Audi A6 review

The all-new Audi A6 is packed with technology, but it's the executive car's refinement and build quality that really impress.

2012 Audi A6 Interior

When it snows here in the UK we're told to pack sleeping bags, shovels and flasks full of tea. Audi man, faced with crossing powdered white mountains needs nothing more than his crisply pressed suit and designer stubble.

His journey is long but immensely enjoyable. We know this because it warrants a montage in Audi's promotional video for the all-new A6, the seventh generation of the German firm's executive saloon that started life in 1968 as the 100. Exactly where the Colin Farrell look-alike is going is anyone's guess but it involves travelling up a lot of hills and through weather that has deteriorated from sun to rain and now lots of snow.

Audi A6

There's trouble ahead for our hero though as just up ahead a recently fallen tree is blocking the road. Outside in the bitter cold people struggle to clear the obstacle, battling with their bare hands to lift, push, pull or roll the huge object - anything so that the road can be reopened. Exhausted and cold they must be relieved to see Audi man arrive, looking young, strong and dressed in completely inappropriate clothes for the conditions. He's clearly a hardy chap; if anyone can help, he can. They wave at Audi man, waiting in hope for their sharp-suited hero to emerge from his remarkably still very clean new car.

He, however, is engrossed in switching on his seat massage function to relieve the boredom of waiting for these peasants to clear the road before giving up and asking his Google Earth enabled satnav to find an alternative route. In a flash Audi man spins his A6 around and, safely cocooned in his bubble of technology, gets on with his clearly very important journey.

We never do find out where he was going, only that he never would have been able to get there without all of the A6's groundbreaking technology. So many systems do Audi's range toppers get these days that the UK operation is considering laying on tutorials for customers in the style of Apple's iStore sessions so that they may start to get to grips with at least some of the following: night vision assistant, head-up display, park assist (both parallel and perpendicular), side assist, active lane assist, wireless internet hub, active cruise control, active lighting, pre-sense safety system and the fingertip sensitive touch pad.