Written by Alan Taylor-Jones Updated: 3 December 2024

Overview

In case you missed the memo, the Audi A6 Sportback E-Tron is very different to the A6 you’ve known for the last two or three decades. Out goes petrol and diesel engines and in comes a new all-electric platform to help it go toe-to-toe with the best electric cars out there. 

There are a few power outputs to choose from and the option of rear or four-wheel drive. In other words, there’s a fairly wide range to better take on the likes of the BMW i5, Mercedes-Benz EQE and Volkswagen ID.7. It certainly has a decent headstart with the A6 sharing its platform with both the Audi Q6 e-Tron and Porsche Macan. Expect plenty more siblings in the future, too. 

This review covers the A6 Sportback E-Tron – a hatchback in Audispeak – with the A6 Avant (estate) and a sportier four-wheel drive S6 also available. To find out if they’re any good, I had to put up with some winter sun in Tenerife. Shame. If you want to know more about how we review cars here at Parkers, have a look at our how we test cars page. 

18

What’s it like inside? 

As I’ve come to expect from a press launch, all the A6 E-Trons available were loaded to the roof lining with kit. That means triple digital displays, with an 11.9-inch driver’s display, 14.5-inch central touchscreen and a 10.9-inch display for your passenger. Physical controls? Not many. 

While a volume knob that also allows you to skip tracks and a few shortcut icons are welcome, almost everything else is controlled via the touchscreen. While we applaud having the heating controls on the bottom of the screen, buttons are better and would remove some of the complexity. 

There’s an awful lot going on with the main touchscreen, although it is responsive and has sharp graphics. The driver’s display does feel like a step backward, though. It’s not as easy to control as Audi’s old Virtual Cockpit on account of yet more touch-sensitive ‘buttons’ on the steering wheel, and it’s just not quite as easy to read at a glance. Similarly, the touch panel for the mirrors, lights, locking and seat position is annoying when you’re stationary, and even harder to use on the move. 

18

Quality is a bit of a mixed bag. I like the fabric inserts and squishy plastics that’s found at armrest level and above, but there’s some surprisingly cheap plastic lower down. The door bins are made of hard, scratchy plastic that might be fine on something that competes with a BMW i4, but it’s downright cheap on something that costs over £60,000. 

Sportback versions of the A6 E-Tron have a significantly lower roof than the Avant, something worth bearing in mind if you’re carrying taller passengers in the back. Not only is headroom tight if you’re over six-foot tall, but the floor is high on account of the battery, pushing your knees up towards your chin.  

Space up front is perfectly fine, but this isn’t a car you buy for palatial interior space, despite being nearly five metres long. A VW ID.7 trounces it here. 

Like the A6 Avant E-Tron, the Sportback has a 502-litre boot when you measure up to the parcel shelf. It’s only when you load up to the taller, squarer roof that you’ll appreciate an extra 92-litres of capacity. You don’t have to worry about you charging cables taking up any of that space: there’s a 27-litre compartment under the bonnet.

18

Audi A6 Sportback E-Tron motors and batteries 

The entry-level A6 e-tron makes do with an 83kWh (75.8 usable) battery that powers a single 325hp electric motor on the back axle. It’ll officially do 383 miles in the WLTP test, has a maximum charging speed of 225kW, 0-62mph takes 6.0 seconds and it’ll hit 130mph flat out, but sadly none were available for us to test. 

Next up is the A6 E-Tron Performance – an odd choice of name given its use in the RS lineup – which gets a power increase to 375hp and a larger 100kWh (94.9 useable) battery that boosts the driving range to that healthy 463-mile figure above. It can take up to 270kW for a 21-minute 10 to 80% rapid charge time and gets from 0-62mph in a snappy 5.4 seconds. 

If you want four-wheel drive, you’ll need an A6 E-Tron quattro. Obviously. An additional electric motor for the front axle helps take total power to 460hp and drops the 0-62mph time to just 4.5 seconds. Range does take a hit, dropping to 438 miles, though.  

18

What it’s like to drive? 

I was certainly impressed by the A6 E-Tron models I drove abroad, but there is a slight problem. You see, while all versions tested were fitted with air suspension, only the sporty S6 is available with this system in the UK. Instead, we get regular coil springs with fixed dampers that are unlikely to offer the same combination of ride comfort and sharp handling. 

When fitted with air suspension, the A6 E-Tron does a good job of soaking up what few road imperfections I could find in Tenerife. Even a slight excursion onto some narrow and less well-surfaced roads didn’t upset the calm. Even without venturing into the sportier modes, body control over undulating roads is good. 

The handling is good, too. Our rear-wheel drive Performance test car didn’t offer a great deal of information through the steering wheel, but it feels precise and has an appropriate and confidence-inspiring amount of weight. The brake pedal feels far more natural than rivals including the Mercedes-Benz EQE, and you can change how quickly the car slows down via steering wheel mounted paddles. 

Push harder and you’ll feel the weight of the A6 under heavy braking and fast direction changes, but that’s true of direct rivals as well. The A6 has plenty of grip, but it will let you slide the tail slightly under power in ESC Sport mode. It’s undoubtedly more fun than an EQE, although it’ll be a closer run thing with the BMW i5.  

18

What models and trims are available?

Ignoring the S6, there’s a choice of three trim levels. Entry-level Sport has all the kit you really need, with next-rung S Line only really providing visual changes for a not insubstantial price increase. If you want more kit, you’ll need to jump to Edition 1 or just raid the options list. 

The A6 E-Tron’s biggest rivals are undoubtedly the BMW i5 and Mercedes-Benz EQE, although there’s always the more spacious VW ID.7, too. It is a very different car to its precessor, but is it good enough to topple the best of the opposition? Click through to our verdict page to find out.