2005 Audi A6 Avant Preview

However impressive these numbers are, they don't tell the whole story of the A6's transformation to Avant. Although the

Falling in line with the rest of Audi's new vehicles, the A6 Avant borrows the new corporate face initially featured on the 2003 Nuvolari sports coupe concept. (Photo: Audi Canada)

revised Avant is as wide and tall and is only a centimeter longer than its sedan counterpart, it features a wheelbase of 2.84 meters (111.8 inches) in length. This equates to a stretch of 83 mm (3.2 inches) over the sedan, a change compared with the previous generation A6 Avant. The extra length between the wheels is said to improve legroom and overall space for rear seat passengers as well as providing additional cargo space. It's a smarter and more style-conscious alternative than the typical oversized overhangs found on most wagons.

The new A6 Avant is styled similarly to the A6 sedan, which borrows the new corporate face initially featured on the 2003 Nuvolari sports coupe concept. Up front it offers a large, distinctive, single-frame front grille and narrow xenon-beam headlamps with adaptive forward lighting featuring beams that turn to illuminate the road head while cornering. The

Audi is offering the A6 with a motorized tailgate which opens and closes at the touch of a button on the key fob. (Photo: Audi Canada)

swooping, coupe-like roofline meets with a raked tailgate. Although it's not as raked as with past Avants, it is far more gracefully penned than most conventionally upright wagon designs.

For the first time, Audi is offering the A6 with a motorized tailgate which opens and closes at the touch of a button on the key fob. With a loading bay width of 1.05 meters (41.3 inches) and a total cargo capacity of 565 liters (19.95 cubic feet) with the seatbacks up and 1660 liters (58.6 cubic feet) with the seatbacks folded flat, the new A6 Avant is nothing short of cavernous. Compared to the outgoing model, it can carry 110 liters (3.8 cubic feet) more with the seats up and 70 liters (2.5 cubic feet) more when the seatbacks are down, a useful improvement.