ON THE ROAD:

IT wasn't exactly love at first sight with the A6, but by the end of our time together I did feel more than a little affection for the big German saloon.

For me, the exterior design is a little too sterile, a little too safe, but it's one of the most popular executive motors out there so there's been no real need to radically alter a winning design.

Our car was powered by a 2.0 litre diesel engine, allied to seven-speed dual clutch gearbox. It put out just short of 190bhp, with 295lb/ft of torque.

Civilised around town, it came into its own on the motorway - a four hour schlep up to Glasgow putting its credentials to the test. It's a refined beast and so quiet you feel yourself having to talk even when you perhaps don't want to!

The gearbox knows where it should at any given time and while you can cruise at your leisure in the outside lane, if you suddenly need to take evasive action the brakes, the steering and the accelerator are all well-tuned to get you out of trouble.

ON THE INSIDE:

I'VE always liked the interior of Audis. It's hard not to. They do quality well. The A6 is no exception, mixing high end materials with an eye for design. The satellite navigation system emerges effortlessly out of the dash and there's a lot of information accessible from within, but there are still plenty of buttons to negotiate and it's not always easy to get what you want when you want it.

WHAT DO YOU GET:

OUR car was an Ultra S Tronic version and as such came fully loaded. It featured 18ins alloys with the optional five V spoke design, sports suspension, electronic parking brake, Audi Drive Select, Audi sound system, Audi music interface, Bluetooth, Aux in facility, DAB digital radio, heated and electrically adjustable front seats, split folding rear seats, aluminium inlays, deluxe four-zone electronic air conditioning and acoustic glazing among other items.

Options included power door closure, head-up display, Audi Matrix LED headlights, Lighting Pack, Technology Pack, three spoke leather-trimmed multi-function Sport steering wheel with paddle shifters, heated outer rear seats and heated and electrically adjustable, folding door mirrors with automatic kerb view.

HOW PRACTICAL IS IT:

THERE was plenty of room to stretch out and so there should be in a car that most people will do long miles in. You need to be comfortable and the A6 excels in this regard. While it can easily carry five, it's better suited to four, with the person handed the rear middle seat obstructed by the centre tunnel. That seat doubles as an arm rest with a couple of storage areas should it be required. You are not going to find loads of cubby space, this is not, after all, a car designed particularly with families in mind, but the door bins are big enough to put items above and beyond drinks in.

The seats fold down almost flat but the load floor is quite high. There's 530 litres of boot space with the seats up and 995 with the rear bench folded. The entry is low and wide and goes a long way back.

RUNNING COSTS:

AUDI say it should be possible to get a return of 64.2mpg from our car on the combined cycle. We managed 53mpg. But even though it came in less than what I was expecting it was still frugal enough for me to do several days of work commuting followed by the trip to Scotland and back without the need to refuel.

CO2 emissions are 114g/km.

VERDICT:

GREW on me and definitely welcome on a long journey.

ALTERNATIVES:

BMW 5-Series, Mercedes E-Class