- The S6 E-Tron replaces the gas-powered S6
- It’s Sportback solely, thus far, for America
- Costs? Nonetheless TBD for the U.S., with gross sales set for late spring or summer season 2025
- The gas-powered S7 will get up to date, will soldier on
Fly for hours to the southwest from Madrid, alongside the coast of northwestern Africa, and finally the dormant volcano Mount Teide pops up into view. Considered one of many who shaped the Canary Islands tens of millions of years in the past, the volcano hasn’t erupted since 1909, but it surely nonetheless looms ominously over its signature work—black ash scattered thickly, for miles round.
What’s a traditional vacationer do in one of many spicy new EVs from Audi on method? Immediately we’re dodging influencers. Content material disruptors? Adverts in human type? Nevertheless you already know them, the black ash has attracted hordes of them. The Instagram girlies type a human set of pylons in the midst of the highway main up towards the mountain, hapless boyfriends enlisted as videographers and, additionally, pylons. They stand on the double yellow, area themselves out to crop the following one out of their body, and tousle their hair for an epic selfie with the volcano because the backdrop.
By no means thoughts the oncoming visitors.
It’s right here the place I’ve flung the Audi S6 into very low geosynchronous orbit—properly, a minimum of 100 kilometers from acceptable wifi. The S6 fleshes out Audi’s EV lineup when it will get stateside subsequent summer season, together with the milder A6 sedan—each of which change the gas-powered A6/S6 that may stay on after a light renovation because the A7 and S7. Confused? Think about being Audi’s inner naming guru.
Whereas it plans its final gas-powered new automobiles for launch within the subsequent few years, Audi’s busy spinning off new autos from VW Group’s new PPE structure. That features the huskular (yep: husky, but muscular) new 2025 S6 Sportback E-Tron. This EV household consists of the Audi Q6 E-Tron and Porsche Macan EV, too—and it’s outfitted for fulfillment with 800-volt charging, twin electrical motors, an aerodynamically smooth form, and so, so many digital shows inside.
Audi needs to switch the gas-powered S6 in as easy a manner as doable. To wit, behind its battery energy, the new hatchback (which Audi calls a sedan) has an intricate design, strong dynamic enchantment, and an environment friendly powertrain. It’s hot-swappable for the previous automobile—however finally ends up being outlined extra by what it doesn’t do. It doesn’t make synthetic noise (for those who don’t need it to), it doesn’t put passengers above the driving force—and most necessary of all, it doesn’t hesitate to make fast work of extraordinary roads.
2025 Audi S6 E-Tron take a look at drive assessment, Tenerife
Audi S6 E-Tron: Idea-car enchantment
Audi has teased out the form of the S6 for years, first when it previewed it in 2021. This automobile isn’t a lot totally different after translation into manufacturing. It nonetheless bears a plastic panel the place a grille would possibly in any other case be, with a four-ring brand lit in white LEDs for those who like, flanked by split-LED headlights, all of which relaxation upon a low entrance finish with blackout trim that kinds a pedestal. The nostril panel has hockey sticks that recommend precise grille louvers (or the recline mode on a business-class airline seat), and the front-end trim permits air to circulate and wrap across the entrance wheels—one of many methods that helps the S6 generate a low drag determine of 0.23. It’s sculpted down the flanks to trim some weight from tall door panels, ribbed in black trim beneath to contour and spotlight these abs, and slips by the air on the rear with staggered heights for its fenders and a slim tail spoiler underpinned by LED lighting—once more with the four-ringed brand, lit in purple right here as an alternative of white.
It’s a Sportback, by the best way. Audi will introduce a extra formal-roofed sedan in time, however for now, this smooth form’s the one one to come back to the U.S.
Slip inside and the S6 reveals a wraparound panel of digital info that nestles the driving force behind a mixed 11.9-inch digital gauge cluster and a 14.5-inch touchscreen for infotainment, coded from an Android base. Spend a little bit extra and Audi tucks a ten.9-inch touchscreen for the entrance passenger in among the many wooden, textile, and metallic trim that frames the sprint. The central display screen rests on slim air vents above a console with a saddle-style drive controller, a pair of cupholders, and a redundant quantity knob. Audi dressed considered one of my take a look at autos in a good-looking woven trim—however within the U.S., quilted leather-based will end the cabin a little bit extra finely.
