The design is immediately familiar but significantly sleeker and more aerodynamic than its predecessors. The latest Audi A6 Avant is in fact the most aerodynamic Audi Avant ever produced with a combustion engine, its drag coefficient of 0.25 a significant achievement that adds both to its aerodynamic efficiency and new car’s considerable aesthetic appeal.

To put the A6 Avant’s aerodynamic efficiency into context, its e-tron stablemate, the A6 Avant e-tron which is due to arrive here around the middle of the year, boasts a Cd of 0.24, while the A6 Sportback e-tron – the most aerodynamic Audi model ever produced – takes top honours with a Cd of 0.21.

Sleek, wide and low characterise the new A6 Avant design, which is at once elegant but not staid – there’s more than a hint of menace. Familiar design elements like the quattro blisters over the wheels and the large Singleframe grille are all present, albeit with a new grille treatment and accompanying air intakes which, in combination, dominate the front end and give it that undeniably aggressive presence.

That feel is accentuated by the sculpted bonnet treatment and new headlights, which are a design feature as well as a showcase for the latest lighting technology, both front and rear. That lighting includes optional digital LED daytime running lights made up of 48 individual LED segments per headlight as well as Matrix LED headlights characterised by a hexagon-perforated stainless-steel screen. 

This new technology will give customers a total of seven digital light signatures to choose from at the front, some of which are active signatures which feature individual segments constantly ‘moving’ or growing brighter and dimmer.

On the rear, second-generation digital OLED lights will be optionally available on the new A6 Avant. With a total of eight digital OLED panels, each side features 198 OLED segments that create the digital signatures, some of these too are active. An algorithm specially developed for this function creates a new image from the 396 OLED segments several times per second, but while the light appears to be constantly moving and changing, the light intensity never varies so as not to create a distraction for other motorists.

While the lighting treatment is a major feature of the rear design and helps to emphasise the vehicle’s width, the whole rear of the A6 Avant is more sculpted than before. A rear lip spoiler accentuates the vehicle’s sleek, tapering profile and a large diffuser with new trim that incorporates the twin exhausts with their rectangular tips dominates the rear and  adds to the chiselled finish.

The A6 Avant will be offered with the choice of wheels from 19-inches right up to 21-inch models as well as the choice of black exterior package or S line exterior with customers able to choose from 11 different body colours. These include the new Midnight green colour as well as Ascaris Blue Metallic and Daytona Grey, which will be available exclusively for vehicles with an S line exterior.

The svelte exterior treatment is matched by a striking new interior that uses the brand’s new interior design architecture. The digital stage takes pride of place, wrapping around the front occupants and presenting all vehicle and infotainment information on a series of screens that are integrated into the design. From the virtual cockpit in front of the driver to the 14.5-inch MMI screen and optional passenger screen measuring 10.9-inches, the array is both practical and visually striking, working perfectly with the interior design philosophy.

This sweeping dash arrangement is further accented at night with the ambient lighting giving it the impression of floating and giving it a distinctly three-dimensional feel.

The finish and materials as you would expect are all first rate, with the option of selecting sustainable materials such as the fabric Kaskade and the microfibre material Dinamica. In addition, only the wood from European felled trees that no longer bear fruit is used for the natural apple brown wood decor.

Technology and appointment are state-of-the-art, with Audi’s new Augmented Headup display available as an option, along with a Bang & Olufsen sound system, the top-of-the-line model of which includes two additional speakers housed in the headrests of the front seats.

Other highlights include four-zone climate control which includes controls for passengers in the rear, optional air quality package which includes an ioniser and fine dust sensor as well as door-closing function that use servo-assisted closing to softly and quietly close and lock the doors.

The new A6 Avant also uses Android Automotive OS as its operating system for the infotainment system, updating all content via over-the-air updates. Numerous third-party apps including Spotify, YouTube and news services can be downloaded from the Audi app store, which, like the smartphone interface, is standard. Likewise voice control for many of the vehicle functions is a standard feature and the voice-controlled Audi assistant provides support and learns in the process. In addition, by connecting to ChatGPT, it’s also possible to access AI-based knowledge using everyday speech prompts. If the Audi assistant is unable to answer a question, it seamlessly

accesses ChatGPT without any noticeable interruption for the occupants.

