AUDI certainly came up with the right name to sum up its new super clean A6.

Ultra pretty well says it all – ultra smart, ultra efficient, ultra comfortable and ultra desirable, all on one.

The A6 has been one of the staples of the business sector for some time, but was possibly in danger of being overlooked with competition fierce for sales.

It’s an undeniably tidy vehicle but one which perhaps to the untrained eye is ‘just another Audi sporting the marque’s corporate grille’, so you could be forgiven for being seduced by others.

And you’d be missing out. Because while there are other sexier offerings in the Audi showroom, the A6 is a great car to drive, highlighted by a lengthy trip down to the National Motor Museum to continue grandson’s education on the motor car.

Any car can make a good first impression (or put you off buying it for life) but to fully appreciate its finer attributes a long run is called for.

And so, ambling down the A34, you cast your eyes around the cabin and realise the fit and finish doesn’t come much better than this. It oozes class, the driving position is excellent and the array of instrumentation and Audi’s intuitive MMI control system for a multitude of functions enhances the experience.

It’s a car with great road presence but it’s also got a discreet air about it. You pretty soon find that out on the inside courtesy of the distinct lack of noise in the cabin. It really is a remarkably relaxed environment and testimony to all the fine tuning that has gone on to make it thus.

The accent is on eco here, but there are some sporty touches when you add S line trim, like the multifunction wheel, the sill trims and the chrome plated tail pipes. Add in leather upholstery and some neat brushed aluminium inlays and you’ve got a very well appointed cabin.

It’s probably at this point, with the countryside gliding silently past, that you’ll glance down at the speedometer and gulp. Because such is the refinement of the A6 Ultra you can very easily find yourself galloping along at well in excess of what the rozzers deem legal.

The 2.0 litre diesel under the bonnet of the Ultra model has a little more oomph than the 2.0 its based on – 187bhp against 175 – and it delivers better torque – some 400Nm.

With its seven speed dual clutch S tronic transmission, it slips up and down the speed range dictated by your right clog very smoothly indeed, hence the rapid build up of speed without showing any obvious sign of strain.

You’ll appreciate the precise steering and the sense that there’s plenty of grip and feel from the front wheel drive setup. S line suspension does err on the firm side and is more noticeable when the road surfaces are poor.

So, much more than ‘just another’ large saloon and while it’s a fine car to own and drive, it makes a pretty good case for the company car user chooser too, with a predicted residual value after three years of 47.5 per cent of its original £34,365. And a claimed combined fuel consumption figure of 64.2mpg. And with a CO2 figure of 114g/km, road tax is a drop in the ocean at £30 a year.

So you can have your low running costs without in any way compromising on the driving experience.

FASTFACTS: Audi A6 Ultra S line; £34,365; 2.0 litre four cylinder turbocharged diesel, 190ps, 400Nm; seven speed dual clutch S tronic; top speed 144mph, 0-62mph 8.2 secs; fuel (73 litre tank) – urban 55.4, extra urban 72.4, combined 64.2; CO2 114g/km; will it fit the garage? 4915/1874/1455 (l/w/h).

© wheelwrite.co.uk 2014