Audi is within the midst of an enormous mannequin line transformation with all of its even-numbered vehicles turning into EVs and all of its odd-numbered vehicles staying gas-powered. This shift goals to make electrical autos like the all-new Audi A6 and S6 E-Tron extraordinarily vital in its portfolio. Whereas it is likely to be referred to as the A6, this mid-size liftback is extra of a substitute for the A7, simply with the addition of electrical energy.
No matter naming scheme, I discovered each the entry-level A6 E-Tron and higher-power S6 E-Tron to be compelling autos which are a welcome — and reasonably good-looking — addition to the mid-size luxurious phase, the place they’ll go toe-to-toe with the BMW i5 and Mercedes-Benz EQE. The 2 Audis additionally make it very obvious that for 95 p.c of driving, you do not want the quicker EV.
Full Disclosure: Audi flew me all the way in which to Tenerife, put me up in fancy inns and fed me all so I might drive the 2025 A6 and S6.
Gone are the four- and six-cylinder motors that powered the earlier A6 and S6. Of their place are both one or two electrical motors relying in your trim stage. Within the U.S., the mannequin lineup could have three energy ranges to select from. First, we’ve obtained the base-level A6 E-Tron. It comes geared up with a single motor on the rear axle that places out 375 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque and has an EPA-estimated 370 miles of vary. Audi says it’s engaged on a long-range mannequin with smaller wheels that may hit 390 miles, which might make it one of many longest-range EVs available on the market.
Subsequent up is the A6 E-Tron Quattro. That provides a second motor on the entrance axle to provide the A6 all-wheel drive, and it makes 456 horsepower and a 333-mile driving vary. Lastly, we’ve obtained the big-dog S6 E-Tron. It retains the two-motor setup of the Quattro, however with way more energy. Horsepower rises to 543, however vary takes a dip to 324 miles. That’s nonetheless fairly strong, however it isn’t going to set any data. It needs to be famous that Audi hasn’t launched official torque figures but for AWD vehicles. These ought to pop up nearer to launch.
No matter motor configuration, the A6 and S6 E-Tron include a large 100kWh battery pack (of which a 94.4-kWh web is usable), they usually run on an 800-volt structure. The brand new A6 is constructed on Volkswagen Group’s Premium Platform Electrical that’s shared with different autos just like the Audi Q6 E-Tron and Porsche Macan. Audi says the A6’s battery can fast-charge at a max of 270 kW, and it’s in a position to go from 10 p.c to 80 p.c in simply 21 minutes. It might additionally acquire about 135 miles of vary in 10 minutes of charging. That’s not too shabby in any respect. No matter which mannequin you go along with, you’ve additionally obtained a number of ranges of regenerative braking. You possibly can flip regen braking all the way in which off, choose one in every of two regen braking intensities or crank all of it the way in which as much as full one-pedal driving. I’ll be trustworthy, although, one-pedal isn’t very intense on this automotive. It’ll carry the automotive to a cease, however it takes some time.
Now that I’ve obtained all of these boring technical particulars out of the way in which, I ought to speak about how the A6 and S6 E-Trons drive. I’ll simply say this: Each vehicles are actually geared for luxurious over sportiness, and I don’t thoughts that one bit. I drove the entry-level single-motor A6 and the top-dog S6 — the Quattro wasn’t obtainable for testing and neither have been the Avants that we gained’t get in America, so don’t ask. Each vehicles provided first rate dynamics, however they weren’t precisely inspiring to drive. In response to Audi, the 375-hp A6 E-Tron obtained from 0-60 in 5.2 seconds, and it could possibly go on to a high velocity of 130 mph. These are each fairly good numbers, however I get the sensation it could a lot reasonably cruise down the freeway at Autobahn speeds than assault a nook.
Like most Audis, it tends to understeer while you come right into a nook a bit too sizzling, as I did just a few instances on the twisty roads of Tenerife. No matter drive mode (there’s Balanced, Dynamic, Consolation and Effectivity), the A6 E-Tron doesn’t encourage a ton of confidence with regards to efficiency driving, and plenty of that comes from the adaptive air suspension and steering tuning. The suspension was reasonably smooth even in Dynamic mode, and the steering was very mild. Please don’t take this to imply I didn’t look after the way in which the A6 drove — I did it’s simply not a efficiency automobile. To me, that’s OK, as a result of the world is sorely lacking luxurious vehicles which are solely attempting to be luxurious proper now. Driving down the freeway with the wonderful adaptive cruise management and lane-keeping techniques working whereas getting a therapeutic massage from the splendidly cozy entrance seats was greater than sufficient to win me over.
Sadly, plenty of the A6 E-Tron’s driving foibles proceed to the S6. These two vehicles put in perspective how, 99 p.c of the time, completely different variants of an EV all form of really feel the identical. Years in the past, you’d purchase an S6 as a result of it had an enormous V10 engine versus the lowly six-cylinder of an A6, and that felt particular on a regular basis. Now, the one actual materials variations between the A6 and S6 are some barely completely different styling cues and a stiffer suspension. The steering remains to be far too mild, and even with a rear-biased AWD system, the S6 pushes while you get right into a nook.
