As regular readers may know, I’m quite fond of a traditional estate car and they have been somewhat thin on the ground with the continuing rise in popularity of SUVs. However, there’s a good array of estates now on offer for buyers who don’t want to join the ubiquitous SUV club.
German car maker Audi, along with its VW, Skoda and SEAT/Cupra garage mates, has long produced some first class, proper estate cars. They are also now offered, of course, in EV form with both hybrid and full electric.
The Audi A6 Avant e-tron is a perfect case in point, while more of a tourer than traditional load lugging estate it still offers a very decent load capacity. There are four options – Sport, S-Line, Black Edition and Vorsprung – with e-tron, performance and quattro versions in all models except the Vorsprung.
My S-Line Performance trim, with €914/£775 optional Malpelo Blue metallic paint finish brought the total price tag to a not inconsiderable €88,432/£74,935. What does that buy you?
Well, for starters a very striking, good looking and practical estate car. There is an excellent standard equipment list that includes such things as tri-zone air conditioning, powered and heated sports front cloth and artificial leather seats, auto dimming rear view mirror, powered, heated, folding auto dimming door mirrors, LED lights with main beam assist, auto lights and wipers plus, usefully for an EV, a heat pump.
There’s 367PS on offer, 380PS with launch control, 100kph/62 mph passed in a whisker under 5.5 seconds and a suggested range of 689km/428 miles in combined driving. Behind the wheel it feels a quick car and one in which you could make good progress across the busiest of roads. I’m not quite sure there’s a need for launch control on such a car and suspect most owners would never use it, because in standard form it’s more than quick enough.
On the road it’s a very quiet and refined drive, tyre noise gets a bit noticeable at motorway speeds, it’s comfortable too. With a premium feeling interior it’s a nice place to be and is relaxed in cruising mode with the ability to entertain on cross country routes.
Even in entry-level trim the A6 Avant e-tron isn’t a cheap car, but all trim versions are well-equipped. Although not possessed of an especially head turning style it’s one of those cars that is understated, classy and stylish. A perfect example of ‘if you know, you know’.
Facts at a glance
- Model: Audi A6 Avant e-tron S-Line Performance
- Motor: 367PS – 380PS with launch control – 565Nm of torque with a 94.9kwh battery
- Gears: Automatic
- Price: €87,516/£74,160
- Performance: 0-100kph/62mph 5.4 seconds, top speed 209kph/130 mph
- Economy: Range in combined driving 689km/428 miles – subject to driving style, conditions and climate
- Emissions: 0 g/km
Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets