► New cheaper Audi A6 e-Trons here
► Single-motor, entry-level A6 from £62,500
► Slick aero, new technology on board
The new Audi A6 e-Tron family is now available with a cheaper, single-motor model. In the lowliest Sport trim, that means the A6 e-Tron Sportback hatch starts at £62,500, or £64,300 for the Avant e-Tron estate.
By dropping the second electric motor and shrinking the battery to 83kWh, Audi is able to reduce the RRP. The cheapest A6 e-Tron has a range of at least 361 miles, the car maker vows.
Audi’s reshaped product strategy is in full swing. Now, it has two columns of cars – its odd-numbered models are powered by fossil fuels, while its even-numbered cars have batteries and motors. The new A6 e-Tron is Ingolstadt’s newest member of the latter camp, and it’s gunning for some of the best electric cars on sale.
Audi has tried to make the A6 one of the least difficult electric cars to live with – at least on paper. It has a simply enormous maximum driving range of 435 miles with the bigger battery (thanks to its stunningly efficient aerodynamics), it can charge at up to 270kW and it’s packed with clever driver assistance technology designed to take the strain out of long journeys.
Plus, because the new A6 is available as both a Sportback (above) and an Avant, it can rival everything from the Mercedes EQE to the BMW i5 Touring and even the Porsche Taycan. Couple that with the broad range of powertrains Audi has planned for the A6 (which includes a lightning-chucking RS6 flagship model) and there should be a configuration to suit any driver’s lifestyle.
Tell me about the A6’s powertrains
Audi has a healthy range powertrains in the A6’s pipeline and is still busy releasing different combinations of drivetrain, motors and batteries. The most basic A6 will have a single 362bhp electric motor on the rear end. Audi says that’s enough to shunt both the Sportback and Avant variants from 0–62mph in 5.4 seconds before they run into their speed limiters at 130mph.
Above that will be the S6. It’ll have an extra electric motor on the front axle, bringing Quattro four-wheel drive and a generous power increase to 496bhp (or 543bhp if you engage launch control). The extra poke slashes the car’s 0–62mph time down to 3.9 seconds and bumps top speed up to 149mph.
Both these powertrains are teamed with a large 100kWh battery pack. Audi says the standard A6 has a maximum claimed driving range of 435 miles, while the S6 can manage just shy of 400 miles. And, because both cars have 800-volt electrical architectures, they can support DC charging speeds of up to 270kW.
Find a fast enough charger, and you’ll be able to thrash the A6’s battery from 10 to 80 percent capacity in only 21 minutes. To put that another way, just 10 minutes of rapid charging is enough to recover 197 miles of range.
That’s convenient, as is Audi’s decision to include support for Plug & Charge. This clever bit of tech means you don’t even need to wave your payment card at the charging point. You simply link your card to your car, connect the charging cable and wait for the payment to be automatically issued once it’s finished charging.
Part of the reason why the A6 has such a long range is its flush aero package. Audi says it’s the slipperiest car it’s ever built – the Sportback has a drag co-efficient of just 0.21, while the Avant has a rating of 0.24. There are only a couple of cars on sale today that can beat the Sportback’s figure, one of which being the super high-tech Lucid Air.
Audi will release more powertrains for the A6 over the next couple of years. So far, we know that a new ‘Performance’ variant (which will sit between the standard car and the S6) is on the way. The UK specifications start with the Performance model and then step up to S6.
That’ll be followed up by a flagship RS6 model which will do battle with the likes of the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT and Lucid Air Dream Edition.
The car’s built on Audi’s new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture. The same kit of components is found under the Q6 e-tron SUV and the new Porsche Macan SUV. It brings some fancy equipment with it, including a torque vectoring system and adjustable air suspension which can lower the body by 20mm in efficiency mode to help the A6 cut through the air more cleanly and eke more miles from its battery.
What about the interior?
Like the recently unveiled Audi A5, it’s a real tech-fest. There’s an 11.9-inch digital gauge cluster ahead of the driver and a 14.5-inch infotainment system in the middle of the dash, both mounted under one giant piece of curved glass (a bit like BMW’s system).
If you fork out a bit more cash, you can have a separate 10.9-inch touchscreen for the passenger side of the dashboard, which can be used to either entertain the passenger (with video streaming apps, for example) or support the driver (with secondary controls for the sat-nav system). Plus, thanks to a snazzy polarising filter, the front passenger can legally use the screen on the move without distracting the driver.
Keep digging through the A6’s options list and you’ll find even more tech, such as an augmented reality head-up display that projects speed, navigation instructions and road sign info onto the windscreen ahead of the driver. There’s also an electrochromic sunroof that can be switched from transparent to opaque at the touch of a button.
It’s roomy, too. We’ve already been to see the new A6 in the studio and were impressed by the amount of passenger space. Audi has stretched out the A6’s wheelbase and pushed the car’s wheels as close as possible to its corners, which has produced some extra legroom and kneeroom for those in the rear.
The seats are also staggered like theatre chairs. Those in the rear sit ever-so slightly higher up than those in the front, which should help to reduce the effects of motion sickness by allowing a clearer view out of the windscreen for all. Headroom is great, too, especially in the Avant which has a 40mm taller roofline.
Boot space looks quite disappointing at first – both the Sportback and Avant offer 502 litres. That’s 18 litres less than you get in the BMW 5 Series and only 77 litres more than you get in the Tesla Model 3 which, let’s not forget, belongs to the class below.
However, Audi only measures the A6’s boot capacity up to the level of the parcel shelf – and we can confirm there’s more space in both cars than that figure would lead you to believe. Plus, you get an extra 27 litres under the bonnet, which is handy for storing items such as screen wash and charging cables.
Anything else I should know?
Audi’s design department seems to really enjoy playing around with lighting technology right now. So, it’s made an illuminated LED badge at the of the car and a range of customisable lighting signatures for the A6’s daytime running lights and taillights.
Our favourite one is a setting that makes the rear lights shimmer like a rare jewel by gently igniting and extinguishing the units’ OLED crystals. Audi also tells us that the system is controlled by an algorithm that ensures the lights never display the same pattern twice.
In addition, there’s an extra function for the rear lights that’ll display a specific signature to warns any drivers behind to back off if they’re following you too closely. The irony of having this fitted to an Audi wasn’t lost on us, but you can make your own jokes.
Obviously, there’s loads of driver assistance tech, too. Standard equipment includes a reversing camera, a traffic-sign based speed limiter, adaptive cruise control and a driver attention monitor. There’s also a semi-autonomous driving mode that combines all these functions to assume control of the car on the motorway (under the driver’s supervision).
Audi is also making a big song and dance about how sustainable the A6 is. So, its doors, bonnet and boot lid are made from aluminium, which is very recyclable and lightweight (therefore saving battery power and improving efficiency).
There are also loads of recycled materials peppered throughout the A6’s cabin – and it’s the second model to be produced by Audi’s new carbon-neutral assembly methods.
How much is the new A6 e-Tron?
At launch in September 2024 prices for the A6 e-Tron Sportback started from £69,900, with the Avant starting from £71,700. Want the S6 versions? You’ll need at least £97,500 for the Sportback, or £99,300 for the Avant.
In late October 2024, Audi UK confirmed cheaper entry-level models with single-motor drivetrains and a smaller battery, starting at £62,500.
The first deliveries in the UK will arrive in February 2025.