Audi A6 Sportback e-tron Performance 1000 km EV road trip review

Name: Audi A6 Sportback e-tron Performance 1000 km EV road trip review
Uploaded: 2026-08-31T16:08:56+00:00
Duration: 24 min 43 s
Channel: Marek Drives in English

00:00hi today i'm in norway this is an electric audi a6 e-tron and i'm about to set out on

00:07a 1000

00:07kilometers road trip from here bergen norway through sweden to copenhagen denmark spoiler

00:13i don't expect any problems with range or charging along the way but to keep this vaguely interesting

00:18and to stop myself from falling asleep behind the wheel i'll find out as much as i can about

00:23this car and i'll tell you all about it let's go

01:07the audi a6 was supposed to be an electric only car the idea was that even numbers would be for

01:13electric vehicles and odd numbers would be for internal combustion engine models however this

01:18did not sit well with the customers who are already tired of guessing power and displacement

01:23based on random numbers after the model designation therefore instead of the a5 being an internal

01:29combustion engine a4 and the a7 being the internal combustion engine a6 audi reverted to the old

01:36nomenclature and only adds the e-tron badge to evs the electric car differs from the internal combustion

01:42engine model because it is built on a different platform the internal combustion engine a6

01:48is slightly longer than the a6 e-tron but narrower and lower while the electric car has a longer

01:55wheelbase we're talking about cars measuring almost 5 meters in length about 190 centimeters in width

02:01and with wheelbase approaching 3 meters the new audi a6 now has slim headlights the electric car can also

02:09be recognized by a flat ish panel in place of the single frame radiator grille

02:16the greatest enemy of electric cars during long distance journeys is drag which increases exponentially

02:22with speed audi picked our route through countries with some of the lowest speed limits and highest fines

02:31what would be a 10-hour journey in a petrol or diesel car in this case is going to take

02:37two days in norway

02:39the extra urban speed limit is 80 kilometers per hour exceeding the speed limit by one to five kilometers

02:45will cost you around 100 euro the bigger the violation the higher the fine and at some stage it's just

02:51going

02:52to be jail time in sweden tickets are also expensive and the extra urban speed is 70 kilometers per hour

02:58however some of this trip will be on the swedish motorway where i will be able to fly at 110

03:07kilometers

03:07per hour i'm ashamed to admit it but these are the speeds i often see in warsaw within the city

03:13limits

03:13a polish motorway speed of 140 kilometers is purely theoretical now to be fair a lot has improved over the

03:19last 20 years or so however it seems high fuel prices have the greatest impact on speeding prevention

03:24in order to get a speeding ticket in poland you really must be out of luck as they say travel

03:30makes

03:31you smarter suddenly i understand why evs make sense in scandinavia if everyone's driving so slowly

03:37range is not an issue i bet it's even possible to outperform the manufacturer's claimed range

03:44i mean i'm doing 15.3 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers here

03:50but scandinavia is a hopeless case in germany there are sections of motorways without speed limits and

03:56as you go down towards the south of europe driving habits become more um freestyle that's why audi also

04:03emphasizes the aerodynamic properties of the new a6 e-tron in case of the avant the drag coefficient is

04:090.24 and in case of the sportback even 0.21 to achieve results like these you need not only

04:16flush door

04:16handles but also optional second generation virtual side mirrors the design of the front has been

04:22optimized for aero as i mentioned earlier the ev gets a single frame panel rather than a grill

04:27the air intakes at the bottom are active air curtains improve airflow around the wheels the upper body part

04:34is low and slim even the underbody covers have been specifically designed to reduce air turbulence

04:40and they are different depending on the body style in addition to increasing efficiency all these

04:46aerodynamic treatments are supposed to have good effect on cabin soundproofing that's going to be

04:51hard to verify as we're driving very slowly

04:56adoptive cruise control with the lane keeping assist and with active speed assist here in norway it works

