Audi A6 E-tron review

Audi’s larger executive car turns electric, with a cutting-edge platform giving it more than 400 miles of range

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Rear-wheel drive, you say? An Audi estate with 375bhp and rear-wheel drive? Well, get your flying goggles on and pick your pig, because the unthinkable has happened. This is the new Audi A6 E-tron, which will arrive in the UK in the next few months.

There's an Avant estate option but no traditional saloon; that role is filled by the saloon-ish yet conveniently hatched Sportback.

This electric-only A6 is offered with a couple of different battery options nestled into the Volkswagen Group's new PPE platform, which also underpins the Audi Q6 E-tron and Porsche Macan Electric crossovers.

The entry-level model makes do with an 83kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery and 225kW charging from an 800V electrical system, not to mention ‘just’ 322bhp, all of which is good for a WLTP range of 383-361 miles, depending on whether you go for the Sportback or Avant.

The Performance and Quattro variants get a 100kWh battery and either 375bhp or 456bhp respectively. The Quattro obviously gets dual-motor four-wheel drive, but it's a pricey option, so the rear-wheel-drive Performance that we’ve been driving is likely to be a more popular option in the UK.

Both can charge at up to 270kW, for a 10-80% top-up in as little as 21 minutes provided the the erratic gods of rapid-charging are favouring you.

The Performance gets an impressive official WLTP range of up to 463 miles in Sportback form or 437 miles as an Avant (the Quattro sacrifices roughly 20-30 miles of range for its additional poke).

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That’s a hugely persuasive aspect of the A6, given that the BMW i5 is similarly priced and manages more like 350 miles to a charge (although the Volkswagen ID 7 is cheaper and manages 424 miles).

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At the top of the range is the Audi S6 E-tron. You can get this in both the Avant and Sportback body shapes.

Standard, rear-biased four-wheel drive comes courtesy of a permanent magnet motor at the back with 375bhp and 428lb ft on call and an asynchronous motor at the front with up to 188bhp and 203lb ft.

They deliver up to 543bhp and 620lb ft combined for a 0-62mph time of 3.9sec. Mind you, that’s only in Launch mode; leave that button alone and the S6 makes do with 496bhp and a 0-62mph time of 4.1sec. A certifiable laggard at that point, of course…

Other S6 highlights include standard adaptive air suspension and 21in wheels, plus an interior that’s stuffed with screens and ambient-lit nappa leather and finished with a full-length panoramic glass roof offering various patterns of opacity.

The S6 comes in fully loaded Edition 1 trim, so it does have all the gubbins you want – which may ease the pain of it being teeth-suckingly close to £100,000.

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DESIGN & STYLING

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Aerodynamics play a big part in the A6's efficiency, Audi having, shaved and tailored the car's shape to an impressive 0.24Cd for the Avant (the same as the E-tron GT, for some context) and 0.21Cd for the Sportback.

Has that resulted in a good-looking car? Not sure we’d go that far. But the Siam Beige of our test car is weirdly appealing in a 1970s kitchenware kind of way, and there’s a deep-sided weightiness to the A6 that gives it real presence.

We also favour the styling of the Avant over the Sportback, but both get the light bar and illuminated Audi badge at the back, which looks cool at night yet can also look like an undefined greyish blob from a distance in daylight. It’s hard not to feel that a straightforward, simple badge would be somehow classier.

Audi's virtual side mirrors are optional and greatly improved now that the screens are higher-set, plus the camera stalks fold in to show when the car is locked. Normal mirrors are still better, though.

INTERIOR

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Slide into the A6 and you’re immediately focussed on the curved, high-set screen that sweeps from behind the wheel across the top of the dash. This is a new system that was introduced in the Q6 E-tron; it has all the functionality you expect, plus fantastically crisp graphics from the huge, 14.5-inch OLED touchscreen.

The MMI interface is reasonably easy to use too, with icons that are big enough to hit accurately on the move and permanent shortcut buttons for ease of hopping between the key screens.

