Category: Executive 
Price Range: £24,900 to £39,370
Distinctive, ultra-modern styling, build quality and refinement. Diesel TDi extremely thrifty, 2.5 TDi sportily brisk. One of the best interiors you'll find anywhere.
Not the most satisfying car in its class to drive.
A good all-rounder - for temperate drivers.
Go for a TDi and you're looking at a very fast car that can turn in close to 40mpg. The smaller diesels do still more and even the 2.8s aren't greedy at 26mpg in the combined tests. All versions hold their value well, especially the diesels, and servicing is less costly than for the Mercedes E-class and BMW 5 series rivals. Surprisingly, the demand for this very capable executive model has all but disappeared now, as it loses out in the image stakes to the BMW 5 Series. To have any chance of selling easily it must have at least SE specification. The 1.8 turbo engine and the 1.9TDI diesels are the most favoured power units in the used-car market. Compared with its German E-class and 5 series rivals the A6 tends to be marginally cheaper and better equipped - model for model - across the range. Given that, out of its other rivals, only the Lexus GS300 is likely to anything like as well put together then it has to represent good value.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Audi A6 Avant
wrote on 03 01 2008