Audi A6 Avant review

This is where Audi does well, because its interiors are famously excellent. The A6 Avant’s dashboard layout is more or less identical to every other big Audi, from the A7 four-door coupe to the A8 limo via the Q7 and Q8 SUVs. Though the A6 is cheaper to buy than all those cars, for the most part its interior looks and feels just as expensive.

We were a little underwhelmed by the grey leather finish in our test car mind, so it’s well worth playing around on the configurator. Still, lovely and comfortable all the same.

What about standard kit?

All cars get twin haptic feedback touchscreens – the crisp 10.1-incher does media, navigation and so on, while the 8.6-inch screen below it does the heating, air conditioning, comfort functions and such like.

Of course we’d rather have a set of physical knobs and switches for the climate control like you get in the A4, but Audi’s implementation of this tech is solid. Both the screens are hi-res and the user interface is easy to use. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard. 

The ‘Virtual Cockpit’ digital instrument cluster is standard too, and it remains the best such system available today. 

Is it roomy?

It’s comfortable for five, easily swallowing proper-sized adults in the back, and there’s a generous boot with a low load lip – important if you’re constantly slinging stuff in and out. Or you’ve got any four-legged friends who need a ride.

In terms of sheer capacity, the A6 Avant has more than the equivalent Volvo (an Audi estate with a bigger boot than a Volvo?! Who’d have thought…), about the same as the BMW 5 Series Touring but measurably less than the cavernous Mercedes E-Class Estate.