2025 Audi S6 E-Tron take a look at drive assessment, Tenerife
Audi S6 E-Tron: 2-motor AWD hustles to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds
- A6 Sportback E-Tron RWD, 362 hp, 0-60 mph in 5.2 seconds
- A6 Sportback E-Tron Quattro, 422 hp, 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds
- S6 Sportback E-Tron Quattro, as much as 543 hp, 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds
Earlier than we turn into grist for the influencer mill—aren’t all of us, now?—the S6 influences me within the methods it could actually finest. It makes for a fearsomely quick hustle from the coast to the mountains, with laser-quick flicks of energy to erase different automobiles from the highway, and from reminiscence.
As my co-pilot and I slip from the seaside city’s orbit and peel away into switchbacks, it’s the hulking weight of the S6 that makes itself identified, twinned with a hushed uniformity of its driving responses. It presses its case, early and sometimes, that this S6 ranks forward of its gas-powered predecessors. Positive, gasoline automobiles appear much less restrained and extra full of life as a result of they emit all types of completely satisfied noises; we’re conditioned to them and anticipate them and tie them to our personal emotional state. However whereas they’re extra partaking in that manner, they’re simply…slower.
Within the case of the S6, it posts up on the prior model with a 0-60 mph time of three.7 seconds, which wells up from a 100-kwh battery pack beneath the ground (it’s deemed to have 94.4 kwh of usable power), and twin motors that ship all-wheel drive. Immediately’s gasoline automobile takes greater than 4 seconds. The E-Tron is outfitted with synthetic sounds that may amplify that hot-seat stoplight acceleration—however I turned them off each time I may in its lesser drive modes.
High pace clocks in at 149 mph, by the best way, and the S6’s ordinary 496-hp peak could be tasered as much as 543 hp within the launch-control mode that generates that drop-dead launch time. Curb weight, torque scores, and vary estimates—they’re all nonetheless to come back, Audi guarantees. As soon as the coast clears the rearview mirror, I press the S6 E-Tron to the posted pace limits, and past. The bonging from the automobile’s speed-limit warnings has been silenced by way of its touchscreen interface, and the Drive Choose button flicked to Consolation mode, the place the blatty artificial engine observe has been quieted, too.
2025 Audi S6 E-Tron take a look at drive assessment, Tenerife
Because it rushes towards the height of a long-dormant volcano, I’ve many, many, many alternatives to check its one-pedal drive mode, accessed by pulling its drive selector into “B.” It’s for these of us who connote EVs now with that individual driving sensation—it seems like gasoline sounds, maybe—but it surely additionally permits a number of totally different ranges of regenerative braking by its paddle controls. These lesser quantities of regen play up the S6’s clean motor engagement and additional margin of refinement, particularly in its Balanced drive mode and notably at decrease speeds. Not like some EVs, the motors within the S6 don’t click on on and off with slight jerks.
However if you need stability and smoothness, possibly the lesser A6 is for you? Because the grime round us begins to render black streaks among the many brown, I faucet the S6 into its Sport drive modes. Sound barks by the audio system, the suspension companies up, and the steering weights up, with out drama. It’s been so serene that the achieve in bump-steer and experience stiffness get seen—however don’t upset its powerfully composed demeanor.
With a curb weight that needs to be 5,500 kilos or extra—but in addition with air springs and adaptive damping, the S6 can’t be ignored when it goes into this assault mode. It’s an easy automobile to drive very arduous. Bubbles within the highway knock at its wheels, however don’t knock the hefty steering off observe. The S6, which sticks to the highway by Michelin Pilot Sports activities, 245/40R21s up entrance and 275/35R21s in again, simply presses its manner into corners deeply, and leans into its properly of battery-generated torque to launch itself out of them and onto connecting straights.
