Audi A6 Avant Review 2025

The new Audi A6 Avant is the latest iteration of Audi's line of big, premium estate cars. With a new, slippery design, bags of tech and a snazzy new cabin, does this new 2025 model have what it takes? Find out in our Audi A6 Avant review.

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 Audi 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 Audi 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 Audi A6 because plug-in hybrid versions of the outgoing model are still available...

Speaking of which, engine choice in the new Audi A6 Avant is limited to single petrol and diesel options. Both are 2.0-litre turbocharged units producing 204PS and fitted with seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions that Audi labels S Tronic. It also explains why Audi's is still pushing the older model still as plug-in hybrid engines in the new car won't be available until later in the year. 

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 (or 466 litres with the diesel due to the extra space needed for the Mild Hybrid tech) that can be extended by folding the 40:20:40 split rear bench for a maximum capacity of 1534 litres (1,497 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.

As you might expect, the new Audi A6 Avant really shines on a motorway drive and proved to be incredibly stable and comfy on a long run. We tested cars on both standard suspension on 20-inch wheels, as well as one on optional air suspension (a £1755 option) with larger 21-inch alloys.

While the more advanced suspension helps the A6 Avant glide over changeable road surfaces very well, the standard suspension still delivered a very relaxed ride. We're yet to try the A6 Avant with Sport suspension, so it will be interesting to see how this firmer set-up lends itself to these conditions. 

Audi claims that this new A6 Avant should be 30% quieter than the old car thanks to better sound insulation, while the more aerodynamic design of the refreshed body means wind noise is almost non-existent at speed. Because you have to work the petrol engine a bit harder, you'll notice it's presence a bit more - especially under acceleration, with the diesel proving to be the more refined at speed. 

Despite its large proportions of the A6 Avant it can feel surprisingly nimble once on some twistier sections of road.

Steering is precise and direct, while it feels pretty well controlled when turning into a bit. If you've opted for the diesel, Audi's Quattro four-wheel drive system is standard and certainly helps here.

A bonus of this is four-wheel steering, that sees the rear wheels turn in the same direction at higher speeds to aid handling, while lower speeds sees the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction (up to five degrees) to the front wheels. This makes this five metre long car much easier to position and park round town than its size might initially suggest.

It's also here than you appreciate the diesel's Mild Hybrid tech - you pull away under electric power alone without any of the clatter that's the normal trademark of a diesel. Once up to speed the engine will kick in, but if you're driving round town you'll find that you can be gliding around in near silence quite a bit.  

There's a plug-in hybrid expected to follow shortly after launch, but currently there are only two engines to choose from with the new A6 Avant - a 2.0-litre petrol, or a 2.0-litre diesel with Mild Hybrid tech, both coming with a seven-speed S tronic twin-clutch transmission. 

The 2.0-litre four-cylinder TFSI petrol unit produces 204PS and delivers power to the front wheels only - the result is a 0-62mph time of 8.3 seconds. Plump for the 2.0-litre TDI diesel and while it has the same power output as the petrol, it has a bit more torque (400Nm vs 360Nm) and quattro four-wheel drive. The result is that the diesel is the quicker of the two, taking just seven seconds to hit 62mph.

There's more, as the diesel engine also enjoys some extra power from a 48-Volt MHEV system, not only enabling the A6 Avant TDI to run under electric power alone - for instance, in slow-moving traffic or pulling away off the driveway, but it also increases the total power output by 24PS and adds an 230Nm of extra torque when starting off and accelerating. 

At launch and the A6 Avant is still to be tested by Euro NCAP, but if it's anything like recent Audis that have tested and we'd be surprised if it didn't walk away with a full five star rating. Both the new A6 e-tron and Audi A5 (which the A6 Avant shares the same PPC underpinnings) have recently achieved a full five star rating.

The A6 Avant comes with an array of advanced safety tech as standard. This includes things like adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, swerve assist, turn assist and front emergency brake assist, while Edition 1 spec cars also benefit from side assist and exit warning, lane departure warning with emergency assist, rear-cross traffic alert and rear turn assist. 

