You’ll see the new Audi A6 e-tron popping up on company car fleets near you soon.
And the A6 e-tron will certainly cut a dash in the office car park, with its smooth sculpting and stacked front end. It’s clearly similar to the recently revealed Audi Q6 e-tron, which isn’t surprising when the two are largely the same underneath.
The saloon-style Sportback version boasts a sleeker shape than the outgoing Audi A6, plus a hatchback tailgate that’ll make it easier to load bulky items. Although, if practicality is a major concern, you’ll be pleased to read that the A6 e-tron is also available as an estate – one of few electric estate cars available.
Around the back, the new car gets a full-width light bar and an illuminated Audi badge. S Line versions get a red square next to the model name, which used to be reserved for S and RS models. Alloy wheels range from 19 to 21 inches in size, and digital rear-view cameras are an option if you feel that glass door mirrors aren’t quite fancy enough.
The A6 e-tron is very aerodynamic and, coupled with the biggest 100kWh battery, will manage up to 466 miles of range. Handy if your regional sales meetings are a very long way away. Find a charger powerful enough to feed in 270kW of power, and you’ll get from 10-80% charge in just 21 minutes.
It’s the Audi A6 e-tron Performance version with the headline range figure. Beneath that, the entry-level e-tron – non-Performance, if you will – has an 83kWh battery and a 379-mile quoted range. Above those two are four-wheel-drive versions with two motors rather than one. Both have the larger battery and will manage over 400 miles – even the warmed-up S6 e-tron.
All models are quick. Power ranges from just under 300hp in the entry-level car to 503hp in the S6, or 550hp with launch control engaged. In a full-bore launch, the S6 will reach 62mph in just 3.9 seconds, although the two-wheel-drive A6 e-tron Performance isn’t too far behind at 5.4 seconds. An RS model is also coming if you’re power-crazed.
Inside, it’s a same story to the exterior styling, where most of the interior parts are shared with the Q6 SUV. The 12-inch digital instrument cluster is joined by a 14.5-inch centre touchscreen with a curved panel, creating the look of one huge panel of information.
An additional touchscreen for the front passenger is available as an optional extra. Also among the optional extras are an augmented-reality head-up display – giving the impression that information is displayed directly on the road ahead of you – and a panoramic glass roof that can turn opaque or transparent at the touch of a button.
All this tech doesn’t come cheap. The A6 e-tron Performance in Sportback guise starts at £69,900, with the Avant estate version £1,800 more expensive. The S6 e-tron, meanwhile, is £97,500 before options. An entry-level non-Performance A6 e-tron will join the range at a later date, bringing with it a lower starting price.
The A6 e-tron will be available to order from Monday 2 September, and first deliveries are likely to start before the end of the year.
