USED Audi A6 Avant (04 - 11)

My car

After two years and 62,000 "uneventful" miles the Audi is going back to Audi finance. Given the high mileage the term "uneventful" is very important as reliability has been excellent, though there have been minor niggles. There is a squealing from the alternator drive belt when cold and the light swith rattles, both faults which the generally poor Audi dealers have not been able to address. Oil consumption has been high at 3000 miles per pint, though this is improving with age. Service costs are excessive at £310 for a minor service, though you do get a valet and a litre of oil - worth about a £15 at your local IMO car wash and Halfords. The good points are excellent fuel consumption, handling, ride and decent thrust from the engine. Bad points are seat comfort and limited load space due to the shape. Audi are 90% there, but must improve dealer value to retain my custom.

My car

I don't actually own the car I drive, as it is a long-term hire whilst the company I work for makes a decision on its company car policy.

I have a covered 10,000 miles in 13 weeks and really enjoy the experience: it has pace, build quality and my passengers thoroughly enjoy travelling in it. I have no issue with fuel consumption. My average between S.Wales and Surrey (a trip I do around two or three times a week) is around 43 to 45mpg. I'm more than happy with that and the car has been superbly relaible. In fact I am so impressed with the car in general that I am considering moving from my intended Range Rover Sport 2.7 TDI to the 2.7 TDI Quattro Avant.

However my only concerns are:

1. Heavy oil consumption. My car uses a litre every 3000 miles, which seems high compared to BMW and Jaguar deisels I have recently run.

2. Far more serious on a daily driving experience is the lack of thigh support on the driver's seat. I find my thighs resting on the plastic side supports and I wonder if it is because my car has cloth seats. If I buy one, it would have leather and I would probably go for the sports seat option.

My car

Took delivery of our new A6 in mid March. We have the s-line 2.0tdi avant with lots of extras, list price was £33,000. We took the car to Poole when it was 2 weeks old and had 200 miles on the clock and it broke down on the M3! It had to be taken to the supplying dealer on the back of a truck. Engine sensor fault, apparently. The car has now covered 2,500 miles without any more hitches. This is my first Audi and it has to be the best put together car I have ever seen, the build quality and luxury feel is superb. Handling is fantastic, although it does have the 19" wheels with wide tyres and s-line suspension. The MMI is very easy to understand and dvd sat-nav very good. The 7-speed multitronic auto is a little temperamental and can be disconcerting when pulling out of a junction as there is a distinct delay before the drive picks up. Bi-xenon headlamps are excellent and the LED rear lights are literally blinding. The only downside is the fuel economy of 33mpg average. I was expecting 40+! Better built then a Merc and better looking than a Beemer.

My car

I took delivery of my A6 in December 2006 as a replacement for an A6 1.9TDI Sport Saloon (superb car). I had been so impressed with the previous model that my company ordered 5 of the new model for the directors. My first impressions of the car were good and after covering 15,000 miles in 6 months I would concur with other reviews that the overall drive is comfortable (in particular motorways).

The 2.0 TDI seems slightly under powered (my wife has an A4 Cab Sport 2.0TDI which seems quicker on the uptake). I also find that the MMI system is over-engineered in a let's keep up with BMW kind of way. Whilst the sat nav is 99% accurate I find the simple task of changing a CD is both tiresome and distracting. This situation is not helped by an intermitent fault with my CD Changer. I have also found the seats (Not leather/sports) uncomfortable and non supportive at the back of the leg and tend to use the cruise control to relieve the ache on long journeys.

I would probably not go for another A6 2.0TDI SE in it's current guise but having owned many Audi's will more likely trade up to a Q7 S Line or even the next version of the A8.