Our biggest gripe is that we’d like an easier way of controlling the ADAS and it can still be awkward to find functions like screen dimming. The haptic touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel can be annoying, too.

And yes, the climate controls are on the screen, but the voice control is consistently useful for simple temperature commands, and at least the air vents are straightforward manual items that require no screen prodding.

Otherwise, the interior is very lovely – especially with the optional panoramic roof that you can shade in a multitude of sections and patterns. Yet it lacks something of the lustre and delight of the i5’s interior. And the brittle-feeling plastics lower down in the cabin and on certain areas around the doorcards is a touch underwhelming on tactile quality for a car of this price and calibre.

Regardless, the design and wider classiness of the A6’s interior is sure to please, as is the amount of leg and head room in the rear seats. Unless you’re very long-legged, that is - when you may find your knees bent up due to a fairly high floor. Still, kids are well catered for with three sets of Isofix seat anchorages (two in the back and one in the front passenger seat) and some usefully practical plastic backings to the front seats that will wipe clean of the inevitable shoe scuffs.

There’s also a compact ‘frunk’, which is good, because space isn’t as ample in the boot as you might expect. The 502-litre luggage space in the Avant is actually the same as the Sportback’s, which is a bit disappointing. The floor is deep and wide, and you will get your double buggy or duo of labradors in there, plus there’s some underfloor storage pace. But the sloping rear windowline eats into overall boot capacity; the i5 Touring (570 litres), ID 7 Touring (605 litres) and Macan Electric (540 litres) all offer more outright cargo space.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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That the Avant Performance doesn't feel like much of a driver’s car is unlikely to surprise very many people, but it is exactly what you want from a big Audi estate. There’s a cohesiveness to it that really soothes and impresses, and the refinement is really excellent, even by the high standards of this class.

The 375bhp and 417lb ft stream beneath your right foot in a progressive yet nonchalantly powerful fashion. It’s all sophisticated performance, the A6: potent enough to make you feel smug yet unlikely to make the kids barf all over your upholstery (optionally 'vegan', of course).

Judging by the twisty mountain roads of Tenerife that we’ve driven on, the Performance may well be a sweet spot in the A6 range that will be really suited to British roads.

Funnily enough, even the S6 feels similarly controlled. Yes, it’s rabidly fast as a point-to-point machine, as you would expect of a car with 496bhp (543bhp in launch mode) and a 3.9sec 0-62mph time. But there’s none of the explosive, aggressive attack on the senses that some electric cars revel in. As with the rest of the A6 range, the S6 is quite a suave beast that has a long-legged, refined attitude, with linear yet potent power delivery.

Decent brake pedal feel in the standard A6 and the S6 models is also useful for giving confidence if you do decide to plunder a bit of Dynamic mode on a fun stretch of road.

The regenerative braking is controlled via steering-wheel paddles, with two fixed levels plus a one-pedal mode; or there’s the option of an adaptive mode or turning regen off completely for unfettered free-wheeling.

One aspect of the A6 that will definitely gain it fans is the towing capacity of up to 2.1 tonnes, which makes this one of the best electric tow cars currently on offer.

As for range? Well, our test was hardly representative of how most UK owners will make use of their A6s, but we managed a real-world range of 310 miles from our Avant Performance test car, which rode on Michelin Pilot Sport rubber and 21in alloy wheels and so claimed an official WLTP range of 437 miles.

RIDE & HANDLING

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At this point, we would like to tell you about the A6's air suspension, which delivers deliciously wafty yet controlled progress. But that would be pointless, because air suspension isn't going to be available in the UK, apart from on the S6.

If there’s a real outcry from customers, Audi has said it’ll review the decision, but historically the uptake has been poor when air suspension was offered on the A6, which is precisely why the company isn’t bothering this time.

We will get passive, coil-sprung suspension on every A6, which is a shame, because the air suspension really is very good. We will just have to wait and see how this 2.1-tonne executive car manages on UK roads.

