Christmas holidays in the life of a motoring journalist is a time where if you are lucky enough, a manufacturer will loan you a nice set of wheels for use during the holidays.

This year, Audi kindly offered me a car and because I was doing some serious mileage to the in-laws in Somerset, I gratefully accepted.

Transporting my wife, son, the usual paraphernalia for a 15-month old, plus presents in our five-door Volkswagen Golf wouldn't have been much fun; so instead I went for the biggest available, an A6 3.0 TFSi SE Quattro Avant.

There was another reason I plumped for this A6, as remembering the snowy weather of last year, this model's Quattro four-wheel drive gave me more confidence in making my final destination. Typical then, that it turned out to be one of the mildest festive periods on record!


When the specification sheet arrived just before the car, I was surprised that with all the options (of which made up a page) the original £40,040 price of OY61LPU had increased to a smidge under £73,000. Yes, you heard that right, over £70,000 big ones, for an Audi estate that wasn't one of the super quick S models.

First test for the big Audi estate was loading it on Christmas Eve morning in readiness for our trip to Somerset. I'll admit that after seeing the luggage for the four day trip, plus presents (mostly for my son) I worried that the 565 litres of bootspace would be enough.

It all went in eventually, but the standard power-operated boot turned out to be more of a hinderance than a help. I had to load right up to the edge of the luggage compartment and the safety mechanism that detects whether there's someone or something in the way of shutting, didn't like this. As such, it would almost close and then reopen partly. The only way I found to close it was a firm hand on the boot as it shut.

All this loading also made me think about the A6's design. There's no doubt that the latest A6 Avant is a good looking estate car, but I wonder how much rear loadspace is lost with the curvy rear styling. Yes, more upright designs aren't as attractive, but I bet you can get more in them.


The Christmas Eve route gave me a chance to try this A6's performance and handling, sadly the news wasn't all good. The 3.0 TFSi I thought would be rapid all the time with its 155mph top speed and 0-60mph acceleration in 5.6 seconds. In reality, unless in sport mode, this engine felt lazy and happier as a cruiser.

In just under the 500 miles I had this car, even fully loaded and on occasions driven hard, we were averaging around 30mpg - which I don't think is bad. The standard start/stop system obviously helping here.

The handling wasn't as sharp as I had hoped either; the optional adaptive air suspension might have given a surprisingly composed ride on the big alloys, but left in auto mode I felt there was too much body roll and the car could feel a bit floaty at speed. Playing with the other suspension settings didn't help much to remedy this either.

Still, on muddy roads the extra grip of the Quattro four-wheel drive system was noticeable and welcome. The LED headlights with auto high beam assist (£2,710), were also the best I've tried.

During this drive, I got accustomed to the A6's interior. In general, it was a pleasant and in the case of this car, well-equipped place to be. The dashboard design is attractive, the build quality first rate and the seats and driving position very comfortable. My son had more than enough space in the back too.


The distinctive Oakwood, beaufort inlays (a £700 option on the dash, console and doors) were a constant source of comment for my wife and I, plus anyone that travelled in the car during the time I had it. We were not fans and I'm not sure it represents good value for money.

However, I was a fan of the MMI navigation Plus system with its touch keypad (£1,175), the punchy but frighteningly expensive Bang & Olufsen advanced sound system (£6,300) and the way it hooked into my iPod via the music interface (£260) and could make the most of my CDs via the CD/DVD autochanger (£680).

The way the MMI screen popped out and the tweaters rose out of the dashboard never ceased to raise a smile when I drove this car.

Christmas over and the A6 was pushed into further trips to see relatives and the sales. The trip to the shops was an eye-opening one, as it involved negotiating a modern multi-story car park.

Easier said than done you would think, after all this car was fitted with front parking sensors and rear reversing camera. Wrong, as this was the only time I found the A6's size a problem. The small, tight route through the car park was a constant source of worry about damaging one of the 20-inch alloys.

Then, when I did park, the A6 appeared to dwarf the small modern space.

So, after this time with the A6, if I had the money would I buy one? Well, I really missed it when the man from Audi came to take it away, as there's no doubt it's an attractive, high quality car. However, if it was my money, I would go for the 2.0-litre TDi diesel with a more sensible specification.