the A6 Avant look nice - it's the most aerodynamic combustion engine Avant to date (it has a drag coefficient of 0.25 if you're interested), but this has impacted functionality a touch. The sharp slope at the rear has contributed to a smaller total boot capacity than the outgoing car, at 503 litres. It's still big, though not actually much bigger than the boot found in the A5 Avant and a touch smaller than the Audi Q5. 

The rest of the cabin though is incredibly spacious, and it has a classy feel thanks to the premium materials used. There's lots of tech on tap as well, including a minimum of two digital displays that use OLED technology to deliver a crisp and responsive user experience, while front-seat passengers can also get their own display. 

With the A6 e-tron Avant taking care of electric power, the new A6 Avant comes with the choice of either a 2.0-litre petrol or diesel engine, both delivering 204PS. The devil's in the details, though, and the diesel gets mild-hybrid tech for electric-only driving at lower speeds, while also bolstering total power available when pulling away or under hard acceleration. If either of those two don’t appeal, there’s also a plug-in hybrid option with an electric range of up to 63 miles officially. 

The Audi A6 Avant is an assured and comfortable drive - steering is precise and it rides well over a variety of road surfaces. It's in its element on long runs, but still very capable when on windier sections of road, while the addition of quattro four-wheel drive delivers extra confidence in all-weather conditions.

For most buyers, the best all-round choice is an A6 Avant Sport 2.0 TDI 204PS. That version gives you the engine that best suits the car’s premium estate brief, while Sport trim already comes with enough standard kit that it doesn’t feel like a compromise.

The petrol is fine and recommended if you mostly do shorter trips, but the diesel is the one that really suits the A6 Avant. It feels more effortless, more relaxed and better matched to the car’s long-distance character.

The A6 Avant e-hybrid plug-in hybrid is the smarter option for company-car drivers or anyone who can charge regularly, because the electric range is long enough to make a genuine difference to day-to-day use. The trade-off is the smaller boot and a much higher price.

The current A6 Avant starts at £54,060 in Sport trim. Step up to S line and prices start at £55,360, while Edition 1 starts at £60,260. The A6 Avant e-hybrid starts at £63,735 in Sport trim, rises to £64,535 in S line and reaches £69,935 in Edition 1 form.

That means the A6 Avant sits firmly in premium executive-car territory rather than trying to be a bargain, but the car's quality, image and everyday polish still make it feel worth considering.

The closest rivals to the Audi A6 Avant are the BMW 5 Series Touring, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate and the Skoda Superb Estate. The BMW is the more driver-focused alternative, while the Mercedes leans harder into cabin theatre and comfort-led luxury. The Superb is a brilliant all-rounder, while spec it in top-of-the-range Laurin & Klement trim and you'll get that premium feel without the premium price.

The A6 Avant makes most sense when judged against the 5 Series Touring and the E-Class Estate, because those cars sit closest to it in price, purpose and buyer appeal. The Audi counters with a more understated cabin, a calmer overall feel and a strong blend of premium polish and everyday usability.

Boot space for the Audi A6 Avant depends on the engine you pick. The petrol Audi A6 Avant delivers the largest boot capacity at 503 litres, dropping to 466-litres for the diesel as the mild-hybrid tech eats into some of that boot space. The plug-in Audi A6 Avant e-hybrid boot space drops to 404 litres because of the larger battery needing to find a home. 

That places the Audi A6 Avant reasonably well against its key rivals, but not right at the top for outright luggage volume. The BMW 5 Series Touring offers 570 litres, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate has 615 litres and the Skoda Superb Estate goes even larger at 690 litres. 

That said, the wide opening and useful load area mean it's more practical than the headline number alone might suggest. Fold the rear seats and capacity rises to 1,534 litres.

Passenger space is also strong enough for this class. Up front, the A6 Avant feels generous and properly premium, with excellent seat adjustment, good width and the sort of calm driving position that makes it easy to get comfortable in over long distances.

Rear space is good rather than exceptional, but it's perfectly usable for everyday family life. Two adults can sit in the back in reasonable comfort, and there's enough legroom for normal journeys without the car feeling tight. Headroom is respectable, and the estate roofline helps keep the rear of the cabin feeling less compromised than some sleeker alternatives.

The A6 Avant is 4,999mm long, 2,099mm wide and 1,472mm high, which means it's long enough to feel genuinely spacious and substantial, but doesn’t feel too cumbersome for daily use.

The Audi A6 Avant’s infotainment is one of the areas where it feels convincingly premium. Even the entry-level Sport trim gets Audi’s latest digital cockpit instrument display and a curved infotainment setup, which gives the cabin a much richer and more modern feel than the previous generation. Wireless smartphone integration is part of the package, and the whole dashboard design feels cleaner and more up to date than before.

Higher trims add more of the technology buyers at this price are likely to want. The optional Sound and Vision Pack brings a head-up display, Bang & Olufsen premium sound system with 3D sound, increased charging capacity for USB ports and the ambient lighting package pro with dynamic interaction light. On S line and above, it also adds integrated headrest speakers. The A6 Avant e-hybrid also gets Audi Assistant voice control, Audi Connect, the Audi App Store and four surround-view cameras as standard.

The built-in voice assistant is stronger than before, and the connected-services side of the car feels more convincing than in older Audi systems. The downside is that the A6 Avant now leans heavily on screens, so some simple functions take more taps than they used to. Even so, the whole setup feels modern, slick and properly in keeping with the car’s premium position.

