Test drive: Audi A6

There are clever gizmos galore in this latest version of Audi's classy executive saloon but are they taking the fun out of driving?

Car launches used to involve dry ice, scantily clad women and a large sheet. With dramatic fanfare, the sheet would be pulled back and the car revealed to choreographed gasps of shock and delight.

Those were the days when every car seemed to offer something new in design terms. Then, in the 1990s, things became boring. Carmakers started caring about efficiency and drivers began to complain that all cars looked the same.

Thankfully, there was something of a design renaissance and a return to more interesting-looking cars. Then Porsche arrived with its horrid Panemera and ruined the party. So the calls for "cars with character" have died down. But we're still left with plenty of odd shapes on our roads, from the angular BMWs of Chris Bangles to the banana-shaped Mercedes CLS.

Meanwhile, Audi keeps making cars that all sort of look like each other. Not many, except the A5, R8 and possibly the A1, deserve awards for looks. But is it time to stop fussing about what cars look like anyway? Perhaps we should focus instead on what they do and what it is we want them to do for us? In the next few years, the driver's relationship with the car will be reassessed. Strange as it sounds, the driver is about to become less of a driver. We're entering an era of augmented-reality windscreens and automated driving.

One reading of Audi's latest A6 is as the herald of this new dawn. Outside, there isn't a great deal to say about the car other than that it is shorter and wider than the A6 it replaces. It has four doors and four comfortable seats. The 3.0-litre TSFI petrol variant I drove handled beautifully and had plenty of punch.

The car whizzes to 60mph in just 5.5 seconds, which is fine for a big, comfy saloon. The gearbox is as good as it needs to be and the comfortable, elegant cabin is such an Audi trademark it's hardly worth a mention. There's also the same in-car entertainment package as in the A7 Sportback and A8, which includes superior satnav and iPad-friendly in-car WiFi.

The controversial stuff is the way the car "assists" drivers. Purists howl that drivers are losing control and that safety devices take the fun out of driving. Another argument is that these clever devices are a logical use of technology and make life easier. The list of tricks here includes heads-up driver display, adaptive cruise control, active lane assist, steering intervention, overtaking assistance, variable headlight range control, and much more.

Based on networked sensors and cameras positioned all over the car, these features help drivers keep the A6 safely on the road. Active lane assist monitors your position on a motorway and makes sure you stay within your lane if you aren't indicating to move. Side assist flashes a light in the mirror to warn you if it isn't safe to pull out. For the weary road warrior, this may be a good thing. There are manual overrides, including a boost function that allows you to ignore the sensor saying you're too close to the car in front when you want to overtake. So it's not yet car before driver but it's an indication of what the future offers.

For all the gizmos, though, there's a part of me that yearns for dry ice, a sheet and the simplicity and good looks of the 1968 Audi 100.

Richard Cree