You probably don't think too much about the valves in your engine. They just pop up and down like a gaffe-prone back bencher at Prime Minister's Questions and generally only become part of your life when you snap a cam belt and bend them to kingdom come. As it happens, that was the terminal phase of my first Audi ownership experience but things have come a long way since then. Audi has, of late, been thinking deeply on the subject of the humble valve, elevating it to a position of such importance that the 2.8-litre V6 FSI engine fitted to the latest A6 is getting the big billing due to a system called Valvelift.

As a concept, Valvelift doesn't sound too thrilling. Valves lift. It's their thing. What's new? In the global scheme of things, not a whole lot. Valvelift is Audi's way of saying they have a variable valve timing system fitted to this latest 2.8-litre engine and, as variable valve timing systems go, it's fairly rudimentary with two cam contours offering two levels of valve travel. It's probably a generation behind Honda's intelligent i-VTEC system but it is a welcome addition to an engine that, in other regards, is jaw-droppingly high-tech.

Displacing 2,773cc and good for 210bhp, this powerplant sits between the 2.4 and the 3.2 FSI in the A6 firmament, and it develops a hefty 280Nm of torque that's available from 3,000 right through to 5,000rpm. This is a spread that's uncannily wide and it means that this 2.8-litre petrol offers the sort of midRange get up and go you'd expect from a decent turbodiesel. Sixty from rest takes around 8 seconds on the way to a top speed of around 150mph. Prices start from around £27,500.

Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) is a technology adopted by Audi from their Le Mans-winning cars. So dominant was the FSI engine at La Sarthe that Audi got a bit bored of winning and entered a diesel engine instead. That won too. It can only be a matter of time before they get Tom Kristiansen to enter a pedal car.

"The FSI engine may be almost impenetrably clever to those without an engineering doctorate but the end result can be appreciated by anybody"

The FSI set-up injects unleaded directly into the cylinders at a rate that's adapted According to the demands being placed on the engine by the driver. A variable intake manifold and variable camshaft adjustment provide faster response to even the slightest tweak of the throttle while helping to maximise fuel efficiency, torque and the width of the powerband. Fuel economy is a particular strong point of this powerplant and it will return a combined figure of 32.4mpg, a notable improvement on the 28.6mpg that the old A6 2.8-litre unit developed. It's worth bearing in mind that that engine (produced up until 2000) also generated a mere 193bhp, down a significant 17bhp on this current unit. There's progress for you. Some of the difference can be explained by the fitment of a six rather than a five-speed manual gearbox to the current car but the engine has to take a fair proportion of the credit.

Manufactured at Gyor in north-western Hungary, the engine is lovingly wrapped with some very attractive 'ancillaries' in terms of bodywork. Styling-wise, the A6 probably lacks the visual dynamism of the latest BMW 5-Series models but given the furore caused by its rival's unorthodox lines, that may well be a good thing. What the A6 has is an understated elegance and the lack of any discernable stigma that a more aggressively-styled car might attach to its owners. Drive a BMW or a Mercedes and certain preconceptions about you will be formed, however inaccurately, in the minds of others. Audi manages to remain usefully aloof from all that. The current A6 is certainly a more distinctive car than its predecessor with that elongated Audi family grille but it remains inconspicuous with its clean lines and simple sleek shape. Buyers seeking more of an on-road presence can get one through the S-Line specification with its lowered suspension and bigger wheels but there's still nothing overblown about the A6.

It's inside where Audi really do set the pace in the executive saloon sector. The cabin of the previous generation A6 was supremely well finished but an over-reliance on dark plastic dated the car. The current generation model, by contrast, is multi-textured and thoroughly modern beneath the skin. The imposing grille that defines the car's nose is echoed by the design on the steering wheel hub and the controls curve around the driver so that everything falls to hand. It all fits together superbly but there's an emphasis on function over form. The buttons and switches you use most are prominently located with only the car's more idiosyncratic functions confined to the computer system which is controlled by one all singing, all dancing knob behind the gearstick.

Interior space is class leading with ample rear legroom and no rival offering a larger boot than that found in the saloon version. Go for the Avant estate and although others can match or exceed the size of its load area, few can match its practicality. The flat 105cm wide loadbay features numerous handy innovations from a clever load securing system based around sliding rails in the floor to under floor storage compartments and a series of storage boxes which can be fitted to the rails.

If you're of an engineering bent, there's a lot about this engine that will interest you but this is probably neither the time nor the place to delve into the intricacies. While acquainting myself with this unit, I learned what 'hypereutectic' means, although I'm still trying to figure out another occasion where I could conceivably drop it into conversation. For the meantime at least, I'm just going to have to ponder the intricacies over a drive. A very long one, hopefully.

TOP 5 A6 DEALS

The results below show the top A6 deals on buyacar

	Audi A6 2.8 FSI Quattro S Line 5dr Tip Auto Avant Estate
	ETR	Mthly £598	Saving £3,468	Price £32,042
	Audi A6 2.8 FSI SE 5dr Avant Estate
	ETR	Mthly £482	Saving £2,820	Price £26,610
	Audi A6 2.8 FSI Quattro SE 5dr Tip Auto Avant Estate
	ETR	Mthly £542	Saving £3,150	Price £29,470
	Audi A6 2.8 FSI Quattro S Line 4dr Tip Auto Saloon
	ETR	Mthly £579	Saving £3,296	Price £30,644
	Audi A6 2.8 FSI Quattro SE 4dr Tip Auto Saloon
	ETR	Mthly £523	Saving £2,978	Price £28,072

typical 9.81% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000