New avant garde Audi A6 Avant revealed

Attractive stationwagons go by the name of Avant and the new A6 Avant continues this aspiration of the Audi brand. With sharp lines, large surfaces and the distinctive low-profile rear window, the exterior reflects the new design language of the brand.

Despite the sporty lines, the new A6 Avant retains the spacious luggage compartment capacity of its predecessor.

The luggage compartment provides a loading width of 1,050mm and a capacity of 565 litres in the basic configuration, increasing to 1,680 litres with the backrests folded down.

Its interior, too, is even larger than the predecessor model with improved front and rear elbow room as well as knee room in the rear seat area.

At the same time, the interior of the new Audi A6 Avant features stylish, minimalist architecture, which fuses harmoniously with the operating concept. A black panel surface with the embedded top MMI touch response display dominates the sleek instrument panel. Just like the bottom display on the centre tunnel console, it is angled slightly toward the driver.

The seats in the Audi A6 Avant were also completely redeveloped. The top-of-the-line options include the customised contour front seats with numerous adjustment functions, optionally fitted with ventilation and massage function, as well as the S sport seats with integrated head restraints.

All engines are now fitted as standard with a mild hybrid system, which further increases comfort and efficiency and can reduce fuel consumption in real-world driving. The belt alternator starter, the heart of the MHEV system, recovers up to 12kW with the 48V system during braking and feeds the electricity into a separate lithium-ion battery.

With the engine switched off, the new Audi A6 Avant can coast between 55km/h and 160km/h; the start-stop already kicks in at 22km/h. The engines put their power onto the road with a seven-speed S-tronic or an eight-speed tiptronic and the quattro all-wheel drive.

The optional sport differential that actively distributes the power between the rear wheels when cornering at speed provides the ideal complement.

The suspension on the new A6 Avant offers an even larger spread between dynamics and comfort than its predecessor. The standard progressive steering is highly comfortable to use.

With an already sporty steering ratio, it becomes increasingly direct with increasing steering angle. The new control concept for the electromechanical steering also provides intense feedback from the road while eliminating unpleasant jolts from the steering wheel. Audi offers the dynamic all-wheel steering as an option, which makes the A6 Avant highly manoeuvrable.

At speeds up to 60km/h, the rear wheels turn as much as five degrees in the opposite direction, which reduces its turning circle.

Customers have a choice of four suspension variants - the standard steel-spring suspension, the sport suspension, the suspension with shock absorber control and the adaptive air suspension, also with controlled shock absorbers. In addition to the shock absorbers and the air springs, the electronic chassis platform also controls the dynamic all-wheel steering and the updated sport differential, which actively distributes the drive torque as needed between the rear wheels during fast cornering.

The A6 Avant also omes with a comprehensive package of safety systems, including lighting technology, assistance systems and passive safety.