What's all this about?

It's our first real look at the all-new, fifth-generation Audi A6. It marches into battle in the fiercely contested mid-sized executive marketplace, so you know the sort of hyper-talented cars it has to see off: the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E-Class, Jaguar XF, Lexus GS and more.

How is it going to go about vanquishing such tough foes?

By using much of the top-end tech that we've already seen on the latest A8, which has already filtered down to the A7 Sportback. So we get the angular exterior styling favoured by designer Marc Lichte, which is characterised by a giant Singleframe grille, creases in the flanks and a set of rear lights linked by a chrome strip to emphasise the car's width. We get a luscious cabin that, with MMI Navigation Plus, features the triple-digital display that has wowed us in the A7 and A8 - namely, the 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit instrument cluster, plus the 10.1-inch and 8.6-inch Virtual Dashboard screens in the centre stack (this might not be standard fit on every A6, though). And we get all manner of driver assist technology that means the Audi is practically a sentient AI, capable of driving itself to Level 3 autonomy where the law allows.

Sounds impressive. What's powering the A6?

The same two engines that Audi chose to start the new A7 Sportback's life. Thus, we have the 3.0 TFSI 55, a V6 turbocharged petrol with 340hp, 500Nm, 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds and a limited 155mph top speed. It'll return up to 42.2mpg and emit just 151g/km CO₂. Then there's the 3.0 TDI 50, a V6 turbocharged diesel with 286hp, 520Nm, an estimated 5.5-second 0-62mph time and the same 155mph limited top speed. It betters the TFSI 55 with 51.4mpg and 142g/km CO₂.

Nice choices. What about the rest of the mechanicals?

Both cars have quattro four-wheel drive as standard, although the TFSI's is the clever 'ultra' version that can disconnect the rear driveshafts when it needs to, in order to save fuel. Both cars are also automatics, the TFSI using a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch unit and the TDI employing an eight-speed Tiptronic torque converter transmission. Both cars also have the mild hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV) tech that sees the A6 coasting between 34- and 100mph, harvesting brake energy and using its auto stop-start system a lot more readily and for longer. This results in fuel savings of up to 4mpg over its predecessor.

Both A6s will have much of the A7/A8 optional hardware to make them feel even better to drive, such as a sport differential (on the Tiptronic TDI only), dynamic all-wheel steering, electronically controlled damping and full adaptive air suspension. Intriguingly, Audi already says the A6 is 'noticeably sportier' than the Mk4 version, so we could be looking at some very interesting S6 and RS 6 models further down the line...

Any other facts you can fling my way on the A6 Mk5?

It's 7mm longer, 12mm wider and 2mm taller than the old A6, measuring 4,939mm by 1,886mm by 1,457mm in total for the respective dimensions. This is to the benefit of interior passenger space, says Audi, while the 530-litre boot remains unchanged. The body is more torsionally rigid than the old A6 and the new car will also have a drag coefficient as low as 0.24, although that's with an as-yet unspecified drivetrain that's not part of the launch models. This will make it both frugal as it cuts through the air and very quiet when running at motorway speeds. Following a debut at the Geneva Motor Show, the new A6 will hit the roads in its native Germany in June, meaning we should see it in the later half of 2018.