Currently reading: New A6 Avant is one of the final diesel models Audi will launch

Next-generation estate, previously planned to be called A7, arrives in diesel, hybrid and petrol guises

The new A6 Avant has been unveiled as one of the final diesel cars that Audi will launch and one of only a few diesel estates left on the market. 

The executive wagon was due to take the A7 moniker under Audi’s recently axed naming strategy, where EVs were even-numbered and ICE cars odd-numbered. 

Instead, it's called the A6 Avant and sits beside the technically unrelated A6 Avant E-tron EV, with both spearheading Audi’s estate range. 

The ICE car arrives with turbo petrol and turbo diesel hybrid power and will be badged TFSI (for petrol) or TDI (diesel) to differentiate it from the EV. 

Both engines are 2.0-litre four-pot units that put out 201bhp, with the petrol offering 251lb ft and the diesel 295lb ft of torque. 

Each is paired exclusively to an automatic gearbox and the diesel can be had with Quattro all-wheel drive.

The 48V diesel powertrain also offers limited electric-only driving from step-off or at a cruise. 

A 362bhp 3.0-litre turbo V6 petrol hybrid can also be had in certain markets but not the UK. It's expected to be offered at a later date in the upcoming S6 Avant.

Likewise, some optional tech features such as rear-wheel steering will not be available in the UK. However, air suspension, previously not offered here on the A6, is now available (at an expected cost of around £1700).

The new A6 Avant is a big departure aesthetically from the car it replaces. It has been bulked up visually to create a sportier look that's closer to the previous S6 than the A6, Audi designers told Autocar. 

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The front end gets an extensive refresh, with the Audi rings straddling a new-look grille and bonnet lip, in a similar way to the E-tron GT. For the A6, this is the first time the rings haven't been positioned solely on the grille itself. 

At 4990mm, the estate is 60mm longer than the car it replaces. Its roofline rakes back to a sculpted rear end that is dominated by a striking new light bar, slightly similar to the new A5’s. 

The indicators are incorporated within this unit and, as with the A5, the rear lights can be personalised. Designers have given the car a unique set of rear brake lights that “stand the car out as an A6 on the road”, they told Autocar.

The boot offers 503 litres of storage, rising to 1534 litres with the rear seats down. 

The interior mirrors much of Audi’s range, such as the new Q5. Three screens feature: a 11.0in driver’s display, a 14.5in infotainment touchscreen and an optional 10.9in passenger screen.

As on the A6 E-tron, a ‘dynamic’ sunroof can be fitted. This can be switched between translucent and clear via a button press. It also has a slatted pergola mode (pictured below). 

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The new A6 Avant is claimed to be better to drive than its predecessor. This is due to a stiffened torsion bar and control arm bushings, a more rigid steering rack and increased front camber. Audi says all of this heightens road feedback and steering response. 

Stopping power has also been overhauled in the A6 Avant in diesel hybrid form. Using brake-by-wire tech (a non-mechanical braking system that decouples the brake pedal and brake hydraulics), computers calculate regenerative braking levels and whether the discs are required. 

The new A6 Avant starts from £52,510, rising to £64,480 in TDI Quattro guise with Edition One trim, which adds 20in alloy wheels, red brake calipers, black decals and more.

As in previous generations (and mirroring the A6 E-tron), the A6 Avant is expected to be joined by a near-identical A6 saloon soon.

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Will Rimell

Will Rimell Autocar
Title: News editor

Will is Autocar's news editor.​ His focus is on setting Autocar's news agenda, interviewing top executives, reporting from car launches, and unearthing exclusives.

As part of his role, he also manages Autocar Business – the brand's B2B platform – and Haymarket's aftermarket publication CAT.

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Citytiger 4 March 2025

My question would be, how much of this is shared with the new Passat/Suberb estate which are a similar size and significantly cheaper

Lanehogger 4 March 2025
Citytiger wrote:

My question would be, how much of this is shared with the new Passat/Suberb estate which are a similar size and significantly cheaper

Lanehogger 4 March 2025

I was expecting the petrol/diesel A6 to look more or less identical to the A6 e-tron inside and out. Not sure why Audi has gone to the effort and expense of having two unique designs, especially as they don't look radically different from each other.