Some of these can feel more like a hindrance than an aid - we're looking at you lane departure warning and speed limit warning, so it's welcome to see that Audi understands this and has made it nice and straightforward to disable these driver aids.

The new A6 Avant is actually a little bit bigger on the outside than the car it replaces, with Audi making it some 60mm longer in length. The result is a car that's almost five metres in length and a wheelbase of 2.9 metres. 

It probably goes without saying that there's loads of space in the cabin - passengers upfront will enjoy plenty of leg and headroom, while the plush sports seats are really comfy.

Those sitting in the back aren't short-changed either, with again, plenty of leg and headroom for those sitting on the two outer seats. If you're planning on having three people in the back on a regular basis, then whoever gets the central seat might feel a bit miffed as the large centre tunnel will mean their legs will be straddling either side of it. 

All test cars that we drove benefitted from a clever switchable panoramic glass sunroof. It's a pricey extra at £2,400, but it does makes the cabin feel nice and airy, while it has nine different levels of density to play with, meaning it can be set to almost fully transparent to fully shaded depending on the ambient conditions. 

Perhaps a little surprisingly for the larger footprint of the car, the boot space of the A6 Avant is actually down on its predecessor. At 503 litres (and 466 litres in the diesel thanks to the MHEV tech), it's just over 60 litres down on the old car, while it also looses out to the BMW 5 Series Touring's 570-litre capacity.

The Mercedes E-Class Estate's boot is larger still at 640 litres, while the Skoda Superb Estate has a huge 690 litre capacity to play with. Perhaps more surprisingly is that the boot in the A6 Avant is smaller than the Audi Q5's 520 litre boot capacity.

It's not going to win Top Trumps for boot capacity then, but it's still a large and useable space. The rear seats have a 40:20:40 split as well and fold them all the way down and you get a very useable 1534 litres if you need to shift something big. 

As you'd expect for a car targeted at the premium end of the market, the A6 Avant's interior quality doesn't disappoint.

The interior design is based around Audi's new 'Softwrap' design treatment that sees a door-to-door signature design that uses a mix of  faux leather and cloths to bring the interior together. We reckon it looks great and the treatment makes it feel like the car is gently wrapped around you.  

The premium feel is extended further round the cabin, with lots of soft-touch plastics at key touchpoints, while even the A6 Avant in Sport trim enjoys twin leather upholstery. Alternatively you can also have some surfaces trimmed in sustainable materials, including Cascade fabric and Dinamica micro-fibre - both manufactured from recycled polyester. 

Prod around a little further down and you'll find some harder-wearing plastics, but these don't detract from the overall feel. 

As we've previously seen with the new Q5 and Q6 e-tron, the A6 Avant features Audi's new Digital Stage infotainment system. This means you'll find a free-standing curved OLED screen that accommodates both a 11.9-inch Audi Virtual Cockpit (a digital dash) and a larger 14.5-inch central touchscreen display. If you're addicted to screens, then you can even get a supplementary 10.9-inch display for the front seat passenger as well (standard on Edition 1 cars).

Is this third screen a solution to a problem that never really existed? That'll come down to you, but the additional third screen enables the passenger to tinker/meddle with the sat nav on their own screen, as well a choose what you're listening to or be really antisocial and watch something on it while you do the driving.

The larger centrally positioned display provides access to the majority of the A6 Avant's settings and while the new menu interface will take a bit of getting used to for owners upgrading, its a polished and responsive system.

And to be fair, probably once you've got the car settings dialled in how you want, you'll probably take advantage of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto wireless connectivity most of the time, only having to fiddle with the climate control settings (which are permanently displayed on the screen).

There's also a collection of buttons on the driver's door handle to adjust things like mirrors and lighting - we like the idea, but in use it can feel a touch awkward. 

