Audi A6 Avant review: An estate that lacks one essential ingredient

Telegraph

2 days ago

Don't blame me, blame Audi's model naming strategy, but this is not the estate version of the new Audi A6, which is an electric car. It is, in fact, the new Audi A7 Avant, with a mild hybrid drivetrain.
More correctly, it was supposed to be the A7 after Audi decided that its new EVs would have even-numbered names, while its internal combustion-engined models would take odd numbers. It's why the latest A4 is badged as the A5.
However, very shortly after announcing this strategy (and with the wraps already off the electric A6) Audi realised the potential folly of introducing another complex naming system and ditching a well-established format, it announced that the petrol and diesel A6 replacement would no longer be called A7, but would remain the A6.
Which is why this car is completely different from the electric A6 e-tron, despite sharing a name and competing for the same set of customers. But can the A6 rise above this confused gestation and complement its electric cousin?
Pros
Smooth and quiet on motorways
Roomy for passengers
Entry-level models undercut rivals
Cons
Small boot
Jiggly ride at low speeds
Inexplicably vocal engine
Engine choice
The engine range is simple: there's a choice of three. First up, the Volkswagen group's hard-working 2.0-litre petrol turbo, here producing 201bhp and matched to an automatic gearbox and front-wheel drive.
The diesel option is tested here: a 2.0-litre mild hybrid, also with 201bhp. Oddly, the diesel is only offered with four-wheel drive, the extra traction from which – together with a greater torque, produced at lower revs – allows it to sprint to 62mph a full 1.3 seconds more quickly than the petrol unit.
In addition, there's a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), based on the 2.0-litre petrol but with an electric motor and a 25.9kWh battery, enabling four-wheel drive and an electric-only range of 63 miles (officially – expect 40-50 in the real world).
Usually, you would choose a PHEV as a company car because the low official emissions figures result in a favourable benefit-in-kind tax rating. However, the A6 e-hybrid's figures are nothing much to write home about – and combined with a P11D value higher than, say, the equivalent BMW 5-Series, you'll pay far more in company car tax.
There's another problem with the PHEV; the battery under the boot floor reduces the luggage space below the load cover to a mere 404 litres. That's less than a Honda Civic hatchback.
Yet this issue is not peculiar to the plug-in version. The diesel model's mild hybrid additions reduce the load space to only 466 litres. Even the petrol-engined version, which lacks electrification of any kind, has only 503 litres – 60 litres less than the previous A6 and almost 70 litres less than the equivalent BMW 5-Series Touring.
All this in spite of the fact that the new car is 60mm longer than the old. You have to wonder what Audi has done with all the space.
Passenger space found
There's plenty of it in the passenger compartment, however, with acres of leg room for rear seat occupants, although the low roofline does means the edge of the door frame is quite close – buckling children into the back seats requires a bit of a stoop.
In the front, the dashboard is dominated by a huge slab of black glass, behind which sit two huge screens as standard (the top-of-the-range Edition 1 has a third screen ahead of the passenger, enabling them to stream videos on the move).
There's little in the way of physical buttons; the vast majority of the controls are accessed through the touchscreen. As usual, this interior design philosophy is flashy but flawed, requiring you to look away from the road for longer than should be necessary.
On the plus side, Audi was the originator of the virtual instrument binnacle concept; as you'd expect, its execution is still one of the best, with clear displays of speed and power, along with ancillary information that's easy to read at a glance.
So the boot is relatively small and the interior is a bit on the touchy side. At least you can count on an A6 Avant to be smooth, quiet and comfortable, right?
As soon as you start the diesel-powered A6 you notice that the vibration of its engine is not particularly well damped. You can feel it through the steering column, while as you pull away there's a noticeable clatter from under the bonnet that doesn't feel particularly premium.
Bump and grind
Then there are the bumps. The test car had the optional 21-inch wheels and air suspension. While the latter allows a softer ride, it's too slow-witted to mitigate the jarring thumps transmitted to the body as a result of the slender sidewalls of the 21in tyres.
The entry-level Sport has 18-inch wheels and, consequently, comfier tyre profiles, along with conventional steel springs. Without testing it, I suspect that's preferable, but as tested the A6 is jiggly and unforgiving over churned-up stretches of urban Tarmac. Larger wheels, therefore, are to be avoided.
Thankfully, even an A6 so-equipped smooths out on motorways; meanwhile, the engine settles down to a fairly innocuous background hum (unless it's pressed hard during an uphill overtake), so this is still a lovely way to cover long distances.
Off the motorway, meanwhile, it's business as usual for a big Audi: four-wheel drive provides superb traction and huge amounts of grip, while the nose responds crisply to steering inputs, yet feel and involvement are in short supply.
The Telegraph verdict
Perhaps the problem is that this car was conceived as a far more design-led offering; style over substance, as you might expect from an A7. Maybe that explains the diminutive boot.
However, now it has arrived it is pitched as a rival to large, roomy and quietly luxurious rivals from BMW and Mercedes. Against them, it falls short.
It's a struggle to recommend even as a company car, due to the parlous BIK costs of the PHEV. The all-electric A6 e-tron would make more sense in that role.
By contrast, the combustion-engined A6 Avants feel strangely underbaked – not bad cars per se, just not ones that give you any particular reason to choose them.
The facts
On test: Audi A6 Avant 2.0 TDI Quattro Launch Edition Plus
Body style: five-door estate (also available as a five-door saloon)
On sale: now
How much? £68,555 on the road (range from £53,285)
How fast? 147mph, 0-62mph in 7.0sec
How economical? 50.7mpg (WLTP Combined)
Engine & gearbox: 1,968cc four-cylinder diesel, seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, four-wheel drive
Electric powertrain: 48V integrated starter generator with dedicated battery
Electric-only range: 0 miles
Maximum power/torque: 201bhp/295lb ft
CO2 emissions: 150g/km (WLTP Combined)
VED: £540 first year, £620 next five years, then £195
Warranty: 3 years / 60,000 miles
Spare wheel as standard: no (not available)
The rivals
Mercedes-Benz E220d AMG Line Premium Plus Estate
217bhp, 55.4mpg, £72,400 on the road
This top-flight Merc estate costs more than the A6 despite being only rear-wheel drive, but it provides notably better fuel economy as a result, not to mention far more boot space. Its interior is just as screen-heavy as the Audi's, although the integrated screens and swathes of open-grain wood trim provide a classier feel.
BMW 520i M Sport Pro Touring
205bhp, 45.6mpg, £58,435 on the road
BMW no longer makes a diesel 5-Series, nor does it make a fully loaded top-specification model – this is as fancy as it gets, which explains the price disparity. But it's worth noting how close this petrol mild hybrid engine is to the diesel Audi's fuel economy. The BMW has greater boot space, too.