Audi A6 Avant Review 2025
Audi A6 Avant At A Glance
There’s evidently life in the large estate yet. Should be beautifully made and packed with technology. Evolutionary styling appears less glitzy than some rivals’ estates.
It is new, honest. Boot space lags behind the competition. Potential for customer misunderstanding with unrelated A6 Avant e-tron.
Courtesy of its curated evolutionary styling it might not be immediately obvious to anyone but devout followers of the brand, but you’re looking at photographs of the all-new Audi A6 Avant. What is unusual about this large, plush estate is that even until a few weeks before its launch Audi was insistent that no such model would be launched.
No, we don’t mean because of the usual clandestine marketing machinations that go on behind the scenes ahead of a new car’s carefully choreographed announcement programme — quite the opposite, because the company had already confirmed that this was to be labelled Audi A7 Avant.
This was to fall in line with its frequently stated intentions that henceforth all combustion-engined models would be replaced by models with odd numbers, while its electric offerings would have evens. That was how the petrol- and diesel-powered Audi A5 replaced the outgoing A4, joined by the batteries-only Audi A6 e-tron.
So for at least one generation — unless Audi changes its corporate mind again — car buyers will have the choice of two largely unrelated A6 ranges. In fact, while you’re browsing its website to make an informed choice about which is right for you, there’s a third A6 because certain versions of the outgoing model are still available, including the four-door A6 Saloon. Audi’s broken with its A6 traditions by replacing the more popular Avant estate first.
That explains why, naming issues aside, the new Audi A6 Avant line-up is modest in scope with just three trim levels — Sport, S Line and Edition 1 — and just two engines. Both are 2.0-litre turbocharged units producing 204PS and fitted with seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions that Audi labels S Tronic.
Driving the front wheels only is the TFSI petrol version — with a torque output of 340Nm it can dart from 0-62mph in 8.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 149mph. Likely to have a wider appeal, despite declining diesel sales, is the TDI which additionally benefits from mild hybrid assistance and Quattro four-wheel drive. That, together with 400Nm of torque, sees the 0-62mph benchmark dip to 7.0 seconds, while top speed dips slightly to 148mph.
Inside the new A6 Avant’s spacious five-seater cabin, those up front are faced with Audi’s latest style of interior with up to three display screens — the third being for the passenger. At the business end, the boot’s accessed via an electric tailgate, revealing a 503-litre space that can be extended by folding the 40:20:40 split rear bench for a maximum capacity of 1534 litres.
Those volumes are down compared with the 615-litre and 1830-litre capacities of the A6 Avant’s chief rival, the Mercedes E-Class Estate. It may be less spacious than the Mercedes, but even the BMW 5 Series Touring is more voluminous than the Audi boasting 570 litres with the rear seats up and 1700 litres when they’re folded down.
Despite also packing plug-in hybrid-related batteries — something we’ll doubtless see in the new A6 Avant before too long — the Volvo V90 has a 551-litre space with the rear seats up and is only a smidge behind the Audi with them down at 1517 litres.
Order books for the new Audi A6 Avant open on 1 April 2025 with prices starting at £52,510 for the Sport TFSI 204PS S Tronic rising to £64,480 for the Edition 1 TDI Quattro 204PS S Tronic. First customer deliveries are expected in June.
Keep this page bookmarked for further news and our comprehensive Audi A6 Avant review in the coming weeks.
