The Audi S6 Avant e-tron is a premium electrical property automobile priced at £95,815 with 496hp and 384-mile vary that outshines Chinese language and German rivals
We’re at present in a interval of great automotive, political, and financial shifts. Governments worldwide are shifting ideologies, and their economies are grappling with the monetary challenges that these political modifications carry.
Concurrently, the price of proudly owning and working a automobile is steadily growing. Rachel Reeves’ most up-to-date finances launched a brand new pay-per-mile scheme for PHEVs and electrical vehicles, set at 3p per mile, ended the freeze on gas responsibility, and elevated the luxurious tax for premium electrical vehicles, experiences the Specific.
This makes it an intriguing time to be testing a premium electrical automobile from one of many world’s most prestigious manufacturers. The S6 Avant e-tron quattro is a top-of-the-range property automobile from Audi.
The launch version I examined had an estimated price ticket of £95,815, however because it was registered in 2024, it avoids the elevated luxurious electrical automobile tax. The query I wished to reply was whether or not, contemplating the less expensive competitors from China, it’s best to nonetheless contemplate an electrical automobile from one of many nice marques of the twentieth and twenty first centuries.
Specs
The S6 I examined got here with 370kW, equal to 496 mechanical horsepower, together with round 417lb ft of torque, all of which went via all 4 wheels to the bottom. This energy propels a automobile weighing roughly 2.3 tonnes from 0-62mph in about 4 seconds.
For those who’re after a historic comparability, this household property automobile boasts energy and torque figures akin to its famend racing rallying cousin, the Group B S1 Audi Quattro.
Nevertheless, it’s miles extra sensible than the rally automobile. The place the engine would sometimes be in a traditional petrol automobile, there is a compact 27 litre frunk.
The primary rear boot has a said capability of 502 litres, which expands to 1,422 litres when the rear seats are folded flat.
The charging cables have their very own bag that may be saved wherever the motive force prefers. The said vary is a claimed 384 miles, however as with petrol and diesel vehicles, quite a few components can affect the precise distance you may journey.
Inside
Contained in the Audi, you may discover an array of contact screens geared up with all the most recent bells and whistles one may match into a contemporary, premium electrical automobile.
As anticipated, virtually each floor is roofed in leather-based, and there is a sharp match and end to every little thing; all of it feels extremely stable and effectively assembled. The door closes with a reassuringly stable sound, and you are feeling enveloped in a really spacious cabin.
There’s additionally the small element of the passenger having their very own display screen, permitting them to view your vary, effectivity, and the music you are taking part in.
You then spot the absence of door mirrors. Like different new fashions such because the Hyundai Ioniq 9, this Audi would not include conventional mirrors.
It does have a rear-view mirror (one thing invented by racing driver Dorothy Levitt in 1902), however as an alternative of typical aspect mirrors, it utilises cameras that relay footage to small screens contained in the door.
It is peculiar, and also you would possibly query how a lot they have an effect on airflow, however after a while and remembering to regulate your gaze barely, you do get accustomed to them.
There are just a few extra minor factors to notice, however we’ll discuss these in a while.
Driving
That is the place the Audi actually excels. Regardless of weighing over two tonnes, being fairly huge, reasonably expensive, and considerably lengthy, it might cease, flip, and speed up in addition to one thing a lot smaller.
I’ve had the privilege of driving a number of intriguing vehicles this 12 months, and this one stands out as the most effective, largely attributable to how effectively it communicates with the motive force.
Trendy vehicles usually face criticism for his or her overbearing security options like lane help and ultra-light energy steering that leaves drivers uncertain of what the entrance wheels are doing. Though the Audi has such options as lane help, these might be switched off if you already know the place to search out the driving help choices.
Furthermore, in any driving mode aside from Consolation, the steering is extremely responsive and you actually really feel you may press on if you end up on a winding A or easy B street; it is right here you sense the lineage between this and the rally Audis of previous.
Certainly, when issues get slim and riddled with potholes, you turn out to be extra conscious of the automobile’s width and fear barely in regards to the low profile tyres, however when the street opens up, you may’t assist however smile. And that is earlier than we even get to the actually intriguing half.
Within the realm of electrical automobile driving, there is a phenomenon often known as ‘one-pedal driving’. Which means in some electrical vehicles, you may change them right into a B mode that will increase the regenerative braking.
This means that once you carry off the accelerator pedal, the automobile makes use of the regenerative brakes to considerably sluggish you down, enabling you to drive completely safely with out touching the brake pedal. Nevertheless, whereas the automobile is doing this, one must be prepared to use the brake pedal if crucial.
The Audi we examined had this function, permitting for pinpoint precision when approaching and exiting a bend; letting me put electrical energy and vary again into the battery with simply the slightest motion of my proper foot. Actually, the Audi was so environment friendly and regained a lot vary, I did not really feel the necessity to recharge once I drove it from London to Tetbury and again on a very chilly Friday morning.
Furthermore, the power to so exactly tweak and alter the powertrain and regenerative braking made the entire expertise reasonably exhilarating; it felt liberating to have such management over the automobile’s dynamics.
What this Audi does higher than rivals just like the BYD Seal and BMW i4 is make electrical driving extra pleasing, it provides depth and makes you extra engaged; you are not simply observing this symphony of expertise, you are directing it; you are not simply listening to the music, you are the lead singer.
The problems
Now, no automobile is flawless and the Audi isn’t any exception. Just a few of the inside supplies, totally on the cup holder cowl, felt considerably low cost, and there was an odd ratcheting noise from the central storage bin.
Moreover, often, when manoeuvring at full steering lock, there was a curious knocking sound coming from the entrance wheels; whether or not this was attributable to tyres or one other situation I am unsure, however it solely occurred when the automobile was on full lock below 5 miles per hour. After talking to somebody with extra expertise of the automobile, I used to be reassured it wasn’t a big drawback.
Additionally, when you can retailer all of the charging cables in a bespoke Audi bag, there was no clear place to place it; although the entrance boot may be place to begin. Nevertheless, you’ll then sacrifice a number of the house that facility offers.
Christopher’s Verdict
To be trustworthy, I used to be disenchanted to see the automobile go. It is a exceptional piece of equipment that outshines different vehicles, together with petrol and diesel ones, by way of driving expertise.
Furthermore, whereas the boot could also be smaller than a few of its rivals, and probably some SUVs, it is a good all-rounder.
However, it’s extremely expensive, the tyres may be a bit too low profile for Britain’s roads, and the mirror cameras in addition to the passenger’s contact display screen appear a bit superfluous.
Nevertheless, regardless of the rise of Chinese language electrical vehicles, the Audi S6 Avant e-tron serves as an illustration that European electrical vehicles nonetheless have a big position to play within the present automotive scene.
