Portadown Audi The Audi A6 Avant Independent review

Performance
There's a 2.4-litre V6 petrol engine, a direct-injection 3.2 V6 and a strong but expensive 4.2 V8, plus 2.7-litre and 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesels. While the 2.4 petrol engine feels slightly short of puff, both the 3.2 V6 and the 2.7 diesel, which is our pick of the bunch, are smooth with strong pull over a wide rev range.

Ride & handling
There's front- and four-wheel drive, and the option of self-levelling air-suspension to appeal to those who carry heavy loads or tow on a regular basis. The standard car's ride feels firm over poor surfaces, although not as unforgiving as the BMW 5-series Touring. Despite its bulk, the car changes direction sharply, resists roll and clings to the road.

Refinement
The A6 rivals the best luxury cars for refinement. Wind noise is apparent at higher speeds but road noise is negligible. The 3.0 V6 diesel and 3.2 V6 petrol engines are smooth and hushed even beyond UK motorway speeds. The 4.2 V8 unit sounds impressive. The auto 'box changes gear almost imperceptibly, but there is some slight baulking across the gate with the manual.

Buying & owning
As with most executive cars, the Avant is expensive to buy and run but it is a lot of car for the money. All engines meet Euro IV emissions standards so diesels avoid the 3% company car tax penalty. However all petrol units are in the top two company car tax brackets. Resale values are likely to be respectable but no match for those of BMW or Mercedes equivalent estates.

Quality & reliability
Everything has been polished to a level that marks this car out as one of the best-built executive estates of the moment - and better than some luxury cars. Audi reliability does not always match its standards of assembly, though, so we'll be hoping for an improvement.

Safety & security
The new A6 has an extremely stiff body. The saloon received a maximum five stars in the Euro NCAP safety testing. Similar to the saloon, the Avant is fitted with skid and stability control, anti-lock brakes and six airbags. The bigger A8 has five-star anti-theft protection, so we have high hopes for the A6.

Behind the wheel
The Avant has vast cabin space and a wide range of seating and steering-wheel adjustments. The dash is well laid out and all versions have a rotary switch in the centre console to control functions through a dashboard screen.

Space & practicality
The A6 Avant majors on space and comfort. This means huge amounts of legroom and headroom in the front and back to make it a genuine five-seater. The luggage bay offers a huge 546 litres with the seats in place and 1660 litres with the rear seats folded down.

Equipment
The range starts with SE trim, which is luxuriously equipped with standard features such as climate control, a CD player and automatic headlights and wipers. S line versions have stiffened suspension and sportier cabin trim.