Audi A6 Avant car leasing

There’s a 2.4-litre V6 petrol engine, a 3.2 V6 and a strong 4.2 V8, plus a2.0-litre four-cylinder, and 2.7 and 3.0 V6 turbodiesels. The 2.4 petrol feels slightly short of puff, but both the 3.2 V6 and the 3.0 diesel are smooth with strong pull over a wide rev range. A new direct-injection 4.2 FSI blends strong performance with low emissions

There’s front- and four-wheel drive, and the aim is to make the sportiest cars in the class. However, the ride is very firm over poor surfaces. The car changes direction sharply, resists roll and clings on well. The steering is light and slightly hesitant as you start to turn to aid straight-line stability.

Sporty the A6 may be, but refinement has not been overlooked. The car is remarkably hushed up to motorway speeds and the 4.2 V8 sounds fantastic. The automatic gearbox changes gear almost imperceptibly, but there is some slight baulking across the gate with the manual.

Compared with rivals such as the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class, the Audi is expensive to buy and run. Company car drivers will have to dig deep, because all the petrol engines and the 3.0-litre diesel incur tax penalties. Resale values are respectable, can’t quite match those of the A6’s German rivals.

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.

The Audi A6 has an extremely stiff body. The saloon received a maximum five stars in the Euro NCAP safety testing, and every model is fitted with anti-skid and stability control, anti-lock brakes and six airbags. The A6’s bigger brother, the A8, has five-star anti-theft protection, so we have high expectations for the A6.

The Avant has an enormous 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 with which to control functions through a dashboard screen. However, the more features you add as extras, such as satellite-navigation and climate control, the longer it takes to become accustomed to the system

Audi has built a car that fills the gap between executive cars and true limousines. That means huge amounts of head- and legroom in the back. The boot has been stretched to a huge 546 litres, too, and split-fold rear seats are available for longer items.

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.

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