For as far back as I care to remember, which means the Audi 100, which preceded the ‘A’ nomenclature of the majority of Audi’s current model lines, a large and accommodating estate car has invariably been an important element of the German car company’s range. Much like Volvo, which you can read about elsewhere on this section of the website, which has also introduced a V60 model that rivals the latest A6 Avant, Audi appreciates that, away from the distraction of crossovers and SUVs, the UK market is very estate car accepting.
If you think about it, there is a sizeable tranche of Middle England (as well as bits of Scotland, Ireland and Wales) that would be lost without the traditions of the estate car. Scarcely an antiques, or country sports, shop proprietor could survive without a station wagon on its strength and there is a simple reason for it that lies in realms of the British class structure. The traditional estate car was the extended vehicle that usually followed the stately home owner’s Rolls-Royce, when collecting visitors from the local railway station…hence the classification. It would carry the trunks and baggage.
However, it would need to imbue a sense of workmanship, with a sense of well-adjusted purpose. After all, the station wagon would also serve as the estate car, for transporting the landed gentry to a shooting ground in the heather. Its multipurpose functionality was already intrinsic to its status and Great Britain was renowned for its big Austins, Humbers, Crestas and Zephyr-Zodiacs that served their masters so well. Whether you are an advocate of the class system, or not, the big estate car has always been an impressive machine that world carmakers appreciate still serves purpose, in ways that neither an MPV, nor SUV, dares to.
Packing a whopping 1,680-litres of carrying space within its sleek lines, the latest A6 Avant highlights the ‘grace under pressure’ soubriquet to perfection. Yet, the car is not short on style and will sit easily on any leafy suburban driveway, perhaps alongside an elegant two-seater in which ‘Sir’ (or ‘Madam’) might indulge their driving pleasures at weekends, weather, shopping and people-carrying demands notwithstanding. As with most Audi models, it is fineness of line that defines the car. Sitting long, low and wide, it has space but also suggests pace in abundance.
As with each new Audi, the new radiator shell is of a single-piece design that looks imperiously tough. While not as overt as an RS version, the flanks feature subtly blistered wheelarches and a gently sloping roofline that terminates in a tailgate spoiler, while the rear lamp units are trim-connected for added width emphasis. While a lot of VW Group products are becoming difficult to discern from each other, you can always be guaranteed that Audi is allowed to lead the breed.
There is an inevitable choice of four and six-cylinder engines, from a well-established family of motors, as well as both petrol and diesel options. A 2.0-litre turbo-petrol will be added to the range after its June 2018 launch but a 340bhp petrol V6 provides a high-performance choice. However, for the first time, they are combined in each case with mild hybrid technology. Known as MHEV, it is effectively a belt-driven alternator-starter that is linked to a brake energy recovery system that maintains the charge capacity of a separate lithium-ion battery pack. Ingeniously, it enables engine-off coasting at speeds between 34 and 99mph, as part of a fuel conserving measure and also incorporates an advanced start-stop device that is active from around 13mph. As you might anticipate, this type of technology obviates the potential of a manual gearbox, although, model dependent, a twin-clutch 7-speed unit, or an 8-speed automatic will provide transmission options. As it is an Audi, the four-wheel-drive quattro system is also available.
Choice is a key factor with the new A6 and none more so than with its suspension systems, of which there are no less than four available. Conventional steel springs are standard but buyers can opt for the sports pack, or suspension with electronic damper control, although adaptive air suspension is available at the top of the shop. Audi has, of course, engineered each system to provide unerring stability and an ‘autobahn-quality’ ride. While I am not a fan of variably assisted power steering, the variable ratio system of the A6, which gains faster reactions with increased lock, provides an engaging connectedness to the road surface. Interestingly, it works in conjunction with up to five degrees of rear wheel steer, in the opposite direction to the fronts at low speed but the same direction as the fronts at higher speeds, to provide a mechanical stability-assist role.
Seldom have I been able to fault the interior décor of Audi motorcars and that of the A6 feels as solidly-assembled and luxurious as a Bentley. With subtle mood lighting, a delicious mix of fabrics, hides and high-quality mouldings and a twin-screen display system, a 12.3-inch TFT ahead of the driver and a main control touch-screen in the dash-centre, comfort, convenience and visible safety are catered for with professional zeal. There is wood trim, or piano black, surfaces that tease the eyes and copious applications of modern technology, including connectivity, at pinnacle levels. Audi ensures that an A6 driver wants for very little.
When you touch the MMI controller, it provides a feedback response to the fingertips that is initially unsettling but soon becomes comforting. However, there is also an intelligent voice control that does not demand your best telephone voice and learns from several hundred in-built parameters but can also draw its experiences from the cloud. It can be used by several drivers, not just the designated one.
