Audi A6 Avant 1.9 TDI

...53 MPG).
The Audi aluminium paint completely stands out from other silver cars, and the shape of the A6 Avant is in my view the absolute pinnacle of all estates.
Inside the trim was 'royal blue', with velvet seats, blue dashboard, champagne aluminium inserts etc. It just feels special. And the always-illuminated red backlit dials are just beautiful and relaxing, don't know why they abandonned that on the new ones.
Now I have ...
...(i.e. dashboard and seats), new 130 BHP engine (5 speed gearbox), and it is a very different car. It has about as much torque at 1750-2250 rpm as the 2.5 V6 TDI, so acceleration is really not a problem (even more so in the 6 speed I tried). It burns more diesel than the old one though, 48-odd MPG I reckon.
Now inside on the SE you get cruise control and CD player, but unfortunately the auto-dipping rear-view mirror is now on the accessory ... more

I am on my second A6 Avant 1.9 TDI SE... The first one did 135,000 miles without much of a fuss. It was an '99 one, so only 110 BHP, i.e. not particularly quick but you just forget that when you look at it from the outside or sit inside (and it was returning 53 MPG).
The Audi aluminium paint completely stands out from other silver cars, and the shape of the A6 Avant is in my view the absolute pinnacle of all estates.
Inside the trim was 'royal blue', with velvet seats, blue dashboard, champagne aluminium inserts etc. It just feels special. And the always-illuminated red backlit dials are just beautiful and relaxing, don't know why they abandonned that on the new ones.
Now I have a '03 one in crystal blue, with a blue interior (i.e. dashboard and seats), new 130 BHP engine (5 speed gearbox), and it is a very different car. It has about as much torque at 1750-2250 rpm as the 2.5 V6 TDI, so acceleration is really not a problem (even more so in the 6 speed I tried). It burns more diesel than the old one though, 48-odd MPG I reckon.
Now inside on the SE you get cruise control and CD player, but unfortunately the auto-dipping rear-view mirror is now on the accessory list.
It is a very spacious car. I feel claustrophobic in an A4, but the A6 feels just airy as well as cosy.
The dashboard is also great and uncluttered, it is just a relaxing car to drive.
The downside I would say is the suspension, which is quite harsh. And also the build quality seems to have gone down a little between the '99 and the '03. I have a couple of vibrations in the '03 that weren't in the old one.
As a conclusion this car is a style statement. You can look at it from every angle and marvel at the perfect curves. The interior is really special. The drive is probably not but you forget it because the car is so beautiful. 

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