I hereby intend to prove, by an arbitrary but, I believe, definitive process of elimination, that the Audi A6 Avant 3.0 diesel is the best car in the world.

Let's start with the obvious candidates: Ferraris, Astons and the like. To be the best a car must have an appeal beyond hairy, middle-aged men in Tod's loafers and garish silk shirts. No, the world's best car needs to be both an ornament and of use, and a Lamborghini Murcielago is useful only as a means of tempting heavily tanned, tottering-heeled scrubbers from the bar at the Hotel Byblos, St Tropez.

We can cast aside Rolls-Royces, Maybachs and Bentleys on similar grounds. Driving a car that makes people spit on you the moment they get a clear shot has limited appeal. Plus they use petrol at a rate that even Dick Cheney would find irresponsible.

"Range Rover!" I hear you cry. Don't be daft. A Harrier Jump Jet will be cheaper to run, and more reliable. And anyway, how desirable can it be to drive a car that, if you ask it to change lanes at anything over 70mph, feels like it might fall over?

Let's set our sights a little lower. What about a Lexus? Well, they might well be as reliable as an atomic clock, with satin-smooth engines and lovely seats, but they are still a Japanese facsimile of a European luxury saloon, circa 1994. In fact, while we're at it, we can dismiss anything Japanese, hell, anything Asian, as neither stylish (goodbye, sadly, Subaru), nor prestigious enough. The only potentially desirable Japanese car is the Honda NSX, and when was the last time you saw one of those? If it was the best, surely someone somewhere would have bought one by now.

So that's one continent dismissed out of hand and we can of course throw the Americans out of the balloon too. My four-year-old can build a better car out of old cereal boxes and potato peelings. Which brings us back to Europe. I'm very excited about the forthcoming Citroën C6 but, as with my fondness for the later Style Council albums, I realise I may be ploughing a lonely furrow with that one. Alfa Romeos have only ever been desirable in the eyes of those who have never owned one, and as for our own domestic product, these days it's limited to overblown go-karts like the Noble.

"What about Jaguar?" Is that you again? I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer (perhaps if they invested some money in R&D...), which leaves the Germans.

Porsche's flagship, the 911, is a salutary lesson in how to spend half a century trying to fix an embarrassing, fundamental design flaw; we all know Mercedes are rubbish these days; BMWs look like they've been designed with an axe, and VW's current range is wilfully dull. Which leaves Audi. But, the A2 is just silly, the A3 is just a Golf with delusions of grandeur, and the A4 is just a bit too Wernham Hogg. Meanwhile, the A8 doesn't come in an estate version and, I ask you, given a choice, why on earth would anyone not want an estate? Which leaves the A6 Avant, with its very clever boot storage system (pop down your local dealer for a look, there's not space to do it justice here); self-levelling air suspension; four-wheel drive; frugal, smooth 3.0 litre V6 engine; looks to die for; quality to make a Mercedes line manager weep; epic style, grace, and more pace than you'll ever need; plus muck-resistant reversible floor mats, all for a shade over £30k.

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Left one thing out....the ugliest grille on the entire planet! I guess that is why everyone is ga-ga over this hulk. It gives them not only the biggest gaping whole in the front but makes the uglier license plate standout more than ever.

I could almost like the Audi but my 1970's Fox still buzzes in my head....

Enjoyed the article (unbiased too...hahaha)...your sig should read "Audi-Nothing but grille"

All in good fun Yannis....:-)

LOL. Nothing against the design, that's a matter of taste.
Unfortunately engine wise, this 3.0 ltr TDI engine is'nt the best in it's category . Therefore I would go for a BMW 530d Touring . The 530d is also better in comfort and handling.

Haha! Too funny. Nothing against Audi, but that's too much!

Well, I'll have to admit that I am a huge fan of the A6 Avant in all it's versions - it certainly is the best looking wagon in my opinion.

Of course it's a great looking wagon, no doubt, especially in that pic. But to call it a best car in the world is a bit much, imo.

Audi 3.0 litre TDI V6 quattro wagon? Besides that being a mouthful...

Still, you'd be hard pressed to fault it as an automotive product. It might not be the best car in the world but it's hard to beat. So, a tongue-in-cheek opinion with some questionable logic but ultimately not all that preposterous. Yeah, not bad...

Looks like someone is bent on being more overbearingly aggravating than Jeremy Clarkson. But not as entertaining.

Well, they did forget to add "IMO" Good for you if that's your own preferences, but make your own mind up about the guy's (or girl's) sanity from these remarks:
"I'm very excited about the forthcoming Citroën C6"
"we can dismiss anything Japanese, hell, anything Asian"
"we all know Mercedes are rubbish these days; BMWs look like they've been designed with an axe"
"why on earth would anyone not want an estate?"

So yeah, they were trying to be funny. Whatever. Not a bad car in all, but hardly as good as the 'only possible sane choice' they make it out to be. And definitely not the best car in the world.

i agree that its a great car but not the best car in the world
i think that it is the best wagon rite now
i just love the exterior styling of this car and it prob has some of the best and most options on a estate

I don't know if A6 TDI is the best car but surely is one of the best wagons in the world. Economic,luxurious, well built, with pleanty of spaces and beautiful. What more can someone want?