Certainly, the way our Avant Performance steered and went down the road was spot on. There’s an oily progression of weight to the steering as you add lock, a good sense of how much grip you’ve got and an easy nonchalance to the way the big Audi can be placed precisely on the road. There are more tactile steering set-ups out there, though: just ask Porsche and BMW.

The A6 never feels remotely scrappy or wayward, despite the rear-wheel drive. It’s characterised by its resolute composure. How it will cope in grotty British weather when you stab the throttle for a swift getaway into fast traffic is another question that will have to wait for a thorough UK test, but on this evidence, there's reason to expect good things.

As for the S6? Well, if you really push into a corner (and if you’ve remembered to opt for Dynamic mode and the Sport setting for the stability control to give yourself a bit more freedom), there is fun to be had.

With it being four-wheel drive and a hefty 2.3 tonnes, it won’t come as a surprise that it tends to understeer a bit. But you can trim the line very predictably on the throttle; there’s enough feedback through the steering to inspire confidence; and you can even provoke a cheeky chirrup of mobility from the rear tyres if you’re so inclined.

Even then, though, the car feels controlled and capable rather than encouraging. You can almost feel it admonishing you for behaving like a juvenile when there’s a board meeting to get to.

It’s not one to make your heart race, the S6. But it is certainly one that melds executive slickness and laugh-out-loud pace in an impressively cohesive package.

The air suspension is a big part of that, as it keeps body control neatly in check but softens the road surface very nicely for rather impressive ride comfort.

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MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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The A6 is far from cheap, but it’s also comparably good value when stacked up next to the obvious alternatives.

Pricing starts at £64,300 for the Avant Sport, which gets 20in alloy wheels, leather upholstery, heated front seats, tri-zone climate control and adaptive cruise control, so it’s hardly poverty spec.

S Line trim ups the ante with sports seats, privacy glass and fancier style tweaks for both the inside and outside.

Edition 1 tops the line-up and is the only trim you can get on the S6. It gets 21in alloys, matrix LED lights, an additional 10.9in touchscreen for the passenger, electrically adjustable front seats and heated rear seats.

The big-battery Performance in S line trim (in which we spent most of our time) is likely to be a fairly big seller and comes in at over £75,000. 

So by the time you’ve added a few packs, it’s not going to be unusual to see an A6 Avant with a transaction price of £80,000. Ouch. And yet it's no different to the much shorter-range i5 or less practical Mercedes-Benz EQE saloon.

So if you look at it like that, the A6 actually looks like relatively decent value.

 

VERDICT

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The A6 is more than just capable. It’s full of tech goodness, has the longest range of its immediate rivals, is a genuine pleasure to spend time in and is competitive value for money in at least key relative terms.

Albeit some may be disappointed by the Avant’s underwhelming boot and the i5 has the edge on perceived quality and ultimate handling finesse.

We will have to wait until we’ve driven the A6 on its passive suspension and in the UK to give a final judgement, but as long as it doesn’t prove to have medieval ride quality, it deserves to be the big seller that we suspect it will be.

We can be a little more definitive at this point about the S6, which we have driven on representative suspension - and which would be a peachy car to live with: properly muscular, brimming with tech, seriously refined and comfortable.

With a range of more than 400 miles and ultra-rapid charging from the 800V electrical system, it’s not hard to see why you would opt for an S6 as your next director-grade company car.

If you’re hoping for Porsche Taycan-style handling finesse or Hyundai Ioniq 5 N-style drama, you will be disappointed. But if you can afford an S6, you can afford a Porsche Taycan or an Audi E-tron GT, so the fact that the more practical S6 feels demonstrably different - executive with a dash of sports, rather than sporting with a dash of executive - is no doubt entirely deliberate and a very good thing.

To an enthusiast audience, the S6 is perhaps a bit too calm and undramatic for its own good. As a rapid, lustrous, long-legged electric business express, however, the S6 is probably – just like its A6 siblings – exactly what the target audience will want.