05:04much better than anywhere else usually i turn off the active speed assist because nobody drives

05:11according to the speed limit except in norway and perhaps sweden there aren't too many speed limit

05:19changes either so most of the time it's either 60 or 80 and that's about it if you go into

05:25town

05:25it's going to be 30 or 50 and the computer doesn't have to do much in poland there are a

05:32lot of speed

05:33limit changes so you keep having 40 70 90 50 40 70 80 90 for no apparent reason here it's

05:43just 80 and 60 now on a

05:45road like this here which is very curvy i'm following a truck right now and a camper van but i

05:56still feel

05:56the car could slow down on some of these uh some of these turns because the speed limit is 80

06:06kilometers per

06:07hour and it would happily go 80. i think it should slow down by itself to maybe about 70 or

06:1365 even now

06:15when you approach a roundabout or a junction it will slow down to about 30 kilometers per hour which is

06:22just about enough to cross said roundabout but it's on the on the quick side of course this is

06:32not autonomous driving you are supposed to be in control so you're supposed to uh slow down if necessary

06:39but it will do it if uh if needed and uh yeah there isn't really much more to talk about

06:50here because

06:52the car basically drives itself norway would be a great proving ground for autonomous vehicles

07:18how does it ride and handle well the ride is actually quite pleasant for a relatively heavy car the

07:25suspension is very sophisticated and it does a good job of evening out any any bumps and some of the

07:34roads

07:34here are bumpy now i'm somewhere up high in norway around okay i'm not gonna or maybe i am gonna

07:46try and

07:46pronounce it around uh i'll maybe put it down in the video description or on the screen where i am

07:59anyway um there are some twisty roads here and uh on these twisty roads i did turn off lane keeping

08:06assist

08:07because it's not suited for a twisty road and a wide car but that's a problem in many modern cars

08:18these

08:19days you have to take a perfect line through the corner which may not always be the perfect line for

08:28you as a passenger and as a driver to feel good about how you're cornering because some corners are

08:33meant to be cut and then the systems intervene and make things worse anyway once you turn it off

08:43and you give it a small squirt it doesn't really do anything this is the

08:52a6 e-tron performance and the performance bit has to do with the battery rather than with handling or

09:02with how fast the car is i'm not saying it's not fast i'm not saying it's not quick but it

09:08doesn't feel

09:09like it so even if i press the accelerator

09:15it doesn't feel as quick as i would like especially uphill right now we're going flat ish downhill so

09:29i expected a bit more from it uh other than that yeah it's gonna be a great motorway cruiser because

09:38i

09:38guess this is what it's been designed for your mid-level management is going to be driving this

09:46to and from work and maybe to some client meetings and uh yeah they'll be perfectly content with the

09:54you know all the driver rates and how it works however in the city there is a problem with visibility

10:01the t rhymes anyway um around the a pillars they they kind of merge with the mirrors especially on

10:11the passenger side so it's not the best situation you have to go around and look like that and hope

10:19for the best careful about curbs um rear visibility it's a lift back so it's not going to be great

10:26and

10:27no it's not so you will have to rely on the cameras and all the systems around in the car

10:37maybe there's going to be more performance in the quattro or in the quattro s which are also available but

10:46this isn't your exciting choice this is your sensible choice audi is about sensible

10:56most of the time unless you're talking rs which this is not audi offers only eight body colors

11:06including three gray ones if you want something more interesting you have to pay for an audi exclusive

11:11paint job the audi a6 e-tron is built on ppe or the premium platform electric to a large extent

11:18the use

11:19this platform allows for a range of up to 756 kilometers that and scandinavian speed limits

11:33you

11:37so

12:11The A6 e-tron performance like this one has a gross battery capacity of 100 kWh or almost 95 kWh

12:19net. There are 12 modules which house 180 prismatic cells. The 800 volt architecture means DC charging up to 270

12:28kW. In optimal conditions you can regain about 300 km in 10 minutes and charging from 10 to 80%

12:35takes 21 minutes.