The large digital dash can be tailored to display preferred settings and features, including turn by turn directions, but you can no longer get a full screen sat nav map that was possible on older versions of the system. 

Buyers might be tempted by the Sound & Vision Pack (a £2965 extra) that comes with an excellent head-up display, with the pack also boosts the audio offering, replacing the standard 10-speaker sound system with a Bang & Olufsen premium sound system with 3D sound and integrated headrest speakers. 

The new Audi A6 Avant undercuts both the BMW 5 Series Touring and Mercedes E-Class Estate, with prices starting at £53,285.

This will get you a petrol A6 Avant is Sport trim and comes in at about £1,000 less than an entry-level 5 Series Touring, while you'll save over £4500 compared to a Mercedes E-Class Estate. 

Most buyers are likely to be tempted by the more attractive Audi A6 S line trim, which will mean forking out a further £3000 over the standard car, while the top-spec Audi A6 Avant Edition 1 comes in at £60,210. 

If you're swayed by the mile-munching 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine, prices start at £57,555. This means that prices are a little more inline with those of a similarly powered Mercedes E-Class Estate, but you won't find a BMW 5 Series Touring diesel.

It comes as no surprise to discover that the diesel A6 Avant is the most economical, delivering a strong 48.7mpg combined average on a run. With a full tank and don't be surprised to see a range of over 600 miles pop-up on the digital dash.

With the petrol engine having to work a little harder the figures aren't quite as impressive, though it still delivers a solid 37.1mpg. There's a plug-in hybrid version on the horizon, but it's not available just yet, while it's not clear what kind of electric-only range we can expect from it. 

For company car drivers, the diesel has emissions of 153g/km and the petrol 173g/km. That means your Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax bills will be significantly higher than an equivalent EV, but in line with similar cars. 

Insurance groups are still to be confirmed, but the previous model started at insurance group 33 and we wouldn't anticipate much variation with the new model, while the new A6 Avant comes with the Audi's standard three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. It's possible to boost this to four years and 75,000 miles (£815), or five years and 90,000 miles (£1970).

The Audi A6 Avant is available in the choice of three trim levels: Sport, S line and Edition 1. 

The Audi A6 Avant Sport kicks off the range and despite between the entry point in the range, is pretty comprehensive. It has 18-inch alloy wheels, while the standard styling of the car has a sport-orientated feel. You'll also find LED headlights and rear lights as standard, as well as seven digital light signatures to choose from to help personalise your A6 Avant. Inside and a 14.5-inch OLED MMI Navigation system is standard, along with an 11.9-inch digital instrument display. There's also a four-zone climate control, electrically adjustable and heated front sports seats, a twin-spoke multifunction leather steering wheel with shift paddles. Other highlights include ambient LED lighting, a reversing camera, 'parking system plus' with a 360 camera, adaptive cruise control and hill hold assist. 

The Audi A6 Avant S line is going to be the most popular choice among buyers in the UK, thanks to its mix of sportier styling and additional features for not significantly more than the standard car. For starters, it comes on larger 19-inch alloy wheels, but sits 20mm lower thanks to the addition of sports suspension. THe bumpers, grille, air inlets, rear spoiler and diffuser have all be tweaked compared to the standard car to give it a bit more presence as well, while there's rear privacy glass. Inside and the changes are a bit more subtle, but include S embossing on the sports seats, a three-spoke steering wheel that's flattened at the top and bottom, while aluminium door sill inserts have an illuminated ‘S’ logo at the front. 

Sitting at the top of the range is the Audi A6 Avant Edition 1. You get even larger 20-inch alloy wheels (and you can even spec optional 21-inch wheels if you wish), and while the styling doesn't alter over the S line car, the black exterior package and red brake callipers differentiate it from other trims. The sports seats are finished are now finished in Dynamica microfibre/leather with an ‘S’ embossed and diamond pattern, while there are a number of additional safety features bundled in as standard - side assist and exit warning, lane departure warning with emergency assist, rear-cross traffic alert and rear turn assist.