Future Classic Friday: Audi A6

Audi is such a big player in the premium segment today it's almost a struggle to remember when it was still well behind BMW.

It was the A4 of 1994 that started the turnaround, but we'd make the case for the A6 of 1997 as the car that established the design direction to make people sit up and take notice.

It introduced the fared-in headlights and rounded sides that defined the model’s saloon range for the next 20 years, but it was also the most aerodynamic car in its class at 0.28 - still better than many current eco-cars.

Its looks were unusual at launch, causing some traditionalists to question whether it was truly stylish or more quirky - certainly its rounded rear end was previously unheard of in a German executive saloon.

Then there was the cabin, with chunky controls and an understated elegance that was so good the Audi design team cut-and-pasted it into the rest of the range.

The engine range wasn't bad either. The weedy 1.8 petrol was fine when a turbo was attached, there were V6s with and without turbos and two of the best diesel engines of the period to choose from.

Or you could go full nutter. The S6 was pretty handy thanks to its 335bhp 4.2-litre V8, but then they introduced the RS6 with twin turbos and 444bhp, and the limited run RS6 Plus with 473bhp.

As well as adding the excellent Avant version, Audi had a hand in kicking off the crossover revolution with the superb A6 Allroad.

Today there are still a good number of examples around for beer money if you're really keen. We found a 1.8T SE saloon with reasonable mileage and a fresh MoT for £1000, which is hard to argue with.

Avants remain popular too, and we found a lovely 2004 SE Quattro with the sweet V6 diesel, under 100,000 miles, loads of history and 12 months MOT for just £2500. We can't think of a better car to ignore the children in for that money. Find an Audi A6 for sale