In the executive car market, size counts for a great deal. Being the biggest car on the block has given Audi's A6 a huge advantage when it comes to boardroom car park kudos but executive level estates are another proposition altogether. Torn between whether to replicate the 'biggest is best' philosophy or stick with their subtle sportwagon style estates, Audi seem to have embraced compromise and innovation with the latest A6 Avant.

In principle, building an estate car should be easy. You simply graft on a spacious glasshouse at the back of the car and design a tailgate. For many years this formula worked but with the advent of MPV-style vehicles, customers suddenly got a good deal more demanding. They weren't content with a big box of fresh air any longer. Instead, there needed to be all sorts of utility features, hidden compartments, lashing eyes, nets, folding this and removable that. The focus on sheer size was replaced with an increasing fetish for versatility. For Audi, this is just as well for while the A6 Avant isn't a small estate car - it's marginally more spacious in the rear than a BMW 5 Series Touring - if you want some serious carrying capacity, it's still best to stick with Mercedes or Volvo.

What the Audi does offer is probably the most meticulously developed loading bay of any estate car to date. The flat 105cm wide load floor features a pair of recessed rails and these are the key to many of the A6's features. Fitted with four sliding, adjustable and lockable lashing eyes, it's possible to couple the lashing eyes with the standard luggage net so that bags aren't sent flying around the load bay during spirited cornering. Bag hooks integrated into the luggage compartment and an additional luggage net on one side also keep things firmly in place. A lockable side compartment can be specified as an optional extra, helping to keep valuables safely out of sight.

Lift up the load floor and you'll find a large plastic tray that's ideal for putting muddy boots or stinking dog toys. The floor itself can be locked into a number of positions to prevent items sliding around in the load area. Perhaps the A6 Avant's neatest trick is to offer an optional telescopic rail which slots into the conventional rail mechanism and can be used to wedge luggage into place. Still the ideas keep coming. A retaining strap can be used to pin objects securely against the sides of the luggage compartment at the push of a button. If after all this, you manage to break the family china in the back of an Audi A6, you're either lazy, stupid or exceedingly unlucky.

"The depth of thought that has gone into this car is quite breathtaking."

Of course, it may just be that you neglected to fully read the telephone book-sized owner's manual or fell asleep during the dealer handover. With the possible exception of the Citroen Pluriel, it's tough to think of another car that's more involved to get to grips with. Take the storage box system. Secured to the rails by means of the lashing eyes, this can be configured facing backwards for storing smaller items of luggage or facing forwards, where it "interfaces with the through-loading facility" thus being transformed into a storage compartment accessible from the cabin. An optional reversible mat features velour carpeting on one side and a wipe-clean rubberised finish on the other, additionally incorporating a pull-out protective sheet that extends over the bumper, preventing damage to the car's paintwork. A detachable ski or snowboard bag has also been developed, as has an internal cycle rack system - we could go on but you probably get the idea already. Audi have tried to think of everything. The depth of this zeal is probably best exemplified by the tailgate. Other cars may have a tailgate that can open and close remotely at the touch of a button, but how many offer the owner the option of infinitely varying the required opening angle? Exactly.

There's a good deal of A8 in the A6's genetics. It too makes extensive use of aluminium to help trim the weight. The bonnet, front bumper, bootlid and firewall are all constructed in aluminium, although such are the volumes that Audi predict this car will sell in that an all-aluminium construction like the A8 would have proved too difficult to productionise.

Gone are the days when base specification A6 models were fitted with puny engines. This did Audi's image no good and the Avant line up consists largely of V6 and V8 engines with only a feisty 2.0T FSI and a muscular 2.0TDI carrying the 4-cylinder flag. Then comes the 2.4-litre V6 with its 175bhp output, a 177bhp 2.7-litre TDI and a 3.0-litre TDI good for 225bhp. These are followed by the 2.8 V6 FSI with 210bhp and a 3.2-litre V6 FSI engine that manages 255bhp. At the top of the mainstream Range is a 350bhp 4.2-litre V8 FSI but if you must have the ultimate, the 430bhp V10 S6 is the only way to go. There will doubtless be an even more breathtakingly powerful RS6 Avant model announced in future.

As before there are choices between front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive Quattro variants plus the further option of the allroad model with raised ride height and various offroad appendages. Gearbox options extend to six speed manual, Tiptronic automatic and the Multitronic CVT. Quite why the twin clutch DSG gearbox used in the TT 3.2 sportscar doesn't get a look in remains to be seen but seems a serious omission. All models benefit from double wishbone front and multi link rear suspension, banishing the memory of the rather agricultural torsion beam rear axle that front-wheel drive A6 models have traditionally campaigned with.

The cabin is far more spacious than any other rival and better finished to boot. With a dedicated forthcoming 4x4 model to take care of the Chelsea set, Audi have been able to concentrate on utility rather than lifestyle, and the A6 Avant is a better car for it. It's not the biggest executive estate you can buy but it might just be the best.

TOP 5 A6 DEALS

The results below show the top A6 deals on buyacar

	Audi A6 2.0 TDI DPF SE 5dr Multitronic Avant Estate
	ETR	Mthly £466	Saving £2,759	Price £26,076
	Audi A6 2.0 TDI TDV SE 5dr Avant Estate
	ETR	Mthly £438	Saving £2,600	Price £24,760
	Audi A6 3.0 TDI 233 Quattro S Line 5dr Avant Estate
	ETR	Mthly £589	Saving £3,597	Price £32,893
	Audi A6 3.0 TDi Quattro Le Mans 5dr Avant Spec edn Estate
	ETR	Mthly £585	Saving £3,610	Price £32,995
	Audi A6 2.7 TDI Quattro S Line 5dr Tip Auto Avant Estate
	ETR	Mthly £566	Saving £3,430	Price £31,545

typical 9.86% APR

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