CARGO VAN BEETHOVEN; Audi brings the carry-all A6 Avant to North America.(News)(Product/Service Evaluation)

Byline: MATT DAVIS

So far as the AUDI A6 AVANT's exterior and interior go, all is as it should be for the wagon version of the A6 sedan we tried in 2004: impeccable and unmistakable. As Walter de' Silva, design boss for the Volkswagen Group's sporty marques, says, "It's not just a wagon version of the four-door A6. I told my designers to think of everything past the A-pillar as a totally new car.''

Brave talk and not literally possible. Nor totally desirable.

The A6 Avant merges the best parts of the Volvo XC90, Chrysler 300C and Mazda MPV. It has strong new, XC90-esque haunches in back with sharp LED taillights, while up front it adopts the single-frame grille and wider fenders of the sedan, in 300C-like fashion. High shoulder and low foot-sill contour lines, like the MPV, run the length of the sides and give the Avant a buff feel with a powerful stance. The equally low front and rear skirts complete the presence factor. Unlike the sedan, the A6 Avant has dual exhaust tips.

The A6 Avant's fragrant, tailored leather interior is typical Audi, meaning there is none better. The wagon has urethane floor coverings that can be opened to protect the rear seatbacks if they are folded down. This rubbery protection can also flop back to spill over the tailgate if you must load gunked-up stuff or have to sit and change your boots.

Cargo space ranges from 20 cubic feet loaded to the bottom of the windows with the seats upright, to 58.6 cubic feet with all the seats down and crammed to the rafters. The main floor cover can buckle forward to create a natural rearward luggage-securing wall while revealing hidden stowage that also acts as an anchoring ...