It’s safe to say that Audi has been playing catch-up in the luxury EV game. This new A6 Sportback E-Tron fills a big void in the lineup. After several crossovers and SUVs, the German luxury brand is finally launching an electric sedan. Well, it has a tailgate, which technically makes it a liftback if you don t think the term hatchback is correct. This is effectively Audi s belated answer to the BMW i5 and the Mercedes EQE.
Unlike the i5 which shares its CLAR underpinnings with the 5 Series, the new A6 E-Tron is built on a dedicated EV architecture. The Premium Platform Electric (PPE) is the same used for the recently launched Q6 E-Tron, a BMW iX3 competitor. In addition, the hardware can also be found underneath the new Porsche Macan, an electric-only crossover.
It s a stylish car that could ve looked even better without the split headlight theme some BMWs have also embraced. Audi says the A6 Sportback E-Tron is its most aerodynamic production car in history thanks to a drag coefficient of just 0.21. The low Cd is partially made possible by the implementation of side cameras and aero-optimized alloy wheels.
Customers will get to pick from rear- and all-wheel-drive flavors of the A6, plus a hotter S6. The base model is the first modern Audi sedan with a RWD layout. It has 362 horsepower and does 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds, en route to 130 mph (210 km/h). Go for the Quattro and output jumps to 422 hp. This dual-motor variant reaches 60 mph from a standstill in 4.3 seconds while having the same maximum speed.
The dual-motor, Quattro-equipped S6 E-Tron will be the king of the hill. Well, until Audi comes out with a full-fat electric RS6. Meanwhile, the highest-performing derivative packs a 496-hp punch. Activate launch control and you get 543 hp, reducing the sprint time to 3.7 seconds. The sportier variant maxes out at 149 mph.
There aren t any battery options since Audi fits all A6 and S6 models with the same lithium-ion pack featuring a net energy content of 94.4 kWh. The German luxury brand promises more than 750 kilometers (466 miles) of range for the rear-wheel-drive model. Going for the S6 means you ll be sacrificing some of the efficiency since the range will drop to 670 kilometers (416 miles). It s worth mentioning these are not the WLTP figures but rather Audi s own estimations.
Once you re out of battery juice, the fully electric A6 can be recharged at 270 kW thanks to its 800-volt technology. It ll take 21 minutes to go from 10% to 80%. Ten minutes spent at the charging station will give you 310 kilometers (193 miles) of range.
Inside, there s a screen-heavy dashboard with an 11.9-inch driver s display, a 14.5-inch infotainment, and an optional 10.9-inch screen for the front passenger. On top of that, customers can order the car with a new generation of Audi s head-up display featuring augmented reality tech. Speaking of things that cost extra, the panoramic sunroof takes advantage of polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLC) to switch from opaque to transparent at the touch of a button.
Audi will open the order books in September and charge ‚¬75,600 at home in Germany for the A6 Sportback E-Tron. The i5 M60-rivaling S6 Sportback E-Tron kicks off at ‚¬99,500. Much like BMW has the i5 Touring with an electric M Performance version, there s also an A6/S6 Avant E-Tron wagon.
Source: Audi
First published by https://www.bmwblog.com
