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The Audi S6 Sportback e-tron is the fastback version of the A6 Avant e-tron, with a performance hike, all-wheel drive, and an official 400-mile+ electric range, resulting in an impressive electric grand tourer package.
The Audi A6 ‘executive saloon’ is now available as an all-electric Sportback version, with a hatchback rather than a boot, and in ‘S’ form it gains extra performance and all-wheel drive. Is it as sporty to drive as it looks?
The Audi S6 Sportback e-tron is built on the same 800-volt Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture as the latest Porsche Macan. The benefits of this include ultra-rapid charging and maximum interior space; even though this is a fastback, there’s still a large 502-litre boot, which isn’t particularly deep because of the body shape, but it makes the most of the car’s 4,928mm length, which also results in lots of rear legroom. Folding down the rear seats creates 1,330 litres of space, and although there’s not much space under the boot floor, there’s a 27-litre front trunk (‘frunk’). The interior is the normal stylish Audi mix of high quality materials and the latest technology; there’s a central touchscreen, plus a driver’s display (and a head-up display), and the front passenger even gets their own touchscreen.
Externally, the S6 Sportback e-tron looks sporty, although the frontal styling is a little fussy. Our test car featured a panoramic roof which can be changed from clear glass to opaque glass at the touch of a button.
Under the skin is a 100 kWh lithium-ion battery (94.9 kWh net) with one electric motor at the front and one at the rear, delivering all-wheel drive.
The S6 Sportback e-tron weighs 2,400 kg and has a towing capacity of 2,100 kg.
The Audi S6 Sportback e-tron has a power output of 496 hp, or 550 hp with launch control, together with 275 Nm of torque at the front and 580 Nm of torque at the rear, which results in a 0-62 mph time of 4.1 seconds, or 3.9 seconds in launch control mode. Thankfully this is translated to the road via all-wheel drive.
So the S6 Sportback e-tron has lots of performance. But one other statistic to add in is the car’s weight: 2,400 kg. The combination of all this means that the S6 Sportback e-tron isn’t an agile sports car, but it does make a very appealing grand tourer. Despite its 21-inch wheels, Adaptive S air suspension delivers comfortable ride quality if Comfort drive mode is selected, although if you want the car to tighten up, this can be achieved by selecting Sport mode (via a physical button on the centre console), when the e-tron sports sound is also magnified. The two other drive modes are Balanced and Efficiency, with the car defaulting to Balanced when you start it.
Thanks to the grip from the all-wheel drive system, but also as a result of the car’s low stance compared to an SUV or crossover, the S6 Sportback e-tron feels very planted to the road, both through corners and on long motorway journeys, when the car is very quiet and refined. However if you want to have some fun, another physical button on the centre console reduces the intervention of the traction control system. If you want to make the most of the S6 Sportback e-tron’s driving experience without the steering being corrupted, you can easily switch off the lane departure warning system by pressing a button at the end of the indicator stalk on the left of the steering wheel.
The gear selector gives you the options of R, N, D and, if you pull the gear selector down again, B, for increased levels of brake regeneration. There are also steering wheel-mounted paddles which allow you to change the level of brake regeneration for a short period.
The infotainment system is the latest in high-tech, with an 11.9-inch central touchscreen, a 14.5-inch driver display, a head-up display, and front passengers even get their own screen. The touchscreen generally works well, primarily because, unlike many other cars, you always have permanent shortcut buttons visible on the right of the screen, and permanent climate buttons at the bottom of the screen, even when using Apple CarPlay.
Audi’s satnav mapping has been excellent over recent years, but Apple Maps is now clearer than Audi’s detailed graphics.
The Audi S6 Sportback e-tron Edition 1 has an official WLTP combined electric driving range of 403 miles. The real-world range was averaging 300 miles after a week on test in winter; even allowing for time of year, this result is low compared to the official figure (and considering that the S6 e-tron comes as standard with a heat pump).
The S6 Sportback e-tron’s consumption (WLTP) is 3.8 miles/kWh, and its maximum ultra-rapid DC charging rate is 270 kW, which means that a 10% to 80% charge takes just 21 minutes.
There’s an 11kW onboard AC charger, and the S6 e-tron has charging sockets on both sides of the car on the rear wings – a Type 2 socket on the driver’s side, and a CCS socket on the passenger side. The charging sockets open and close electrically.
The Audi S6 Sportback e-tron Edition 1 is priced at £99,305 plus the options on our test car: Malpelo blue metallic paint (£775) and Fine Nappa leather with diamond stitching (£990) – £1,765 worth of options, taking the car’s price to over £100,000, so it can’t be described as an affordable EV. The S6 e-tron is also available as an Avant (ie. estate), and there’s also the A6 Sportback e-tron and the A6 Avant e-tron.
The Audi S6 Sportback e-tron offers sporty looks, lots of space, a high-tech and high-quality interior, and a grand tourer driving experience. The ultra-rapid DC charging rate of 270 kW and the official 400-mile+ range are both impressive, although the latter wasn’t achieved during our test in winter. But with a price of around £100,000, all this doesn’t come cheap. The Audi S6 Sportback e-tron is awarded a Green Car Guide rating of 9 out of 10.
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