This is the Audi A6 e-tron, the long-awaited all-electric replacement for the old A6 and a car which will be sold as a five-door Sportback, an Avant estate and a high-performance S6 e-tron.
I’m a bit confused - which car is the Audi A6 e-tron replacing?
It’s best if, for now, you simply think of the A6 e-tron as the new Audi A6 and, as a result, a natural rival to the BMW i5 and i5 Touring; makes things easier than trying to decipher Audi’s wider product strategy of naming internal-combustion cars with odd numbers (A1, A3, A5 etc) and electric vehicles (EVs) gaining even identifiers (A2, A4, A6 and so on).
Anyway, the styling of the production-ready A6 e-tron takes strong inspiration from the concept version released back in 2021, with the headlights at the front of particular note. Those slim, higher-set clusters are not the main form of forward illumination but actually the daytime running lamps, with the main headlights sitting below. This is a look which most Audis will adopt going forward and it’s a departure from the company’s former one-piece items.
Similarly, Audi would like to draw your attention to how slippery the shape of the A6 e-tron Sportback is, because this is the most aerodynamic production Audi of all time. A low ride height and smooth roofline coupled with active and hidden airflow aids (including a flat underside to the car) result in a coefficient of drag of 0.21 - which is not only the best for any Audi so far, but will also make it the most aerodynamic model in the entire Volkswagen Group when it goes on sale.
There are also aerodynamically optimised alloys, of 19 to 21 inches in diameter, and while the Avant is not quite as efficient through the air, a coefficient of drag of 0.24 is still best-in-class for estates of a similar type, according to Audi.
Does this have the fancy adjustable LED lights like the new Audi A5?
It does indeed. With LED front and OLED rear lamps, owners can pick from one of the eight signatures available, including the one where the back lights kind of ‘twinkle’, as their individual triangular elements glow through orange to dark red. Having seen these up close, they’re certainly striking, and Audi assures us that they’re legal to use on the move in all the countries where the A6 e-tron will be on sale.
OK, so what about the interior?
The huge MMI Panoramic Display has already been seen in the Audi Q6 e-tron SUV. It’ll be fitted to the A5 family as well, while it’s the centrepiece of the A6 e-tron - and we’d put money on other models coming down the line, such as the next-gen Q5, having the same set-up too. The main 14.5-inch central touchscreen and the 11.9-inch Audi Virtual Cockpit instrument cluster are housed together in one wide-ranging construct that takes up most of the dashboard, while a 10.9-inch front passenger display will be offered to sit alongside it.
Further highlights include an augmented reality head-up display, although the quality of the fixtures and materials used should also be pointed out too - the Audi’s interior is, as you would expect, a lovely and comfortable place to sit.
Shall we talk about the performance of the A6 e-tron?
It’s the second vehicle from Audi on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE), after the Q6 e-tron, so the drivetrains for the A6 e-tron are familiar. A 100kWh battery pack, 94.9kWh of which is usable, provides enough energy for the A6 e-tron Sportback to have an official range in excess of 750km, while the Avant can go more than 720km. For performance, the A6 e-tron has up to 367hp, which’ll allow it to go from 0-100km/h in 5.4 seconds and on to a top speed of 210km/h. The S6 model, meanwhile, is more potent, with 503hp nominally and then 551hp with launch control, which’ll allow it to run 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds and on to 240km/h. The S6 e-tron Sportback will go 670km-plus to a charge and the Avant is reduced to around 640km.
PPE is an advanced 800-volt electrical architecture, so recharging the A6 and S6 e-tron models won’t take too long thanks to a maximum replenishment rate of 270kW. This allows it to go from 10 to 80 per cent charge in just 21 minutes at its fastest, but a clever system detects if the charging station is on 400-volt technology, then splits the battery into two ‘banks’, each with a voltage of 400. They can then be charged in parallel at up to 135kW. AC charging is, for now, capped at 11kW, but Audi says it will offer a 22kW charging option for the A6 e-tron at a later stage.
What about the chassis tech?
The A6 e-tron’s regenerative braking system is so powerful that Audi says it can manage 95 per cent of the deceleration processes the car will encounter in everyday driving, while it can also recuperate up to 220kW of otherwise-lost energy. An integrated Brake System (iBS) from other Audi e-trons aims to blend regenerative and friction braking phases together as smoothly as possible.
The German company also says it has set up the suspension with a ‘directly tuned’ front axle, which is supposed to make the A6 e-tron, likely to be a heavy old beast (although no figures have yet been confirmed in this department), feel agile in the corners. The suspension features adaptive dampers, while full adaptive air springs will be an option - it can lower the body of the car by another 20mm on the move to increase driving range further.
Anything else of interest?
Few, other than to say that the A6 e-tron and S6 e-tron will obviously have plenty of active driver assist systems, while the infotainment is highly connected with a wide range of apps available through the MMI system. There will also be an 830-watt, 20-speaker Bang & Olufsen Premium Sound System providing 3D surround and excellent audio clarity for those who enjoy their favourites tunes most when listening to them in the car.
Gernot Döllner, chairman of the board of management of Audi AG, said: “The A6 e-tron is the first purely electric Audi model available as a Sportback and Avant. Its striking design enables the best aerodynamics in the portfolio and therefore greater efficiency. It will inspire enthusiasm for e-mobility with its long range of well over 700 kilometres and outstanding driving dynamics.”
Irish pricing for the Audi A6 e-tron has yet to be announced ahead of the car’s 2025 debut.