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2012 Audi A6 Avant: Another wagon Americans just don’t get anymore

Filed under: Wagon, Europe, Audi, Diesel, Luxury

2012 Audi A6 Avant

2012 Audi A6 Avant – Click above for high-res image gallery

Worldwide, 60 percent of all A6 sales are Avants.

We return to an old whine: Why exactly does the United States as a whole clearly possess the psyche that can categorically reject perhaps the two most useful body configurations ever thought of for road-going automobiles? Namely, the hatchback in all its various configurations and the most wonderful all-rounder on Earth, the station wagon.

Regarding the latter, witness this latest chapter in sensational wagoning, estating, call it what you will: the new 2011-12 Audi A6 Avant, which just had the covers pulled off it at a Berlin ceremony. We know that opinionists sprout from the ether of the Internet and have the habit of saying things in ways that reflect the writer’s intensely personal and frequently skew-ish “obvious reason why” North America many years ago thumbed its collective nose at the wagon. But go ahead and comment; it’s a lively and fun ritual. And for more of our own commentary, continue reading…

Continue reading 2012 Audi A6 Avant: Another wagon Americans just don’t get anymore

2012 Audi A6 Avant: Another wagon Americans just don’t get anymore originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 May 2011 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2012 Audi A6 Avant arrives, automatically acquires adulation

Filed under: Car Buying, Wagon, Europe, Audi

2012 audi a6 avant

2012 Audi A6 Avant – Click above for high-res image gallery

We love a good station wagon. Audi has just pulled the wraps off its sleek new 2012 Audi A6 Avant, and we’re already swooning over the capacious cargo-hauler.

‘Lightweight’ seems to be the buzzword for the latest A6 wagon. The body is comprised of bits of aluminum (20 percent of it in fact), and the A6 benefits from composite construction that integrates high-strength steel where needed to keep passengers safe. The lightweight approach to construction has helped the 2012 A6 Avant drop 66 pounds versus the previous model, and depending on the powertrain installed, the new car is as much as 154 pounds lighter than the one it replaces. The base A6 2.0 TDI Avant, for example, weighs just 3,616 pounds.

The A6 Avant is available with a choice of six engines and four transmissions. The base unit is a 2.0-liter TDI turbo-diesel four-cylinder that produces 177 horsepower, and is rated to consume approximately 47 miles per gallon when paired with a six-speed manual gearbox. A larger diesel is offered in the form of a twin-turbo 3.0-liter TDI mill, available in 204-, 245- and 313-horsepower configurations. That last one will push the A6 Avant from 0-60 miles per hour in 5.4 seconds.

Two petrol engines are offered, measring 2.8 and 3.0 liters, and both units employ variable valve technology. The 2.8-liter FSI engine produces 204 horsepower while the 3.0-liter TFSI pumps out 300 horsepower thanks to the attached supercharger. Besides the aforementioned six-speed manual, the A6 Avant can be fitted with a CVT or the seven-speed S-Tronic gearbox. However, the 3.0 TDI is equipped with an eight-speed Tiptronic transmission.

It seems there’s no word yet on whether this Audi wagon is making the jump across the pond to pose in U.S. dealerships. For now, it’s slated to go on sale in Europe later this summer with a starting price of €40,850 (approximately $58,288 USD). Read the full details in Audi’s press release, after the jump, and click through our image gallery for a smattering of high-res photos.

Continue reading 2012 Audi A6 Avant arrives, automatically acquires adulation

2012 Audi A6 Avant arrives, automatically acquires adulation originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 May 2011 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Audi A6 Avant plays in the snow

Filed under: Spy Photos, Wagon, Audi

Audi A6 Avant spy shots

Audi A6 Avant spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery

We’ve just had out first stint behind the wheel of the new-for-2012 Audi A6 sedan, destined to arrive on North American soil this fall. And while Audi is moving forward on the hybrid version of its stylish new four-door, the German automaker has been spotted testing the trusty wagon variant that will likely be revealed later this year (Frankfurt Motor Show sounds about right).

We’re eager to see how the new A6’s new styling works with the larger hind quarters, though it appears that Audi is using a more rakish rear hatch design (limiting the cargo area’s usefulness?). Expect interior and powertrain fittings to be carried over unchanged from the sedan.

Audi has always offered the A6 Avant here in the United States, so we don’t have much reason to doubt that this new iteration will also be sold Stateside. Granted, the wagon hasn’t exactly sold in great volumes here in the U.S., but if there wasn’t a business case for it on our shores, the automaker would have likely canned the current model by now.

Scroll through our high-res gallery below to see the A6 Avant prototype frolicking in the snow.

Gallery: Spy Shots: Audi A6 Avant

Audi A6 Avant spy shots