The office was in the midst of closing for the December holidays when the new Audi A6 Avant 3.2 arrived for testing. Thankfully the key made its way into my sweaty palm and the following day we left from Witbank on an 8000km adventure with Audi’s new executive wagon.

Sporting the quattro all-wheel drive set up and two important new optional extras, the Avant now offers Adaptive Air Suspension, originally only available on the A8. With four settings, I was able to select the desired mode best suited to the road conditions. The default setting of Automatic will adjust the cars driving set-up accordingly, with a lower ride height for higher speeds and reverting to a normal ride height at normal speeds.

The Lift mode raises the car to a suitable height to traverse quite bad surfaces, and once you’re on the open road and want an enthusiastic driving experience, the Dynamic mode allows for a stiffer, lower and more exciting handling response.

The comfort mode definitely came in handy on bumpy and less friendly tarred surfaces, turning what could have been a jarring ride into a magic carpet experience. The other new option available on the A6 is the second-generation radar-aided adaptive cruise control that proved useful during a cloud burst near Kroonstad.

I was able to set a following distance for the cruise control to automatically detect vehicles ahead of it, determine their speed and slow down when the pre-selected distance closes. Once engaged, the A6 will automatically slow up even when you can’t see the car ahead of you.

Ergonomically, the interior boasts top of the range technology and comfort, while the Audi 3D navigation even allowed me to select exactly which restaurant or BP fuel station I wished to head for. The BOSE surround sound system and climate control further enhanced interior quality, while numerous other useful gadgets and gismos adorn the A6, from the tyre pressure monitoring system to illuminating the surrounding area of the vehicle at night with a click on the key.

Keyless entry, keyless start and stop, remote boot opening and closing, the compartmental packaging system and enormous boot also made travelling so much easier. On the trip down at an average speed of 130km/h, the new A6 Avant was sipping just over nine litres per 100 km, while enveloping my family in a glove of safety and opulent comfort. A6 offers brilliant handling, so much so that it seems to take a lot of the risk out the drivers’ hands and control this itself.

I was slightly disappointed with the performance of the 3.2 V6 FSi mill, noting that it struggled with bottom end acceleration, this point further extenuated by the 0-100km/h sprint time. Remember, this is not the performance version of the A6. We expect that from the planned V10 mill that is set to send M5 and AMG back to the drawing board. The steering mounted paddle shift also adds to the experience of driving the A6, allowing the driver to manually select gears from the six-speed Tiptronic box.

From Plett to Plattekloof the sleek A6 turned heads and after a faultless trip through six provinces and almost 8000 km that included Cape Town, Knysna and the Garden Route, I can honestly claim that with the new A6, Audi has again set the benchmark for others to follow.