12:36The base e-tron without performance has 83 kWh, gross capacity 76 kWh, net and around 627 km range.

12:50Panels protecting the traction battery are attached to the chassis, not to the battery, which better secures the most expensive

12:56element of the electric car and improves heat management.

12:59The battery temperature is important from the point of view of efficiency as well as the charging time.

13:04Of course, the computer constantly monitors the route, the battery charge status and, depending on the route planned in the

13:09navigation, automatically prepares the car for fast charging.

13:13Audi claims that up to 95% of braking in everyday driving is done by recuperation.

13:19In optimal conditions, the A6 e-tron is able to recover energy with a power of up to 220 kW,

13:26although I suspect this value is achieved in conditions far from everyday driving.

13:32Recuperation is no longer controlled by the braking system, but by one of five computers responsible for the chassis, which

13:39also increases efficiency because all the computers and systems talk to each other.

13:43Recuperation is two-stage, and the driver can select the level of energy recovery using panels on the steering wheel.

13:50You can also select the B mode, which is similar to one-pedal driving.

13:54Additionally, the system monitors the road in front of the car and, in the event of a build-up, increases

14:00the level of recuperation.

14:03Now let's talk about the Audi A6 e-tron's cockpit.

14:07But before that, a short update.

14:10I'm wearing different clothes because it's the next day.

14:14We drove from Oslo to somewhere close to Gothenburg, and we're going further on to Copenhagen.

14:25330 kilometers driven so far.

14:28On the motorway, 110-ish kilometers per hour.

14:32Almost 18 kWh per 100 kilometers.

14:34One charging stop for a toilet break, get a quick cup of coffee.

14:40Everything from plugging in and authorization to plugging out and taking off took about 25 minutes.

14:51And it looks like we will not have to charge all the way to Copenhagen now, which is another 287

14:57kilometers.

14:58It is very windy today, by the way, so we'll see about that when we talk about route planning with

15:07charging.

15:09It seems that the entire 1,000-ish kilometers trip we could do with three charging stops if we didn't

15:17charge overnight at the hotel.

15:19Again, all these charging stops are until about 80%.

15:23If the car was charged full, we could probably do it in two.

15:30That's that.

15:31Okay.

15:31One thing you may notice around here is this kind of black panel, and it does affect visibility somewhat, but

15:41this panel is actually where the display would go for the second generation virtual mirrors.

15:50The virtual mirrors debuted in Audi e-tron, which was an SUV without any particular segment.

15:56Now we have A4, A6, A-whatever e-tron, and Q3, 4, 5, whatever e-tron, but back then this

16:08was like one SUV e-tron.

16:10So it had virtual mirrors, and the displays were a bit too low, some people claimed, and I agree with

16:16them, so now they're a bit higher.

16:17And the virtual mirrors save about seven kilometers range, if we're talking about aerodynamics.

16:25Now, speaking of aerodynamics and noises this car makes or doesn't make or isolates us from them, we were on

16:33the motorway today, and depending on the surface, the interior can be very quiet.

16:38However, if the surface is a bit rougher, if the tarmac is a bit rougher, there is some tire noise

16:44coming from underneath, but from the outside it's pretty well sound insulated.

16:51Let's talk about the cockpit.

16:53We've got door pockets, cup holders, very good wireless charger, although it's invisible, so you may find yourself forgetting your

17:04phone there.

17:05I'm not sure if there's a warning, I'm sure there is, reminding you to take your phone, but you literally

17:10don't see it.

17:11However, there's a clip holding the phone in place, which is good, it doesn't bounce about, so it charges, it

17:17charges very, very quickly.

17:20I sometimes complain that some of the wireless chargers are not powerful enough, and then you say, oh yeah, but

17:26you've got a protective case.

17:29This protective case doesn't impact how quickly this thing charges my phone.

17:35It's unbelievably quick and unbelievably reliable.

