Test Car Specifications
Model: 2025 Audi A6 Avant e-tron Performance
Price: A6 Avant e-tron from £64,300, Performance from £71,700
Engine: 280kW electric motor
Battery: 100kWh lithium-ion
Transmission: single-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power: 380hp
Torque: 565Nm
Emissions: 0g/km
Range: 437 miles
0-62mph: 5.4 seconds
Top speed: 130mph
Boot space: 502-1,442 litres
Styling
The Audi A6 Sportback may not look much like the old A6 Saloon, but the new Avant has a much more familiar feel. The shape is that of a conventional estate, complete with big boot and a 'two-box' shape, but it still looks modern. Like the Sportback, the A6 Avant e-tron comes with clever lights that can be customised and the new faired-in 'grille' panel at the front. Cameras are available in place of mirrors, too, and it has the same aerodynamic alloy wheel designs and rounded edges, all designed to help it cut through the air as cleanly as possible.
Interior
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, the estate version of the A6 e-tron has exactly the same dashboard as the fastback, with the same angular design that's crowded with different materials. Despite the relative lack of buttons, it's hardly minimalist. But it is well made, with lots of smart leather and chrome on show, and everything seems well bolted together.
The Avant also gets the same tech as the Sportback, with the same digital instrument display that's sharp, but disappointingly short on functions compared with its predecessor, and the same huge touchscreen. Customers also get the same options of digital door mirrors, a passenger display and a brilliant head-up display for the driver.
While we may continue to dislike the trend towards using touchscreen climate control interfaces, the Audi's is at least logical, and the screens all look very modern, but the massive head-up display steals the show with its augmented reality features. Again, though, the estate is no different from that fastback in that regard.
Practicality
Where the A6 Avant e-tron does differ, however, is at the rear. Obviously, there's a very different shape to the rear end, but that makes no difference at all to the official boot capacity. Instead, it just offers easier access and a more practical boot shape, allowing you to load bigger and bulkier items above the tonneau cover to which boot space is normally measured. And because the A6 Avant e-tron's roof is higher than that of the Sportback, you get a bit more rear passenger headroom, which will come in handy for those who regularly put adults in the back seats.
Performance
Audi is offering the A6 Avant e-tron with exactly the same range of batteries and motors as the Sportback, but the less aerodynamic shape means range takes a hit. Where the basic A6 Sportback e-tron's 83kWh battery will take it 383 miles on a charge, the Avant cuts that range to 361 miles. It isn't a huge reduction, and performance is unchanged, but it might make some customers think twice before choosing the Avant.
That said, the Performance model tested here with its 100kWh battery, will still manage 437 miles on a charge in Avant form (down from 463 in the Sportback), so range anxiety is unlikely to be a big issue for customers. We're expecting most to go for this bigger battery pack, which also comes with 270kW charging to ensure it can be topped up from 10 to 80 per cent in around 20 minutes at maximum charge speed.
As with the Sportback, customers can get the same battery from the two-motor, all-wheel-drive Quattro and S6 versions of the Avant, but like the other Avant models, they have less range than their fastback siblings. Power and performance figures remain unchanged, though, and the S6 Avant e-tron remains enormously fast on paper, getting from 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds. That said, the 380hp, single motor Performance will likely be more than fast enough for most.
Ride & Handling
Happily, the transition from Sportback to Avant makes absolutely no discernible difference to the way the A6 e-tron drives. Push (and concentrate) hard and you might notice a tad more lean in corners, but the difference is minor at anything even approaching everyday speeds.
That means the A6 Avant e-tron is good to drive in a safe, predictable kind of way, ensuring there isn't too much engagement or excitement, but still allowing you to drive reasonably quickly. Pin the accelerator at the right time and the rear end will even slide, although it does so in a docile and almost reluctant manner, suggesting the Audi really doesn't like being driven too hard. On that basis, it doesn't have the joie de vivre of a BMW i5 Touring.
However, it is quite a comfortable thing, albeit with a caveat. Our test car was a German example, fitted with air suspension that isn't available in the UK, so while that rode out the bumps fairly well, we don't really know whether that will be true of steel-sprung A6 e-trons in the UK. What we do know is the differences between equivalent Avants and Sportbacks are minor.
Value
The A6 Avant e-tron starts at £64,300, which makes it a little less than £2,000 more expensive than the Sportback. On paper, it doesn't look like great value, given a Sportback has a similarly useful boot and a greater range, but for those who need the space, the Avant will pay dividends. It's also cheaper than the BMW i5 Touring, and it comes with plenty of standard kit.
As with the Sportback, the basic Sport model gets 20-inch alloys, LED lights and heated front seats, as well as three-zone climate control, a 360-degree reversing camera and the two massive dashboard screens. The sportier S Line adds leather seats and sports styling, while the Edition 1 gets even bigger wheels, heated rear seats and a passenger display.
Verdict
Like the A6 Sportback e-tron on which it is based, the A6 Avant e-tron is more capable than captivating, but the unerring competence remains unquestionably appealing. For our money, the Avant is only worth it if you will regularly make use of the more practical boot space and you often carry adults in the back seats – the range penalty is a bit off-putting otherwise – but it has all the same qualities as the Sportback, and that makes it very hard to fault.
