Parkers Editor, Keith Adams (below), is running an Audi A6 Avant TDI over an extended period to see if this diesel estate cuts it in a world of electric SUVs.

Update 1: Welcome

Introducing the Audi A6 Avant TDI Quattro Launch Edition Plus

After spending six months and 12,000 miles with an Audi A5 TDI Avant, I’ve stepped up to something a little bigger, a little more luxurious and, crucially for where I live, a lot more secure when the weather turns. Say hello to my new long-termer, the Audi A6 Avant TDI Quattro. It’s the Launch Edition Plus, finished in Grenadine Red, and comes with two features I’m already very glad to have: adaptive air suspension and four-wheel drive.

Living in rural Lancashire, I’m no stranger to grim weather, poorly surfaced roads and the occasional icy climb. The A6 might not be a crossover, but with its ultra Quattro system working away in the background, it gives me real peace of mind when I’m leaving early in the morning or coming home late at night.

You might ask why I’m still driving a diesel estate in 2025. It’s a fair question. Diesel now makes up just 5% of UK car sales, and Audi’s electric A6 is already on sale. But for anyone who regularly drives long distances and doesn’t want to be stopping for fuel or charging all the time, diesel still makes a huge amount of sense

Compared with the A5 Avant, the A6 feels more laid-back, more refined and better suited to the sort of long motorway hauls I do for work. The ride on air is leagues better, the cabin’s even more hushed, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most relaxing cars I’ve ever spent time with. Over the coming months, I’ll be putting it through its paces across the length and breadth of the country and Europe – and seeing whether there’s still life in diesel yet.

What you get with the A6 Avant TDI quattro Launch Edition Plus

As you’d expect from a car nudging £70,000, the A6 Avant Launch Edition Plus is absolutely loaded. This is the top-spec model, and Audi hasn’t held back with the equipment list. From behind the wheel, it feels every bit the high-end luxury estate – and you really don’t need to add anything to make it feel complete.

Here are 10 notable features that stand out so far:

• Adaptive air suspension – gives this big diesel estate genuine comfort on the motorway.
• Four-wheel steering – improves agility at low speeds and stability at high speeds.
• Bang & Olufsen 3D Premium Sound System – not bad, but some sound modes are overkill.
• Matrix LED headlights with digital OLED rear lights – Audi’s lighting tech is seriously sharp.
• Heated seats front and rear, plus heated steering wheel – not used them yet!
• Panoramic glass roof with switchable transparency – airy, premium and just like a Dreamliner.
• Surround-view cameras and park assist plus – makes light work of tight car parks.
• Head-up display and MMI passenger screen – that passenger screen really doesn’t get used.
• Audi Connect and voice assistant with Amazon Alexa – too easily triggered by just saying ‘Audi’.
• Quattro all-wheel drive with ultra technology – dependable traction year-round, especially in rural Lancashire.

Rather unusually for a car supplied by the press office, this A6 doesn’t have a long list of optional extras – but then, it doesn’t need them. Being the Launch Edition Plus, it’s already got just about everything you could want, from the huge 21-inch wheels to the panoramic roof and that B&O stereo.

Unlike my recent run of EVs, I’m not expecting to stress over range or charging. In fact, I barely looked at the distance-to-empty when I picked it up – a full tank showing well over 600 miles felt reassuringly old-school. With my 380-mile round-trip commute to the office, I’m looking forward to just wafting up and down the motorway and not worrying about where the next plug is hiding.

It still needs to deliver, though. Diesel’s no longer the cheap fuel it once was, and my old 280hp petrol Skoda Superb L&K used to return 40mpg on the same M6 slog. This Audi will have to do better than that, despite being heavier and a lot more tech-laden.

Over the coming months, I’ll be digging into whether a diesel estate still makes any sense in a world of electrification and ever-stricter emissions rules. On paper, the A6 looks like a deeply capable car – but it’s how it performs in the real world that matters. Let’s see if diesel still has something to offer.

Audi A6 Avant long-term test: scores on the doors

Model tested: TDI Quattro Launch Edition Plus

Top photo: Sue Long