Material quality is one of the Audi A6 Avant’s key strengths. The dashboard, switchgear and main touchpoints all feel convincingly premium, and there's more substance here than you get in a lot of mainstream family cars.

It's not all soft-touch perfection, but the overall feel is strong. The A6 Avant still manages to feel special enough inside to justify the Audi badge and the price that comes with it.

The current Audi A6 Avant range includes a 204PS petrol, a 204PS diesel and a 299PS plug-in hybrid in the A6 Avant e-hybrid. That gives buyers a sensible spread depending on whether they want a straightforward executive estate, a stronger motorway car or a plug-in hybrid that can cover a lot of daily driving without using fuel at all.

Starting with the petrol, it's a 2.0-litre four-cylinder TFSI unit with 204PS and delivering power to the front wheels only; it has a 0-62mph performance in 8.3 seconds. Opt for the diesel and you get a 2.0-litre TDI with, again, 204PS. With a bit more torque (400Nm vs 360Nm) and quattro four-wheel drive, the diesel is quicker off the line, taking just seven seconds to hit 62mph.

That's not all, as the diesel engine also benefits from a 48-Volt MHEV system, which means that it can run under electric power alone - for example, in slow-moving traffic or pulling away from home. It also bolsters the total power output by 24PS and 230Nm of extra torque when starting off and accelerating. 

The A6 Avant e-hybrid is the more specialised choice, but it's also the most interesting one in running-cost terms. With up to 63 miles of official electric range and 11kW AC charging, it's much more usable than older plug-in hybrids if you can charge regularly. The trade-off is the reduced 404-litre boot and a significantly higher entry price.

We've driven both the petrol and diesel options of the Audi A6 Avant, the latter fitted with optional adaptive air suspension (a £1,755 optional extra) and 21-inch alloy wheels (the petrol model tested was on 20-inch alloys) and we were left suitably impressed with both.

Our test routes encompassed a mix of motorway miles, windy mountain roads and urban driving. As you'd expect, the A6 Avant is in its element on wide motorways - it's incredibly stable at speed and wafts along without putting up any resistance. The diesel feels naturally more suited to these conditions, but the petrol engine doesn't do itself a disservice here either.

We haven't driven a car with Sport suspension yet, but the standard suspension copes well. Though it can feel a bit firm in parts (especially on 20-inch wheels) at lower speeds, it rides well over a variety of road surfaces - it won't crash and bang over rutted roads for instance, and feels planted on twistier sections. 

The optional adaptive air suspension on our diesel test car really does provide a very cushioned driving experience, making light work of uneven road surfaces. It's an expensive option, but with larger wheels, it's certainly recommended. One other thing in favour of opting for air suspension is the variable ride height you can select - it can be raised when navigating rougher roads for example, or lowered when parked to make it easier to get luggage (or a tired dog) up into the boot. 

If you've picked the TDI version of the A6 Avant, quattro four-wheel drive is standard, which also means you get to enjoy all-wheel steering as well. At low speeds you'll find that the wheels can turn up to five degrees in the opposite direction to the front wheels. Not only is the turning circle reduced, but it really doesn't feel like a car that's just under five metres in length when navigating city streets. 

At higher speeds the rear wheels turn in the same direction to aid handling further and we found this to be the case on the winding mountain roads of our test route. The A6 Avant's steering was precise and assured, and despite its size, it felt dynamic and controlled when rolling into a bend. This is certainly helped by the extra traction from the quattro system, delivering a confident driving experience.

The Audi A6 Avant has a five-star rating from independent safety organisation Euro NCAP, with a 2024 assessment praising its strong occupant protection, good whiplash protection, advanced eCall, a system to prevent secondary impacts after a collision and a countermeasure to reduce occupant-to-occupant injuries in far-side impacts.

The current car also comes with a useful spread of safety and driver-assistance technology, including autonomous emergency braking, lane support and speed assistance systems, while Audi also offers a wide range of active-safety features across the range.

The 204PS diesel remains the most straightforward choice for most buyers, because it offers strong enough performance without looking excessive on fuel use. The petrol is smoother than many diesels in town, but the diesel is the stronger option if you do a lot of motorway mileage.

The e-hybrid’s attraction is obvious on paper because the electric range is up to 63 miles, which is enough to cover a lot of daily commuting without using petrol at all. The battery can go from empty to 100% in around 2.5 hours using an 11kW charger, which makes it a much more usable plug-in hybrid than older equivalents. The trade-off is the smaller boot and the fact the official economy figures only make sense if you charge regularly.

The Audi A6 Avant comes with Audi’s standard three-year warranty in the UK, made up of two years of unlimited-mileage cover and a third year up to 60,000 miles.

Servicing should be straightforward enough through the wide Audi network, although it’ll likely cost you more than at a non-premium brand such as Skoda. Servicing is due every 9,300 miles or one year, whichever comes sooner.

The Audi A6 Avant spans roughly insurance groups 31 to 40 (of 50). Core diesel and petrol versions sit lower down the spread, while higher-end trims and the e-hybrid will attract higher premiums.

For all Audi A6 Avant models registered under the current system, the standard annual Vehicle Excise Duty (VED or road tax) rate is £200 after the first year, with the expensive car supplement on top. That’s because all models cost more than the £40,000 threshold when new, which adds £440 a year for five years from the second tax payment for a total cost of £640 a year during that period before dropping back to the standard annual rate afterwards.