Review of the new Audi A6 2.7 TDI V6

Maybe the suits at Audi's Ingolstadt HQ have been boning up on their product plans. Alternatively one of them may well have been consulting Goldilocks and the Three Bears, for in slotting the 2.7-litre TDI V6 version of the A6 between the 2.0-litre and 3.0-litre diesel models already offered, Audi have created saloon and estate models that may well be 'just right' for a number of key buyers.

Essentially a downsized version of the 3.0-litre TDI unit, the 2.7-litre powerplant is the lightest in its class while still turning out a punchy 180bhp. It needs all that power and all of its 380Nm of torque as well, as the A6 is a seriously sizeable slice of metalwork. Unlike early TDI engines, which possessed a savagely spiky power delivery, this one does its best work in a comparatively broad Range between 1,400 and 4,250rpm, and will get the A6 to 60mph in just 7.9 seconds. A top speed of 141mph is a very creditable achievement for a diesel car although the fuel economy and emissions figures are predictably good. On the combined cycle - a simulation of town and open road driving - the A6 2.7 TDI will return an average of 41.5mpg. Business users will be keen to see that the 3.0-litre car's rather hefty 229g/km of carbon dioxide is pared back to a more manageable 181g/km figure.

The engine is a very high-tech piece of design that uses a separate high pressure fuel pump serving each bank of cylinders. The common rail system permits up to five squirts of fuel to be injected on each stroke of the piston at a massive injection pressure of 1600 bar. Your car tyres are probably inflated to around 30psi. 1600bar converts to 23,206 psi. This enormous pressure atomises the fuel to a fine mist and ensures that it's burnt in the most efficient, and therefore economical, manner.

Fully compliant with Euro4 emissions regulations and thus sidestepping the three per cent benefit in kind taxation levied on non compliant vehicles, the A6 2.7 TDI offers, According to Emmox Carcost, the lowest running costs in its specific sector and also achieves the highest residual value after three years of ownership. It's safe to say that although it starts at £27,085, you're not going to lose your shirt on this car.

"Initial data suggests you're not going to lose your shirt on this car"

If you're feeling particularly flush given the amount of money you'll save on running costs, Audi have a tempting air suspension option to claw some of that money back into their coffers. It's based on the system already offered on the A8 and features continuously variable dampers with four pre-determined settings selected by the driver via the Multi Media Interface. If you live in an area blighted by speed humps, you may well want to explore the possibility of air suspension, or at least test drive a demonstrator with it fitted. It renders sleeping policemen virtually redundant. If you really want to go the whole hog, you can get the 2.7 TDI engine with Quattro 4x4 transmission.

Equipment levels are comprehensive. Aluminium trim inserts brighten the interior and there's a CD player located in the glovebox that's linked to a 10 speaker 160 watt stereo system. Cruise control, electrically heated windscreen washers and door mirrors, rain sensing wipers and a Thatcham Category 1 ultrasonic alarm are also included. SE specification adds features such as 17-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, a 160-watt stereo with a glovebox mounted CD player and the Comfort Air-Conditioning System Plus. Opt for the slinky S line Range topper and you'll get 18-inch rims, reprofiled front and rear bumpers, headlamp washers, sports suspension, sports seats with black/leather/speed cloth, and an S line grille and badge set. Safety on all models is well taken care of with anti lock brakes, Bosch ESP stability control, EDL traction control, and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) with brake assist. Twin front and side airbags are also fitted.

The key styling feature is that prominent grille or, as Audi prefer to call it, the 'single frame'. Look beyond that and you'll notice the curvaceous flanks, topped and tailed by a sharp longitudinal crease line that forms a definite hip and the rising edge in the door sills that creates a great deal of tension and shadow in the A6's profile. The Ingolstadt company claims the world's tightest shut lines and the panel fit around the door is indeed superb, the 2.5mm apertures between the doors and body panels being astonishingly uniform. Gone are the days when the 'pound coin test' would separate the best from the rest when it comes to panel fit.

The design isn't all show however. The neat integrated tail spoiler helps cut rear lift to a quarter of the outgoing model's figure and the drag coefficient has been cut too from 0.31 to a slippery 0.28. Despite its slinky profile, the tale of the tape doesn't lie and the A6 is now comfortably the biggest car in its class, dwarfing rivals such as the Jaguar S-TYPE and the Lexus GS series. The overall length has swelled to 4916mm, up a whole 121mm over the outgoing car. The boot is a whopping 546 litres in all saloon models (Avant estates to follow in 2005) which is not only bigger than the 5 Series and the E-Class but also manages to put this car's big brother, the A8, in the shade.

The Audi A6 2.7 is a fine exercise in balancing the needs of business users with the requirements of private customers and is one of the rare cars that will appeal equally to both. With its spacious cabin, pleasantly punchy engine and excellent economy and emissions figures, this cars Achilles heel is hard to pinpoint. Only if you're interested in extreme handling agility or don't get along with the A6's rather striking face could you possibly find cause for complaint, but that's reaching desperately. Few cars come this close to achieving a unanimously favourable report card in so many criteria that count.

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