The Audi A6 reinvents itself as the A6 e-tron: Sportback and Avant body styles, electric-only propulsion and more than 750 km of range

In keeping with the new nomenclature adopted by Audi for all its future models, debuted with the new Audi A5, the successor to the Audi A6 becomes the new Audi A6 e-tron. A model with which the brand of the four rings aims to redefine D-segment saloons as they are known so far, and not only in terms of design.

And although its performance figures -especially range and charging performance- are impressive, I find it a pity that there will be no versions of this new A6 with combustion engines, not even plug-in hybrid variants. Because the future is electric, I don’t doubt that; but nor can it be denied that this future is not exactly around the corner. Least of all in a country that is as slow on charging infrastructure as ours.

That’s how things are. And it’s clear that at Audi, as with many other manufacturers, they didn’t imagine electric mobility would move this slowly; when they made their plans, they bet everything on electricity. There’s no turning back now, and this new A6 is only prepared to receive 100% electric propulsion systems.

Two body styles: Sportback and Avant

Returning to the new A6 e-tron, we are looking at the brand’s second model to use the Premium Electric Platform PPE, after the recently arrived Q6 e-tron, although this time for the first time in a variant with a low floor. It is presented in two body styles, Sportback and Avant.

By now, aesthetically the A6 e-tron holds no surprises: we saw the Sportback as a prototype more than three years ago, in April 2021, with the A6 e-tron concept; and the brand previewed the main lines of the estate version a year later, with the A6 Avant e-tron concept. As has become customary at Audi in recent years, prototypes that preview future production versions are practically final in design terms, which is good news, at least in this case.

Because the new A6 e-tron, in either body style, is imposing, although some details from the prototypes have been left on the shelf, such as the 22-inch wheels. For the Spanish market it will fit 20-inch wheels as standard, and optionally buyers can choose different 21-inch wheel designs, which will be standard on the Black Line versions and the S models.

Audi A6 Avant e-tron | Image gallery

As is also the norm with every new Audi model, lighting plays a prominent role. For the A6 e-tron the light units feature an eye-catching three-dimensional design, and configurable digital light signatures for the daytime running lights were a must: up to eight this time. The OLED 2.0 digital headlights include for the first time the ability to communicate with the surroundings, warning other users of incidents on the road. And the four-ring logo on the rear is illuminated on all versions.

At market launch, planned for September, buyers will be able to choose from eight body colours: on one hand a solid magnetic grey and five metallic shades in glacier white, typhoon grey, mythos black, plasma blue and malpelo blue for all trim levels, including the entry-level Advanced; on the other, pearl Daytona grey and Siam beige, which are reserved for the S line and Black line trims and the S models.

Aerodynamic record: Cx of just 0.21

Where Audi has really “broken the bank” is in aerodynamics, even improving on the figure the concept cars boasted. In the end a Cx of just 0.21 has been achieved for the Sportback body -0.22 on the prototype- and 0.24 for the Avant.

The Cx coefficient of the A6 Sportback e-tron makes this model the most aerodynamic Audi of all time, and also the most aerodynamic model of all the brands in the Volkswagen Group. To achieve this, every detail of the bodywork was worked on, with controllable air intakes, fully faired underbodies, special wheel designs, diffusers and spoilers…

And the virtual exterior mirrors could not be missing, already used on the Audi Q8 e-tron, but now in a new evolution with more compact cameras, a design optimised to improve airflow and, for the first time, electrically folding.

Alongside these mirrors, another novelty in technological equipment the Audi A6 e-tron boasts is the variable-opacity glass panoramic roof. It is the first time this has been used on a series-production Audi, although we have already seen this technology in models such as the Renault Scenic and Renault Rafale. Here, you can choose from four preset settings that darken parts of the roof surface with the press of a button.

The interior of the Audi A6 e-tron

Inside, there are not many surprises either, as the A6 e-tron repeats the design and layout we have already seen in the SUV, with the MMI panoramic display with its curved design as the absolute star of the dashboard. In reality it includes two screens: the Audi virtual cockpit for the instrumentation, at 11.9 inches; and the MMI touch screen for the multimedia system, at 14.5 inches.

A third screen for the front passenger, at 10.9 inches, can optionally be added to these displays, forming a setup that Audi calls the “Digital Stage”, which also includes the head-up display instrumentation with augmented reality, also optional. Audi has taken special care in selecting materials to create distinct zones in the cabin, distinguishing the areas related to comfort from those related to vehicle control.

Voice control is also becoming increasingly prominent in the brand’s new models, with the Audi assistant, which features self-learning and connection to ChatGPT. The idea is that users can interact with their car using natural language, without needing to memorise predefined commands… and that the car understands and can decide whether to carry out a function -for example, changing the radio station or raising the climate control temperature- or simply provide information about a destination, the traffic or the weather forecast.

Connectivity plays a key role in the new A6 e-tron also when it comes to helping the driver. Among the wide range of assistance systems, the adaptive driving assistant plus stands out, which uses map information and data from the Audi fleet of vehicles in the cloud to offer maximum comfort by controlling the accelerator, brakes and steering to make journeys more comfortable.

Versions and prices of the Audi A6 e-tron at launch

At launch, the Audi A6 e-tron will be available from September in performance and S versions for both body styles. The A6 e-tron performance, with rear-wheel drive, has a 270 kW (367 CV) motor, allowing acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.4 seconds. In the S6 e-tron versions, with two motors and all-wheel drive, the system output rises to 370 kW (503 CV), stopping the clock in the standing sprint in 3.9 seconds. Top speed is limited to 210 km/h on the performance models and 240 km/h on the S6 models.

In all cases the battery has a gross capacity of 100 kWh (94.9 kWh net), which allows a WLTP range of more than 750 km to be homologated for the A6 Sportback e-tron, and more than 720 km for the Avant. The figures for the S6 Sportback e-tron and S6 Avant e-tron are 670 and 640 km, respectively.

As standard, thanks to the 800-volt technology, the A6 e-tron supports DC fast charging at up to 270 kW. This means that, in ideal conditions -which never actually occur, but there’s the figure- up to 310 km of range can be recovered in a stop of barely ten minutes, or going from 10 to 80% battery capacity in just over 20 minutes. For home charging, the A6 e-tron can be recharged with AC at up to 11 kW, and a 22 kW option is planned for later.

Prices start at 81,115 euros for the A6 Sportback e-tron performance, and from 104,500 euros for the S6 Sportback e-tron. The Avant versions carry a premium of 2,500 euros. Later the range will be completed with an entry-level variant below the performance, also rear-wheel drive, as well as a quattro version that will sit between the performance and the S models.

For reference, the Audi Q6 e-tron performance is priced from 76,420 euros, while the SQ6 e-tron starts at 104,990 euros. Among its direct rivals, the BMW i5 is available from 76,950 euros, and from 114,450 for the i5 M60.

Audi A6 Sportback e-tron | Image gallery