Item: Used Audi A6 Avant 2018-present
Rating: 4
Author: What Car? Team

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/5-series/estate/used-review/n17983">BMW 5 Series Touring</a> has long been the benchmark estate in this class. It’s plush enough inside to compare with just about any other car on sale. It has a spacious, well-appointed interior and it’s great to drive, with a refined and economical range of engines.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mercedes-benz/e-class/estate/used-review/n915">Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate </a>has a range of smooth and strong engines, a supple ride and a generous amount of standard equipment. It’s good to drive, if not up to the 5 Series’ exceptional level. Its boot is simply huge.&nbsp;

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<h2 dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/audi/a6?nearlynew=true&amp;used=true&amp;derivative.category=estate&amp;yearFrom=2018">Find a used Audi A6 with What Car? &gt;&gt;</a></h2>

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What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

<h3>Faulty crash sensors</h3>

A small number of cars made between 1 July and 15 September 2020 were fitted with faulty crash sensors for the front side airbags. Check with an Audi dealer to find out if your car is affected by this because the sensors will need to be replaced if it is.

<h3>Moisture in the mild-hybrid system</h3>

An issue with moisture getting into the mild-hybrid system has been found with cars manufactured between 10 August 2018 and 11 March 2020. Find out if your A6 is affected by this because repairs will need to be carried out at an&nbsp;Audi to prevent future issues.

<h3>Panoramic sunroof glass</h3>

There's a possibility that the glass fitted to the panoramic sunroof of some cars built between 16 July and 10 October 2018 could become unstuck from the frame. Check with an Audi dealer whether or not your A6 is affected by this, because the glass will need to removed and stuck back into place if it is.

The latest A6 wasn't included&nbsp;in the latest What Car? Reliability Survey. However, Audi as a brand didn't do as&nbsp;well as BMW (ninth place), coming in 22nd overall&nbsp;place out of 31 <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2020-what-car-reliability-survey-brands/n20069">car manufacturers</a> in the same survey. It did finish ahead of Mercedes in 26th, though.

If you would like to see the full reliability list, head to the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2020-what-car-reliability-survey-family-suvs/n20064">What Car? Reliability Survey</a> pages for more information.

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Estate

Audi is a brand that sets the standard for interior quality, and this, combined with its vast and ever-growing model line-up, has helped it become one of the ‘big three’ German prestige car makers, along with BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

The A3 hatchback, A4 executive saloon and Q7 SUV have all won their classes at the What Car? Car of the Year Awards in recent years, while the TT coupé is the most decorated car in the history of the ceremony.

At least some of Audi's success over the past 30 years can be attributed to the growth in sales of vehicles with four-wheel drive; the company arguably led the way in bringing 4x4 technology into the mainstream, with its Quattro coupé in the early 1980s.

Today, most Audis are available with at least the option of four-wheel drive, while the list of SUVs from the brand includes the Q2, Q3, Q5 and Q7.

AUDI

The Audi A6 Avant is comfortable, quiet and capacious, and a solid used buy.

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Used Audi A6 Avant

<h3 dir="ltr">MPG</h3>

Not surprisingly, the 40 TDI is the more economical of the engine options, with a combined&nbsp;figure of&nbsp;&nbsp;49.6mpg. The 50 TDI isn't quite as good at&nbsp;40.4mpg.

There's not a huge amount of difference between the various petrol models, with the best being the 40 TFSI at 38.2mpg, followed by&nbsp;the 45TFSI that gets&nbsp;35.8mpg, while the 55 TFSI drops down to 33.6mpg.&nbsp;

<h3 dir="ltr">Road tax (VED)</h3>

Annual car tax (VED) will be charged at the flat rate,&nbsp;but the Avant will also attract a supplementary luxury car tax for cars that had a list price of&nbsp;more than £40,000 when&nbsp;new, and that applies between years two and six. Current fees are £155 a year road tax and £335 a year for the supplementary tax. To find out more about the current <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/car-tax-changes-in-2019-%E2%80%93-what-do-i-need-to-know/n1153">road tax costs, click here</a>. &nbsp;

<h3 dir="ltr">Servicing and insurance</h3>

Insurance groups range from 36 to 42, and servicing costs are reasonable, with a number of schemes designed to spread the cost. Depending upon the type of&nbsp;driving you do, servicing intervals are either annually or every 9300 miles, or bi-annually and every 18,600 miles.&nbsp;

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Used Audi A6 Avant 2018-present

The A6 Avant is comfortable, quiet and capacious, as well as being beautifully built



You can find a good used A6 Avant of 2018/2019 vintage for between £25,000 and £30,000, depending on engine and trim, which is a reasonable saving on the price of a new one. For a saving on the new price,&nbsp;spend between £30,000 and £35,000 on a 2020&nbsp;model with a nominal mileage from a franchised dealer.&nbsp;

To keep up to date with used A6 Avant prices, use our free valuation tool to make sure you are getting the best deal.

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/car-valuation/">Check the value of a used Audi A6 Avant with What Car? Valuations</a>

<h3 dir="ltr">Engine</h3>

The 2.0 TDI four-cylinder diesel is an engine that imbues the A6 Avant with remarkable refinement, such that there are times you wouldn’t know it was a diesel. It’s the cheapest in the range and is also the most economical and, unless you are more interested in straight-line speed, that’s enough to make it the one we’d seek out.&nbsp;

<h3 dir="ltr">Specification</h3>

Likewise, we’d stick with Sport trim as this offers all the goodies you could reasonably want or need.&nbsp;

Our favourite Audi A6 Avant: 2.0 TDI Sport

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Huge boot and excellent practicality</li> <li>Plenty of interior space so you can carry passengers as well as luggage </li> <li>Strong engines to pull a heavily laden car</li> <li>Comfortable ride, especially on the motorway</li> <li>Low running costs for company car drivers</li></ul>

If you’re after bags of space but you don’t want to commit to the van-like dimensions and styling of an MPV, there are some great estate cars on offer that should do the job.

