Audi A6 Avant first drive

Audi A6 Avant first drive

User Manual Guide

Article by Fogoming123

Audi's growth to global premium car sales leadership has been achieved not with just new and desirable models, but with selling more new types of models in more sectors of the world's car markets.

Their term for the model expansion is a 'Product Firework'. Emerging markets such as Russia and China, as well as established European markets, have seen the Audi portfolio of 17 model ranges increase to 38 in the last ten years driving the Audi brand ahead of the other premium German makes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

In the UK Audi just holds a slight sales lead over BMW but a larger one over Mercedes after eight months of this year. Audi UK say they are well ahead of their 100,000 annual sales target with an increased market share, up 1%, returning a 12% increase in UK sales over the same period last year.

So the latest sparkler from the Audi Product Firework is the all new A6 Avant large estate, priced from £32,100, which sells in the premium brand sector against the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes-Benz E Class. The A6 Saloon was introduced in April this year and deliveries to customers of the Avant begin in November. Although the A6 models are not the largest selling range from Audi's overall line-up, the A6 models are the most significant. Audi described them at the media launch this week as "their bedrock car, profitable and they define the premium-ness of the brand".

In the UK the A6 range will account for around 10,000 annual sales in 2012 with 57% of that total going to the Saloon versions. Only around 1,000 units of the A6 Avant will be available in the UK this year, all advance sold of course, but in 2012 around 4,850 A6 Avants should be available.

Audi are forecasting 75% of A6 Avant sales will go to fleet and business users-chooser customers. As with the new A6 Saloon, the Avant is available with the choice of two trim and equipment levels, SE which will be taken up by 60% of customers and S-line. There are f ive engines in the line-up and as is common these days all mainly show more power, better fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions than the engines they replace. All engines have start-stop, energy recuperation and fast warming oil functions which reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 18 per cent compared to the outgoing models.

The most popular engine will be the 2.0-litre 177PS TDI turbodiesel unit which will take 75% of Avant sales, more or less the same as the A6 Saloon range. Next most popular will be the 3.0-litre 204PS TDI - the choice of 14% of users, followed by the 3.0-litre TDI 245PS quattro - the choice of 6% of customers, the 3.0-litre twin-turbo TDI, 313PS quattro due in February should appeal to 3% of buyers and finally the 3.0-litre TFSI petrol, 300PS quattro will be the choice of just 2% of A6 Avant users. Quattro all wheel drive models traditionally account for 11% of A6 UK sales.

The all-new A6 Avant is the seventh generation prestig e estate from Audi with 1,000 units already sold this year and close to 5,000 units available in the UK in 2012. By comparison the new A6 Saloon introduced in April this year will have UK sales of 4,800 units this year and 6,450 units in 2012. The main premium brand competitors in this sector are the BMW 5-Series and the Mercedes-Benz E Class.

UK A6 Avant prices start at £32,100 for the best selling A6 2.0 TDI SE manual variant and rise to £43,480 for the petrol 3.0-litre TFSI quattro version. The Avant carries a £1,840 price premium over the Saloon and the best selling 2.0 TDI turbodiesel SE version is £1,200 more than its predecessor but has over £2,000 of additional equipment as standard.

Although roomier with a longer wheelbase and more body width than the outgoing A6 Avant, the new generation version is sleeker, more technologically-advanced and more efficient thanks to state-of-the art construction processes which reduce weight by up to 70kg. The compo site use of aluminium sheet, cast aluminium and cold and hot rolled steel has resulted in the weight reduction, a core move these days to improve fuel economy and performance whilst reducing CO2 emissions and improving fuel consumption.

The five door, full five seater Avant also has more load space with a carrying capacity of 565-litres with the rear seats in use and up to 1,680-litres with the rear seats folded. Unfortunately due to the comfortable cushioning used for the rear seats they do not fold completely down flat so loading long items can be a bit of an uphill task if the full length of the area is needed.

Much of the drivetrain, lightweight body design technologies and the latest in driver aids are cascaded down from the Audi A8 limousine and the A7 five door executive Fastback.

Although marginally shorter and lower than the outgoing model, the new A6 Avant is wider and with its lower stance gives it a sporty and much more imposing and edgier appea rance.

The roomy interior has a cocooning style with its 'wraparound' dashboard linking neatly to the styling of the front doors and then onwards throughout the large cabin. As usual with expensive Audis the feel and the build qualities are impeccable. Supportive seats are upholstered as standard in Milano leather so the first impressions on entry are of sumptuous luxury.

There is the usual array of driver assist items including the Multi Media Interface with its 6.5-inch retractable monitor and large central control knob fitted as standard. MMI provides easy and intuitive access to the high quality audio system, the Bluetooth phone connectivity and the SD card-based navigation system. This system can be upgraded to incorporate Google Earth mapping and data from the sat-nav system, when upgraded, will supply advanced information to the car's systems about the road coming up so optimising gear change points on automatic transmissions, headlight beam layout and mu ch more.

The list of optional driver aids also includes a night vision assistant employing a thermal imaging camera to highlight 'warm-blooded' road users in front of the car, a head-up display projecting key information onto the windscreen so that it appears to float about 2.5 metres ahead and a park assist system which automatically takes care of the steering function for the driver when manoeuvring into parallel or perpendicular parking spaces. More familiar options such as the Audi side assist blind spot warning system and the Audi lane assist lane departure detection system are also available.

Two specification levels, SE and S line, are offered in the UK with SE being the most popular and the choice of 60% of users. Incidentally fleet and business user-chooser customers take up 75% of total A6 Avant UK sales. All A6 Avant versions have alloy wheels, leather upholstery, cruise and front and rear parking controls, Drive Select with Comfort, Auto, Dynamic and Efficiency modes, SD-based satellite navigation, Bluetooth phone preparation, split/folding rear seats and light and rain sensors.

S line models add larger 18-inch alloy wheels, xenon headlamps with LED daytime running lamps, sports suspension, upgraded Valcona leather upholstery and an exclusive S line exterior and interior styling treatment.

From the options list customers can choose features such as comfort seats with heating, cooling and massaging functions, acoustic glazing, supple leather trimming for the centre console, a £6,300 multi-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system with 1,200 watts of power, TV reception and various connectivity upgrades for the MMI system.

Overall, the LED lights are widely used most new cars such as LED Dome Lights, LED Daytime Running Lights, and will come out with even more innovation in the future.