New Audi A6 Avant arrives! Petrol and diesel engines live on in spacious estate

• All-new Audi A6 Avant estate
• Petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid engines
• Prices start from £52,510

Estate cars may have fallen out of favour in recent years, but that’s not stopping one particular German brand from churning them out – this is the new Audi A6 Avant, a traditional big, combustion-engined estate car.

Spot of deja vu? You may recall that Audi already unveiled a new A6 Avant last summer, but crucially, that was the electric-only ‘e-tron’ model. Even though the two cars look somewhat similar on the outside, the new A6 Avant is totally different under the metalwork, offering a choice of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid engines.

What does the new Audi A6 Avant look like?

Not too dissimilar from the old one, it must be said. But Audi usually approaches its new models with an ‘evolution, not revolution’ philosophy, and it’s tweaked the A6 Avant in certain areas to give it a sleeker but more aggressive appearance.

Audi’s designers explained that with more families turning to SUVs for their next car, they’ve been able to design the new A6 Avant with ‘lifestyle’ customers in mind. In essence, that means that practicality wasn’t quite so far up the priority list, while style has been nudged up a few rungs.

You’ll spot that the roofline is a bit lower and sleeker than before, giving the A6 Avant a more “dynamic character”, while the swollen wheelarches and giant air intakes provide some sporty flair. You still get a big ‘singleframe’ Audi grille, but everything’s just a little softer than before. There are fewer sharp angles, the narrow LED headlights aren’t quite so angular, and the chrome strip across the bootlid has been replaced by a trendy light bar.

It clearly has more in common with the new Audi A5 than the A6 e-tron, but its size is more in keeping with the latter. At just under five metres long, it’s 60mm longer than the old car, sitting between the Mercedes E-Class Estate and the BMW 5 Series Touring in terms of length. Even with its giant front grille, the new A6 Avant is almost as aerodynamic as the e-tron version, thanks to its various vents, intakes and bodywork elements that smooth the flow of air around the car.

What about the A6 Avant’s interior?

The interior is virtually identical to the smaller Audi A5’s cabin, but we reckon that’s no bad thing. You get a giant 14.5-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard for infotainment, while the driver gets a 12.3-inch screen for Audi’s ‘Virtual Cockpit’ system. There’s even an optional 10.9-inch screen for the passenger for the full NASA Mission Control experience.

There are still some physical buttons for media volume, drive modes and traction control, but the climate controls are fully digital this time around. Of course, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard-fit but there are plenty of optional extras, as per Audi tradition. Highlights include an optional panoramic sunroof, a head-up display and a Bang and Olufsen sound system.

That sleek exterior design has resulted in a slightly smaller boot than its rivals. It measures 503 litres in volume, while the BMW 5 Series Touring and Mercedes E-Class have 570 litres and 615 litres of space, respectively. At least it appears to be a fairly square shape with underfloor storage and some handy hooks. Fold down the rear row of seats and you get a far more cavernous space, but it’s still not as big as those rivals.

What engines does the A6 Avant have?

There’s no electric version of the A6 Avant – you’ll have to look at the A6 e-tron for that. Instead, you have a traditional 2.0-litre petrol engine with 200bhp driving the front wheels through a dual-clutch automatic gearbox. We expect fuel economy in the mid to high thirties – Audi will confirm this later – while the 0-62mph sprint takes 8.3 seconds.

There’s also a diesel A6 Avant, which should appeal to high-mileage drivers or customers who regularly tow. It also produces 200bhp, but it gets Audi’s iconic Quattro all-wheel drive system, providing extra traction and dropping the 0-62mph time to seven seconds. Thanks to new mild hybrid tech – which can power the A6 Avant at parking speeds without the engine – it should be able to return around 50mpg.

Audi is also working on new plug-in hybrid engines for the A6 Avant which will be announced at a later date. High performance S6 Avant and RS 6 Avant models are in the works, too, and will also use plug-in hybrid engines.

How much does the A6 Avant cost?

UK prices for the A6 Avant start from £52,510. This gets you the entry-level Sport model with the petrol engine – the diesel costs an extra £4,270. You still get plenty of kit with this model, including a 360-degree parking camera system and adaptive cruise control.

Upgrading to S Line trim brings sportier bumpers and bigger wheels, plus lowered suspension for a sportier drive at an additional cost of £1,800. Then there’s the top-spec First Edition model – this gets 20-inch alloy wheels, red brake calipers, sportier seats and black exterior styling details for a further £4,900.

New Audi A6 Avant exterior and interior images

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