The new Audi A6 Avant e-tron is a superb electric car that balances refinement, practicality and luxury with an impressive range and strong efficiency.
It’s also one of the very few electric estate cars, cutting a swathe through a glut of SUVs. There are only a handful of electric load-luggers and of these only BMW’s i5 Touring is a direct rival to the Audi.
My first impressions when it arrived outside my house in Dundee is that it’s a very good looking car. Less brash and in-your-face than a BMW or Porsche, it has the kind of low-key elegance and understated style that Audi does so well.
Prices start at around the £65,000 mark. Entry level models have an 83kWh battery, with Launch Edition, Performance and Quattro versions having 100kWh batteries.
What is the Audi A6 Avant e-tron’s range?
All models have vey impressive ranges, according to official figures at least. Even the smaller battery model has a 383-mile range, with the Performance version offering a WLTP combined range of 463 miles.
I drove the all-bells-and-whistles Launch Edition, which came with an eye-watering £87,000 price tag and an official range of 402 miles.
As is often the case, it’s nigh-on impossible to match these ranges in the real world. Over a week of driving in Perthshire, Fife, Dundee and Angus, my A6 Avant e-tron managed to cover around 300 miles on a full charge.
Despite falling short of the official figure that’s still a long distance to cover without plugging in. I was also playing with the car’s performance a bit. More judicious driving would probably improve that figure by at least 20-30 miles.
In any case, the range was enough that I didn’t need to charge during my week with the car, only plugging in the night before it went away so the delivery driver didn’t have to stop.
If you do decide to do the North Coast 500 in a oner, the Audi is able to charge at up to 270kW, which will take the battery from 10-80% in just 21 minutes. Find a powerful enough charger and you can add over 180 miles of range in 10 minutes.
Is the A6 e-tron good to drive?
My version of the Audi A6 e-tron delivered 374bhp through the rear wheels and had a 0-62mph time of 5.4 seconds. There is a 455bhp Quattro model with a 4.5 second 0-62 time but at no point did I feel my car needed any extra pace.
It’s fast enough that you can nip out of any junction or slip road and be up to speed in no time. And unlike some rocketship EVs such as the Tesla Model 3, power delivery is smooth rather than savage.
Although it has plenty of it, speed is not the A6 e-tron’s best quality. Comfort is. It is wonderfully composed and refined. There’s no engine noise – of course – and acoustic glazing and plenty of sound insulation helps deaden wind and tyre sounds.
On a drive to Dunkeld my car was as quiet as a library inside, even at 70mph on the dualled stretches of the A9. The suspension soaks up bumps and the cosseting seats make long journeys relaxing
Technology fans will love the car’s interior. My A6 e-tron had a huge central touchscreen, a driver’s display, a head-up display, and a touchscreen for the front passenger to play with.
The only thing missing is buttons – heating systems are controlled via the screen.
Meanwhile, the panoramic glass roof can be switched from transparent to opaque.
The boot has an impressive 502 litres of space with the seats up, rising to 1422 with them folded and there’s a ‘frunk’ under the bonnet for storing charge cables.
While the boot is an excellent size and room in the front is great, rear legroom is merely average.
What are those crazy rear view cameras?
My car came with the optional rear view cameras instead of wing mirrors. These sleek contrivances beam what’s behind you on a pair of screens built into the door pillars. The resulting improved aerodynamics add up to 7.4 miles of range, according to Audi.
While they look fantastic and are a great talking point I didn’t find them as easy to use as ordinary mirrors. I also wonder if the claimed efficiency savings aren’t at least partly offset by the energy drain of running two extra screens. And I’d hate to think how much they’ll cost to replace if someone clips them.
That’s a small grumble about an otherwise outstanding vehicle, however.
The Audi A6 e-tron is not just one of the best electric cars, it’s one of the best cars of any kind I’ve driven in the last couple of years.
Now if only I could afford one…
Audi A6 e-tron review – Facts:
Price: £87,360
0-62mph: 5.4 seconds
Top speed: 130mph
Range: 402 miles
CO2 emissions: 0g/km
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