At launch the new A6 Avant will be offered with three engines (Australian specification not confirmed at time of writing), two TFSI and one TDI variant, with Mild Hybrid electrification for the TDI and top-specification TFSI version. 

The variants on offer are made up of an entry-level 2.0-litre TFSI engine producing 150kW and 340Nm of torque between 2000 and 4000rpm (0 to 100km/h 8.3 seconds) as well as a 2.0 TDI variant which also delivers 150kW but greater torque of 400Nm between 1750rpm and 3250rpm. 

Hitting 100km/h from standstill in a shade under eight seconds in front-wheel drive configuration (seven seconds in quattro), the TDI engine also features MHEV plus technology and is equipped with a 48-volt electrical system for partial electric driving and significant energy recovery for greater efficiencies. The 2.0 TDI is also available with a dual-clutch transmission as a front-wheel drive or quattro ultra all-wheel drive.

Topping the offering is a 3.0-litre V6 TFSI power plant, producing 270kW of power and maximum torque of 550Nm. With its sub five second 0 to 100km/h, its turn of speed is impressive, the engine, which is the latest evolution of a powerplant first developed in 2015, features newly designed exhaust gas turbos with variable turbine geometry (VTG) and indirect intercooling, as well as modifications to the injection system. It also utilises the the MHEV plus system and will come with quattro ultra as standard.

The MHEV system operating in the TDI variant and 3.0 TFIS models provides a number of benefits and is made up of a 48-volt battery, belt alternator starter (BAS) and the powertrain generator (PTG) with integrated power electronics. This PTG will enable the likes of fully electric parking and manoeuvring and also produces additional torque up to 230Nm and up to 18kW of power when starting off or overtaking and when decelerating, it can recover up to 25kW of energy.

The A6 Avant pairs its power plants with a choice of standard suspension, sports suspension or adaptive air suspension which is standard on quattro models. All systems are designed to provide maximum passenger comfort commensurate with a vehicle of this calibre, with the sports suspension imparting a distinctly sporty feel by lowering the body 20mm. The adaptive air suspension uses electronically controlled damping to give the A6 Avant a wide range of ride options, ranging from complete comfort right through to sports setting for spirited driving. It raises or lowers the body depending on the selected settings or by determining vehicle speed, selecting the best suspension setting for the conditions and driving style.

Electromechanical progressive steering is also standard on the A6 Avant and the Audi drive select dynamic handling system can be used to vary the steering characteristics and vary the steering weight across several different modes. In addition, all-wheel steering is optionally available in conjunction with quattro all-wheel drive.

Then there is the brake torque vectoring which constantly monitors the current driving situation and counteracts any understeer, gently braking the wheels on the inside of the curve as soon as any loss of traction is detected. The A6 Avant also features an integrated, blending-capable brake control system (iBRS) which utilises brake-by-wire technology.

In the variants with MHEV plus technology, the system calculates whether the desired braking effect can be achieved by regenerative braking using the electric motor or whether the friction brakes are required. In a fraction of a second, the control unit calculates how much braking force needs to be produced by the friction brakes and a piston in the brake hydraulics then applies the necessary pressure. Throughout this lightening fast process, the feel remains the same as the pedal is depressed, with the transition between regenerative and friction braking imperceptible to the driver and the braking forces remaining constant.

All of this in combination makes the new A6 Avant a supremely capable grand tourer in Avant clothing and continues the model’s celebrated legacy. This new model builds on the elements that have long distinguished the A6 Avant – long-legged performance and sporty handling along with the highest standards of comfort, technology and luxury appointment. 

Of course the obvious question that will spring to mind for many is about the adaption of this stunning new model into the next generation RS 6 Avant. That’s one for another day, but the sleek new A6 Avant has undeniable sporting appeal that would certainly lend itself to more intense treatment at the hands of Audi Sport. Time will tell.

In the meantime, the new A6 Avant is certainly one to look forward to, although full specification and dates for its Australian introduction are yet to be confirmed.