Audi A6 Avant road test reports and car reviews

Audi A6 Avant 2.0 tdi Avant SLine Auto 2007

A beautiful looking estate car inside and out but driving on anything aside of a smoothly tarmaced motorway gets tiresome. Stay clear of the S line variants as the handling can only be described as overly firm! As mentioned by many the front seats are atrociously uncomfortable for such an expensive car and the steering is far too light and gives very little feedback! I have found it dangerously underpowered when pulling away from standstill and it is a COMPLETE joke in the snow. Two punctures on relatively new tyres have resulted in costly replacement tyres as the low profile matched with the vehicle weight seal their fate instantly. To date, it’s been plagued with continuous rough idle problems, one shockingly diagnosed engine failure by Audi recovery (only to be rectified by an engine management software upgrade). Even so it continues to judder with alarming regularity. The Injector seals have been replaced and the car is currently undergoing ANOTHER software upgrade! To date Audi have yet to replace the actual injectors under warranty. I have had to travel to find a good Audi dealer as I have been underwhelmed by my closest representative. I really do want to like this car but it fails to live up to expectations.

Audi A6 Avant 2.0 TDISE 2005

Bought the car new to replace my 02 Merc 220cdi. A great car but for a few niggles: Blown intercooler at 30k, repaired under warranty; Constantly failing rear washer jet, repaired by Audi, lasted about a fortnight then stopped working again! I Haven’t had a rear washer for 3 years now; exhaust gas management failed at 60k. Main dealer service is overpriced and over rated. They charged me 1,285 pounds for a service and cam belt change and then tried to tell me I needed new rear pads at 280 pounds when there was still a good 20k of wear left !! Now at 97k and having problems with the electronic park brake. Audi deny any problems with this (even though every forum lists this as a common fault with the EPB). On a positive note, mpg varies from 46-56 with performance impressive for a 2.0. It’s worth noting that an earlier recall to the ECU resulted in power loss in low revs through gears 1&2 and after a particulary terrifying incident crossing the M62 and suffering power loss during acceleration, I rang Norwich Audi and demanded the car be returned to its original settings. After some deliberation and a call to Germany for the codes this was done and the car behaved superbly! Ride quality is firm and you tend to feel all the bumps, my wife gets car sick on virtually every journey! To summise, the car has a few flaws but is otherwise a good motor let down by poor service and attention from the dealers. Incidently, for good value servicing and maitenance in Norwich call Autogas in Alston Rd, Audi, vw and SEAT specialist. Serviced my car for £140, rear pads replaced all in for £120 !

Audi A6 Avant 2007

(Because of the requirement to select a county "England" is indicated. However, I am in America.) You folks in the UK have had your problems. I took delivery of my A6 Avant in the dead winter (2007) and dealt with a week of what we call ’black’ ice and snow - passing (broken down on the side of the road) every other vehicle I had originally considered purchasing. I’m in hilly Northern Virginia, doing a combination of highway, local, and rural driving. My vehicle handles the snow quite well....then again, I am used to driving near a ski resort in the Rockie Mountains. That said, the car has been having fits lately, as it neared 40,000 miles. First the key fob would fail to work - which I attributed to the three year old battery. Then, in order, came the following: 1. The moon roof would reopen after being closed. 2. The emergency brake light falsely indicated failure - for one day and one day only. There was no issue engaging or releasing the brake. The message never reappeared after that day. 3. The lights on the MMI system controls came on simultaneously, quit, and then the system shut down. 4. If you inadvertently bump the radio control (which fails) you can hear the speakers attempting to connect, continuing so until the ignition is turned off. 5. The hydraulics for the rear hatch failed numerous times. But, re-engaged after I turned over the ignition. 6. The doors would no longer open when using the key fob. 7. The entire vehicle died when attempting to start up - as a result, the ignition key would not release. 8. The key finally released after the battery was jump started. 9. I’ve been trying to get my dealer to return my calls for three days. I loved my car up to this point. Needless to say, I am not feeling the least bit civil. Am I the only one to encounter such failures?

Audi A6 Avant 2005

No review submitted.

Audi A6 Avant 2.0TDI Multitronic 2008

Solidly built and finished but not a nice car to drive in anything but dry, perfect road conditions. Absolute nightmare in the snow and even got stuck last year in a Supermarket car park (which was flat!!!) and on a main bus route in town. Reverse park assist also goes off even if you are in a clear area and takes 5 or so seconds to get it’s bearings and switch off. Sat Nav has some strange ideas about destinations and it would be great to be able to just enter a post code! Can’t wait for the lease to end and to get my next car and have even installed a countdown display on my computer to show me how long to go.

Audi A6 Avant 2.0 tdi 2006

Not what I expected compared to my last A6 2.5 tdi; poor fuel consumption, used to get 42mpg, now 34mpg. No power when pulling away in first, cuts out without warning if you don’t keep the revs well up in first and second, had the same fault that someone else mentioned i.e. the high level light let in water and the tailgate filled up with water when it rained. Sat nav was great when driving from London to Scotland but is rubbish where we live - keeps trying to send me up one way streets. All in all disappointed compared to the older models and would definitely go for the larger engine next time, feel the 2.0 is a false economy.

Audi A6 Avant S Line 2008

I have just taken delivery of a new A6 2.0 Tdi S Line from www.carlease.uk.com. Fabulous car, great value for money compared to everything else on the market. Better build quality than other manufacturers. Everything about the deal from Grange Court Leasing was excellent, the price, how quickly they delivered and how efficient the company was....Thanks guys.... looking forward to changing in 2 years time with you...

Audi A6 Avant A6 Avant SE 2008

I have had my brand New Audi A6 Avant since Monday - today is Thursday - the car is fantastic to drive and the build quality is very good. It is a very roomy car with lots of gadgets which you think having paid for the kit so that you can use an iPod it would come with the cable that attaches the iPod to the ICE system... no that is an extra £30. I have tried to use the Audi sat nav system which is operated through the MMi system and it is so difficult to operate and when you do manage to get an address locked in you find it is only accurate to about 2 miles. I had two Audi salesmen trying to get the thing sorted and teach me how to use it - that was two hours wasted. I have given up on the Audi sat nav and will use my after market unit - a Garmin Nuvi that finds and locates addresses accurately. As far as I am concerned the Audi system is a total waste of money and is now an ornament. I did not expect such poor quality for this money. If the rest of the car was like it a would have returned the car. My next car (probably not Audi) will not have a built in sat nav!

Responses to this review

I have an A4 with Sat Nav MMI system and it is really simple to use..can I suggest it’s not the system but the user! :-) David from England

Have an Audi A6 2008 2.0TDi S-line with MMI Sat Nav and it is very acurate and easy to use once you have set up the personal settings, is acurate to every corner, junction and my front door. Very pleased with my car and hope to report the same in another years time - Adam from Cambridgeshire

Audi A6 Avant 2.8. 2008

Extremely roomy car with lots of extras; but they do cost a lot extra... Wouldn’t have bought a less powerful model and will opt for the RS6 once I come to buy another. Only problem is stopping my BMW driving wife from stealing it.