It’s the form of luxurious EV that eggs drivers on to empty the battery as rapidly as doable, in different phrases. And when it’s spent, the S6’s battery could be recharged from 10-80% in as little as 21 minutes by its 800-volt system, which may attain charging charges of as much as 270 kw. It may well deal with its battery as twin packs when 400-volt charging’s all that’s out there, and prime them off in parallel. At dwelling, on a 50-amp 240-volt AC connection, the S6’s 9.6-kw onboard charger can refill it in about 10 hours.
2025 Audi S6 E-Tron take a look at drive assessment, Tenerife
Audi S6 E-Tron: Hatchback physique, high-tech bona fides
- As much as three digital shows in entrance
- Rear-seat headroom may very well be your decider
- Costs haven’t been introduced, however wager on a minimum of $80,000
Audi dubs the S6 E-Tron a sedan, however with its fastened glass and tail part lifting together to reveal a coated cargo maintain, it’s actually a hatchback that appears like a liftback. We’ll break up the distinction, and name it a automobile.
As a automobile, it really works properly. The S6 E-Tron sits about 194 inches lengthy, which stacks up a little bit shy of the Tesla Mannequin S—however rides on an extended 116-inch wheelbase which helps with its sorted, planted experience.
It’s not probably the most spacious automobile in its dimension class, although. The entrance passengers have greater than ample room outboard: I may paddle my hand between the very well-formed seats and smack the door panels together with the beat of the sound system’s throbbing Euro disco. They’re canted inward towards the console, so my knees made regular contact with the console. I heartily approve of 1 take a look at automobile’s textile inside, too—but it surely’s a therapy we gained’t get within the U.S. As a substitute, the entrance heated and cooled seats might be clad in quilted leather-based. An inch taller and wider than the outgoing S6, the EV version has greater than sufficient room for our 5-foot-8 editors, in entrance and in again.
2025 Audi S6 E-Tron take a look at drive assessment, Tenerife
However at about 6 toes tall, with stubby legs and an extended torso, I didn’t have head clearance within the again seat. I made contact with the headliner, and my knees stood above the seat backside—and little doubt, I took up many of the view outward by the very slim rear window. The identical observations rang true within the Q6 E-Tron I sampled final yr, and within the Porsche Macan EV our crew examined just lately. There’s room for 4 adults, for positive—however the place the taller ones sit may very well be the sport, set, and match.
Cargo area of about 26 cubic toes rises to almost 40 cubic toes when the rear seatbacks have been lowered.
With a panoramic sunroof that may be darkened, part by part, the S6’s inside glows with high-grade supplies in addition to from these expansive screens in entrance. It’s alive at instances, when all its security warning programs—pace restrict detection, lively lane management, and extra—cue their symphony of flashes, buzzers, and alerts, earlier than the out there head-up show casts arrows within the route of upcoming turns. I think about it might be even busier if U.S. automobiles received the customized gentle signatures and car-to-X communication of Euro fashions—or their digicam facet mirrors, which might not give me a transparent view to the automobile’s left facet by my progressive lenses. We get extra cumbersome, much less aero-clean normal mirrors—and clearer imaginative and prescient, because of this.
We’ll additionally get choices reminiscent of a 20-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system with headrest audio system—the Miata influences every part—and distinct sound zones for drivers and passengers.
What we gained’t get quickly, however will finally, is a value for the S6 Sportback E-Tron. It’s greater than $80,000 in base spec in Germany and greater than $100,000 absolutely optioned—and that’s earlier than the much-speculated higher-performance RS 6 E-Tron that nobody needs to speak about makes its manner into actuality.
Till it does, the S6 E-Tron’s the influencer of the brand new A6 lineup. The way it does it’s easy: It does nearly every part the earlier S6 sport sedan did, solely higher in lots of, if not most, methods.
If that doesn’t persuade you, possibly it may simply, you already know, stand in the midst of the highway and tousle its hair.
Audi flew us to Tenerife in order that we may dodge Instagram influencers and convey you this take a look at drive assessment.
