Julian Kirk finds solace in his new Audi long-termer.

Initial impressions of the A6 Avant are good

The sadness at the departure of my E-Class long-termer has been tempered somewhat by the arrival of its replacement – an Audi A6 Avant.

Handsomely presented in stunning firmament metallic blue (£685 extra) complemented by a light grey leather interior (a £1,000 option), the Audi looks every inch the business express, helped by a set of 20-inch alloy wheels, which are a £910 upgrade – unfortunately, they also upgrade the CO2 emissions by 5g/km, pushing it a BiK tax band higher. The other external visual upgrade is privacy glass at a hefty £475.

Inside, we’ve opted for the technology pack (£1,495 – containing upgraded MMI navigation, the brilliant virtual cockpit and wireless mobile phone charging), and the £1,895 comfort and sound pack. All of which brings the price up to £50,560 – plenty of money for what is the entry-level engine in the line-up (the ‘40 TDI’ badge is part of Audi’s new naming strategy – several people so far have asked me if it’s a 4.0-litre under the bonnet).

Initial impressions are good and it’s going to be interesting to compare two key rivals back to back over an extended test period to see if the new A6 is good enough to topple the E-Class at the top of the sector.