Nevertheless, this implies the optimistic driving traits of the A6 proceed within the S6 as properly. It’s nonetheless splendidly cozy on the freeway, which means it’s positive to be an Autobahn bomber with its 149-mph high velocity. To be truthful, the S6 isn’t utterly hopeless dynamically both. It’s very flat within the corners due to that stiffer suspension, and you’ll carry immense speeds due to the 21-inch Michelin Pilot Sport EV tires, although it’s nonetheless not very confidence-inspiring to drive shortly due to the extraordinarily mild steering. Total, it drives reasonably properly, however the S6 E-Tron isn’t going to be the sporty sedan (or liftback) you have been hoping for.
Contained in the A6 and S6 E-Tron, you’re greeted with the form of construct high quality and tech we’ve come to count on from Audi. There are two actual highlights within the cabin: the expertise and the seats. I’ve put my ass down in plenty of automotive seats in my life, and these are proper up there with the most effective with regards to consolation and a sporty really feel. It additionally helps that they’re heated, ventilated and, after all, can therapeutic massage your again. On sure packages, you even get audio system within the headrest, so it’s just about a Mazda Miata. Other than the consolation, they’re additionally well-bolstered sufficient that you just’re stored firmly in place going round corners. I don’t know the way Audi was in a position to pull off such fantastic seats, however they’re just about second to none.
The opposite side the place the E-Tron siblings’ inside excels is with regards to expertise. The focal factors are, unsurprisingly, the screens. There’s an 11.9-inch Digital Cockpit gauge cluster display screen and an enormous 14.5-inch infotainment display screen that should kind some form of panoramic show, and you may get an optionally available 10.9-inch entrance passenger show which may be probably the most helpful one I’ve ever interacted with.
All three work exceedingly properly collectively and by no means really feel overwhelming, even when there’s a ton of display screen actual property taking on area within the cabin. Above all of that may be a large augmented actuality head-up show that may flash turn-by-turn instructions like a online game and hint the lane strains and vehicles in entrance of you while you’ve obtained adaptive cruise management engaged. It’s a very neat system, and I’m excited to see it pop up in additional autos.
The remainder of the inside is fairly properly thought out as properly, together with the squircle steering wheel that does an excellent job of not blocking the gauge cluster display screen. My one actual gripe is using capacitive contact buttons. They’re all over the place from the steering wheel and the management panel to the left of the driving force and on the middle console. There’s additionally a bit of bit an excessive amount of piano black plastic for my liking, particularly on the oddly massive bezels surrounding the screens, however these are simply small grips. Aside from a few different cheap-ish feeling plastic items, the inside supplies really feel very premium, whether or not you’re touching metals, soft-touch plastics, materials or leathers.
One thing else the A6 and S6 E-Tron excel in interior-wise is area. There’s plenty of it. At 6-foot-1 I can sit behind myself reasonably comfortably, and since this automotive is a liftback now there’s a ton of trunk area. Audi says it has 26 cubic toes of trunk area behind the rear seats. That jumps as much as 40 cubic toes with the rear seats folded For reference, the ICE-powered A6 and A7 have 13.7 and 24.9 cubic toes of truck area, behind the rear seats respectively. If that isn’t fairly sufficient, there’s a modest frunk with 0.95 cubic toes of area. That’ll be greater than sufficient for a charger and a few different issues.
Shifting outdoors, the A6 and S6 are each very good-looking, although apart from some badges and wheel selections, it’s onerous to inform the 2 vehicles aside. Audi did a very good job of hiding among the automotive’s chunk with a aspect blade that runs alongside the underside of the doorways. Up entrance, there’s plenty of black plastic that surrounds the automotive’s “grille,” and it does an excellent job of hiding the primary headlights. The sunshine pods above these are only for operating lights (and they are often configured to completely different kinds relying on what you want).
Out again, it’s basic Audi with a mild bar and light-up rings, although the chunk is a bit much less hidden out right here. There are additionally eight mild signatures to select from to make your A6 or S6 your individual. Up high, there’s an optionally available panoramic glass roof that you would be able to swap up the transparency of, much like what Porsche has on the Taycan. Audi’s engineers and designers put plenty of thought into how the A6 and S6 would slip by way of the air. The automaker says the automotive has a drag coefficient of simply 0.21, decrease than the i5’s 0.23 and EQE’s 0.22 coefficients, which is partially how the A6 and S6 get such good vary out.
One factor I haven’t touched on but is pricing. Properly, that’s as a result of there isn’t something to report but. Audi says we must always know extra nearer to the autos’ launch within the spring or summer time of 2025. That being mentioned, German costs are listed on-line, so we must always be capable to get some concept of what they’ll price. Earlier than including the 19 p.c German VAT, the A6 E-Tron begins round $52,700 and a base S6 E-Tron is available in round $83,600.
If it have been my cash, I’d go along with the rear-drive A6 E-Tron. Certain, the facility and efficiency of the S6 can be good, however the monetary financial savings and wonderful vary of the lower-tier automotive make it a tough argument to beat. A typical challenge with high-performance EVs is that they really feel like lower-power vehicles in most driving situations, and due to that, I don’t really feel such as you’d miss out an excessive amount of should you simply go for the cheaper automotive.
The brand new A6 and S6 E-Trons are setting the stage for a extra electrically-focused Audi, and if that’s the longer term the model goes with, it’s shaping as much as be a reasonably good one. These vehicles provide a compelling various for the BMW i5 and Mercedes EQE consumers of the world, and I feel the Audis are higher trying and provide slicker tech than both of these vehicles. Nonetheless, it’s not good. For individuals on the lookout for a German sports activities sedan, look elsewhere, as a result of these vehicles are actually geared towards luxurious over sportiness. I’m actually completely happy about that.
