Say hello to…
…the Audi A6 Avant in diesel form. We’ve already reviewed the all-electric A6 E-tron, but there’s also a diesel version for those that either don’t have easy access to charging or are regularly driving very high mileages. Power comes from a 204hp 2.0-litre diesel engine with mild hybridisation.
Audi offers three trim levels on the A6 estate:
- Sport
- S-line
- Launch Edition
Standard equipment on the Sport includes 20-inch alloys, dynamic suspension, drive modes, high beam assist, headlight cleaning, leather upholstery, 3-zone climate control, 14.5-inch infotainment screen, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, wireless phone charging, satnav, adaptive cruise control, surround view cameras and park assist.
S-line adds privacy glass, front sports seats, S-line body kit and sports steering wheel.
Launch Edition adds 21-inch alloys, matric LED headlights, black trim, red brake calipers, powered front seats, heated front and rear seats, uprated stereo, heated steering wheel and uprated cruise control.
Is The Audi A6 Avant Suitable For My Fleet
Diesel may not be the fleet fuel of choice due to the benefit-in-kind tax band (36% in this case), but take a cash option and the A6 looks more attractive. It’s a big, luxurious, comfortable estate car easily capable of 600 miles per tankful. It also has a useful 2,000kg towing limit.
Leasing An Audi A6 Avant
Gateway2lease is offering the Audi A6 Avant in Launch Edition trim for £660 a month on a 9+36 contract with 10,000 miles a year. Gensen Reports forecasts monthly maintenance costs of £47. The Class 1A NIC comes in at a hefty £229 a month. However, it must be noted, both the lease rate and the maintenance costs are lower than in the A6 E-tron.
Driving An Audi A6 Avant
As with the A6 E-tron, the A6 cabin is well constructed; almost all Audis are. The layout of the controls in the cabin is logical and the responsiveness of the infotainment screen is rapid. This helps to make turning off the warnings for speed and lane keeping quick and easy.
Having diesel power means the A6 isn’t quite as refined as the E-tron version, but it’s good nonetheless. The mild hybrid system helps there as the A6 can move very short distances without the engine cutting in. The hybrid system is also keen to turn off the engine whenever possible such as shortly before coming to halt.
As you’d expect, refinement is impressive and the overall experience is one of relaxation on a long journey. The A6 makes motorway life simple and unflustered, even in poor weather conditions; the quattro all-wheel drive system helps here.
Real-world efficiency is good too, while weren’t hitting the 50mpg-plus of the official figure, we were seeing well over 40mpg without any eco effort.
The automatic gearbox is super-smooth and combined with suspension that’s very well judged for UK roads (comfy but firm enough to cope with more spirited driving) means the car feels smooth and unfussed at all times.
The brakes are reassuringly progressive and responsive which, again, helps the feeling of relaxation.
There’s plenty of space for five adults in the rear seats and while the claimed boot space is ‘only’ 466 litres (hardly impressive in the class) it feels bigger.
Overall, the Audi A6 Avant shows how good, tax costs aside, a diesel estate car can be.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Audi A6 Avant
Such a good car, it’s a shame the taxation means few will take the diesel option.
A6 Avant
- Model: A6 Avant TDI quattro Edition 1
- Power: 204hp
- Torque: 400Nm
- Max speed: 147mph
- 0-62mph: 7.0s
- Official mpg: 52.3mpg
- Test mpg: 42.7miles
- CO2 emissions: 150g/km
- BIK tax band 2025/26: 36%
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