What’s this new car all about then?
The number plates are German and the steering wheel is on the wrong side, but that’s definitely Auckland, New Zealand in the background (or west, at Muriwai in the more scenic shots).
This is an evaluation example of the new Audi S6 e-tron Avant, brought over for a temporary stay so that potential customers can see, touch and even test-drive, ahead of the launch of the new A6/S6 e-tron range launch in September.
That’s right, a new premium-brand EV that’s not an SUV. Take a moment to let that sink in. Although the A6/S6 e-tron does owe quite a lot to an SUV: the Q6/SQ6 e-tron, because they’re both based on the Volkswagen Group’s premium platform electric (PPE, also used for the Porsche Macan Electric).
While the A6 e-tron shares its battery sizes, basic technology package and even most of its fancy digital interior with the Q6, it’s not simply the SUV made lower. It looks sleek and nicely proportioned, and that’s because Audi has finessed the dimensions quite a lot: the A6 is 157mm longer overall and carries an extra 57mm in the wheelbase. It’s a lot lower, of course: the roofline is a whopping 158mm closer to the ground.
The boot is at least 12l smaller in the A6 than the Q6 (depending on model), but still big: 502l. And there’s some extra load length there thanks to more overhang. The seats also fold near-flat, so it’s pretty practical. As an Avant should be.
There will be three tiers to the A6 e-tron Avant lineup for NZ. The entry S line has a single motor and makes 270kW (or 280kW with launch control active), the S line quattro adds another motor to make all-wheel drive and 315kW (340kW), while the flagship S6 ramps the power up to 370kW (405kW). That’s 10kW more than the SQ6 SUV and it’s half a second quicker to 100km/h: 3.9 seconds.
This car is not to final NZ specification, but we can share some key points. All A6/S6 e-tron models have a 94.9kWh battery, adaptive air suspension, “Matrix LED headlights plus”, digital OLED rear lights with various signatures, illuminated Audi 4-ring badge at the back, augmented reality head-up display and separate passenger-side touch-screen. They’re all pretty fancy, in other words.
How much is it?
Our S6 e-tron Avant will be $202,990. But there’s also that brace of A6 versions, the $144,990 S line and $167,990 S line quattro.
Allow us to digress and say there are two intriguing things about the entry A6. First, it boasts a massive range of 650km (WLTP), although even the S6 is 623km. Second, the single-motor is at the back, so it’s a rear-drive Audi. Very novel, given its passenger cars are usually a front-drive base upon which quattro is added for the higher-end models. And yes, there is an equivalent in the Q6 range: it’s called the Advanced.
What’s it like to drive?
The S6 is deceptively smooth and fast, given we’re dealing with serious performance: under 4sec to 100km/h is in the big leagues, especially for a family station wagon. But it’s delivered in such a linear way, you’d be hard pressed to pick how quickly the thing gathers pace. So pay attention and hang on to your licence.
Given the low centre of gravity of any EV, the A6’s ultimate handling limits probably aren’t a whole lot different to the SQ6. But it certainly does feel different - much more sporty - because you’re sitting so much lower.
Standard air suspension strikes a great balance between a plush ride (not always an easy thing to achieve on a rigid EV platform) and grippy, roll-free handling when you want it. Air is standard on all models, but the S6 gets a slightly more aggressive state of tune.
We can’t delve too much further into the mainstream driving experience because being a left-hand drive evaluation car only, a lot wasn’t working: no adaptive cruise, speed sign recognition and the like. Makes you realise how much software calibration is required to make modern cars work on our roads.
What’s the pick of the range?
Audi NZ just has the one leftie in the country for its roadshow and as the flagship S6 version, it’s undeniably impressive.
But given that this is a new thing for the brand in many ways (most significantly, its first-ever pure-electric Avant) we’d be intrigued to have a closer look at the entry-level S line version. On paper it still looks very luxurious and fast (0-100km/h in 5.4sec), but it’s also rear-drive.
On the general topic of A6s, there’s also a petrol version, which is also still called the A6 after Audi’s naming-conventional about-face (where combustion cars were going to have odd numbers). That’s also under consideration by Audi NZ, probably in 2.0-litre turbo form and still Avant-only… but it’s focusing on the e-tron EV lineup right now.
What other cars should I consider?
Premium-brand pure-electric performance station wagons: that’s an extremely exclusive club. The obvious rival to the Audi S6 e-tron Avant is the $201,900 BMW i5 M60 xDrive Touring, which matches that 3.9sec to 100km/h acceleration time, although it needs more power to do it (442kW).
From there you have to start doing some genre-bending, but we’d throw the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo into the mix: we don’t get the true wagon-version, the Sport Turismo, in NZ, but the Cross is still pretty low and sleek. Way more expensive than the Audi though: you’d have to spend $265,900 to get AWD and go as fast.
And is it stretching things to include Polestar 3? It’s technically an SUV with high ground clearance, but the body is also wagon-like, with a low roof and reclined seating position. The $194,990 AWD Performance Pack model can hit 100km/h in 4.7sec.
Audi S6 e-tron Avant NZ roadshow: where and when
Auckland: Giltrap Audi North Shore (23-26 May), Giltrap Audi Grey Lynn (May 28-June 3), Continental Cars Audi Newmarket (June 5-10).
Hamilton: Ebbett Hamilton (June 13-17).
Tauranga: Farmer Audi (June 20-24).
Napier: Bayswater (June 27-30).
Palmerston North: Robertson Prestige (July 4-6).
Wellington: Armstrong’s Audi (July 9-13).
Christchurch: Archibald’s Audi (July 17-21)
Dunedin: Southern Motor Group (July 24-28)
Queenstown: Queenstown Motor Group (July 21-August 4)
