Audi A6 Saloon (04-11) - Review

The A6 has a roomy interior, easily large enough to accommodate five adults. Air conditioning and electric windows are standard, and the A6 comes with an electronic parking brake which is activated through a switch on the centre console, saving space. All the engines on offer are refined and make a minimal contribution to interior noise, although road noise is an issue on models with large wheels. For rear passengers there's decent leg and headroom and the seats offer a nice balance of soft comfort and good support.

The boot offers a decent luggage capacity of 546 litres - that's slightly bigger than alternatives like the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes E-Class. The load area itself is wide and fairly easy to access, although the boot lip is quite high. However the rear seats split 60/40 and fold down so you can carry longer items. Up front there's good storage with a decent size glovebox plus an additional cubby in the armrest between the front seats.

The A6 dashboard is more driver-focused than in previous Audis with the centre section angled towards the driver. The steering adjusts for reach and height and there is a range of adjustment for the front seats while the long cabin produces a large glass area, resulting in good all-round visibility. Everything feels well make and materials are top quality. Even the glove compartment has a separate electronic release button on the dashboard. The A6 has what Audi calls a Multi Media Interface (MMI) as standard, through which the driver can select, activate and adjust various controls. It takes a few minutes to get used to using it, but it becomes more intuitive over time. Facelifted models (from October 2008) come with a new version of the system which is easier to operate thanks to a more intuitive 'joystick' control, plus the a high-tech 3D sat nav programme and a 40GB music hard drive. Annoyingly though, the off-clutch foot rest is still very narrow and too upright to be comfortable on long journeys.