Audi A6 Avant 2.0 TDI Ultra SE Auto

With a world record to its name, expert car reviewer Andrew Frankel says the Audi A6 Avant sets standards for range and comfort few others can meet

Audi A6 Avant 2.0 TDI Ultra SE Auto

This model from £35,485

The pace of change among large saloons and estates has been slower of late than in other categories because so many great strides towards low fuel consumption have already been made. That said, the Audi A6 Ultra provides a potent package of those things you need, such as great fuel efficiency and commensurately low CO2 with those features you really look forward to finding in a large executive car. It has the looks, the comfort, the refinement and the space to offer a real home-from-home to tired business folk.

All this would have been possible in the past, but only at the price of very limited performance: but these days Audi knows how to get a lot of power out of a relatively small diesel without torpedoing its economy. Hence what we have here is a large estate claimed to be able to do both 140mph and well over 60mpg.