Tricks to look out for include an electric tailgate&nbsp;that opens automatically when you wave your foot under the rear bumper; this is&nbsp;particularly handy if you’re trying to load in a heavy or&nbsp;bulky item. You should also look for handles in the side of the boot itself that can drop down the rear seats; these are much more convenient than having to walk around the side of the car to do it.

There are some terrific estates at most price ranges. The humble Skoda Fabia Estate offers cavernous space for not much cash at all, for example.

Further up the price range, another of our perennial favourites is the Skoda Superb Estate;&nbsp;it’s great to drive and as practical as most people should ever need. Meanwhile, for serious mile-munching ability and a premium, well-finished interior, it’s hard to look beyond the BMW 5 Series Touring.

This is a very large car so check the front and back for scuffs and dents, and the alloy wheels for any kerb damage. Check that all the electrical equipment works as it should, including sat-navs, seat motors and climate control. Check the electric rear tailgate too.&nbsp;

It’s too early in the life of this particular A6 to identify specific problems, but the number of faults on the older model was relatively low. Among them, problems with the car’s infotainment system were a cause for concern, with phones not connecting and flickering screens being the main complaints. The latest software from Audi can cure some of these ills. Despite the old A6’s reputation for having a great interior, there were some issues with rattling parcel shelves and buzzing from interior trims.

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It might be difficult for younger people to believe – especially if they've seen these pictures of the Audi A6 Avant –&nbsp;but years ago <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/estate">estate cars</a> were viewed very much as the poor relations.

A longer, heavier and more ungainly back was grafted onto a saloon body and the basic rear suspension meddled with until the car could carry half a hundredweight of coal – but often couldn’t deal with bumps or corners satisfactorily.

Such horrific things are no longer allowed to happen, and these days an estate will drive almost identically to the model it’s based on. So if you like the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/a6/saloon/used-review/n19719">Audi A6</a>, you’ll like the A6 Avant, which is merely the estate version of that very impressive car.

Anyone looking for a load-lugging Avant will probably want a diesel engine under the bonnet, and there are two to choose from: a 201bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel (illogically badged 40 TDI) and a 282bhp 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel (50 TDI).

If you fancy petrol, you can have a 2.0-litre in either 201bhp 40 TFSI, or a more potent 261bhp 45 TFSI form. There's also a 335bhp 3.0-litre petrol in case you want to deliver things even faster.

Likewise with trim, for the moment there are only two: Sport and S line. Sport-spec A6 Avants come with most of the luxuries you’re likely to want, including heated front seats, part-leather upholstery, satellite navigation, keyless entry and go, and 18in alloy wheels. Upgrading to S line trim brings 19in alloy wheels, sportier looks and leather and Alcantara seats.

Choosing the Black edition increases the wheel size to 20in and gets you plenty of black trim on the exterior, while Vorsprung models have the kitchen sink thrown at them in terms of kit, including 21in wheels, matrix LED headlights, extra safety technology and an upgraded stereo.

On the road, the 40 TDI version is the more logical choice because it's a good compromise between power and economy. It has more than enough grunt, although its seven-speed automatic gearbox can occasionally leave you waiting for it.

The 50 TDI model is a real flyer, and, like the less powerful engine, is remarkably quiet. It’s attached to an eight-speed automatic gearbox that can also pause before delivering anything.&nbsp;

There were four suspension options to choose from when the car was new. Entry-level Sport trim uses conventional steel springs and dampers.&nbsp;S line models use the same, but stiffened and lowered. You'll need to run to the top-of-the-range Vorsprung version for&nbsp;adaptive suspension with switchable dampers that can be softened or stiffened to suit your mood.

When you approach a corner, the Avant feels lighter and more agile than its size would lead you to expect. Some cars even come with four-wheel steering, which makes things sharper still. There’s plenty of traction, whether front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive quattro, and the overall balance gives the driver&nbsp;confidence, although one or two of the Audi's luxury car rivals are more precise.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Inside, it’s easy to find the right driving position, thanks to an electrically adjustable seat and steering wheel. The driver is definitely pampered, with lumbar support and a dashboard of unimpeachable logic and good quality materials.

As standard, you get clear analogue dials ahead of you, but if the Technology Pack has been added these are replaced by digital dials on a 12.3in screen. They're excellent, and do more than analogue dials because they're&nbsp;highly configurable and show a wealth of useful information just below your sightline.&nbsp;

Visibility is excellent, with front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view parking camera. Audi’s latest generation of infotainment system swaps a rotary controller (like BMW’s iDrive) for a touchscreen with haptic feedback. The screen is sharp and 8.8in diagonally across as standard, but if you add the Technology Pack, the upgrades include a 10.1in screen.

Up front, there’s plenty of space for two, while in the rear passengers enjoy more leg and head room than most rival cars offer. A central third passenger will have to straddle a small central tunnel but otherwise gets a good amount of room. The boot is positively massive, and is a good shape and easily accessible – it’s one of the best in its estate car class.&nbsp;

If you're interested in finding a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/audi/a6?nearlynew=true&amp;used=true&amp;derivative.category=estate&amp;yearFrom=2018">used A6 Avant</a>, or any of the other estate cars mentioned here, head over to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars">Used Car Buying</a>&nbsp;pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at great prices.

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Used Audi A6 Avant 2018-present review

Our recommendations

Which used Audi A6 estate should I buy?

Engine