Chief among the reasons we wish we had Europe’s selection of station wagons is that, unlike the crossovers that have taken their place in the market, station wagons are just as fast and comfortable as, well, cars. Sometimes they are even more beautiful than the sedans on which they are based. Case in point: the new Audi A6 Avant. With a slightly coupe-like roofline, it looks sporty and somewhat more interesting than the conservatively styled sedan. And, for active Europeans, the A6 Avant will swallow lots of gear—20 cubic feet with the rear seats up and 59 with them folded.
The engine range begins with a 177-hp, 2.0-liter TDI. Above that are three variations of the 3.0-liter V-6 TDI: one with 204 hp, one with 245, and a top-of-the-line 313-hp version. With the most powerful of these, the A6 Avant is said to reach 62 mph in a mere 5.4 seconds, and top speed is governed to 155 mph.
Against that, the 300 hp of the most powerful gas engine, Audi’s supercharged 3.0-liter V-6, would seem unimpressive if we didn’t already know how wonderful and flexible that engine is. The only naturally aspirated engine is a 2.8-liter V-6 with 204 hp. A CVT is available with less-powerful engines, while the 313-hp diesel gets an eight-speed automatic and other models have a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. A six-speed manual is available, but only on the 2.0-liter TDI, which is front-drive only. Quattro is available with all of the V-6s and standard with the higher-output mills.
The A6 Avant is brimming with gimmicks, including hands-free operation of the rear hatch. Like the European-market Passat sedan, the Avant sports a sensor under its rear bumper. Wave your foot beneath it—with the proximity key on your person, of course—and the hatch will pop. The cargo cover can be operated electrically as well, so you can either hide your suspicious cargo or make passersby suspicious of innocuous cargo. Shortly after the Avant's launch, Audi will offer a four-camera parking aid similar to Infiniti’s Around-View Monitor, which displays a birds-eye view of the car and its surroundings. Radar-based cruise control is almost a given, and, while we’ve never met an adaptive-cruise system we liked, this one will at least operate up to the A6’s 155-mph top speed.
The U.S., of course, will not get the A6 Avant, but the car will launch elsewhere in August. Next year, an S6 Avant with a turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 will follow, and an RS6 with close to 600 hp will eventually join the lineup as well. Can the rest of the U.S. please reconsider its position on station wagons?
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