17:39So, that's a good thing.

17:42Cup holders, armrest storage, and in this armrest storage, there is a place, there's like a, you can slide things

17:51underneath the cup holders.

17:52So, there's a first aid kit, and I think a manual or something.

17:59So, all this fits down here.

18:03That's good, we've got a couple of buttons here for a drive select.

18:07Car starts in individual mode always, instead of whatever else you left it in.

18:12And you have a safety features button here.

18:18So, yesterday I switched lane assist off when we were going up and down the twisty mountain roads.

18:26Because, back to this in a moment, this whole thing, this like a curved panel, is divided into two displays.

18:33The driver's display with data about, with your trip computer, with safety systems, and with navigation media, whatever else.

18:45It's quite legible.

18:46I like that.

18:47Big screen here with SatNav.

18:49SatNav has, obviously, route planning with charging, and it's pretty reliable.

18:56It estimates what's happening based on the road situation, on the speed, and other conditions.

19:03Pretty reliable, and yeah, I don't have to use Google Maps all of a sudden.

19:11There isn't really much, I mean, there is a lot going on here, but it's not like you're going to

19:15use it.

19:16But, AC controls, touch, but they are down here always accessible, so that's good.

19:25Touch buttons on the steering wheel, not a fan, but at least they are here.

19:29And the adaptive cruise control joystick behind the steering wheel, not a great fan, but at least it's physical.

19:38So, that's that.

19:40And, there is one more screen here, which is for the passenger, and we kind of clicked around through it,

19:49and yeah, we can't install anything right now,

19:53because I don't think we have internet connection on this, or a data pack, which would allow us to download

20:00apps.

20:01But, yeah, you can download something like YouTube, or EV charger map, or Zoom, it seems, for whatever reason.

20:10Or you can just mirror your sat-nav here.

20:13And, at the moment, I see what's on the screen, but when the car is moving, this screen becomes invisible

20:20to the driver,

20:21and it's just available to the passenger, who may or may not reach it, depending on how far they recline.

20:30And, I like this seat to be pushed as far back as possible, because only then I have really good

20:38visibility to the side.

20:39Okay, so that's a very long talk about the cockpit of the Audi A6.

20:46Oh, did I mention that these air vents, they keep blowing air into my wrists, or into my elbows, and

20:52it's not ideal?

20:53I didn't mention this, so now you know.

20:56I'd rather have the air vents up here, and the screen a bit lower.

20:59But, I can live with that, at least for the couple of days that I'm driving this car.

21:05And now, let's see what the back seat is like.

21:11Rear seat of the Audi A6 e-tron.

21:14I'm 175 centimeters tall.

21:17The driver's seat is set to my driving position.

21:21Loads of legroom.

21:22Headroom.

21:24For me, it's sufficient.

21:26If you're any taller, it's not going to be good.

21:29Also, I noticed my thighs are up in the air, which isn't ideal.

21:33So, the floor is quite thick, because the batteries had to fit somewhere.

21:39We've got door pockets.

21:42We've got some cup holders in the armrest.

21:45And we've got a ski hatch for longer items.

21:51There is third zone climate control, and heated seats.

21:55Side seats are heated.

21:56Also, Isofix anchor points are on the sides.

21:58And there is an Isofix anchor point on the front passenger seat as well.

22:04As for the middle seat, I'd love to tell you it's great, but it isn't, because while it

22:10is quite wide, there is no foot room.

22:14The center console should be cut out at the bottom, so that I could move my foot in there.

22:23But this is for, like, I don't know, maybe 35 size foot.

22:27So, not ideal for the middle passenger, even though it should be.

22:32I mean, this is a dedicated EV platform, allegedly.

22:37Until they made PPC next to PPE.

22:43Totally different platform.

22:46According to Audi, the boot in five seat configuration has 502 liters VDA, regardless of the body variant.

22:52The Sportback has slightly less space in two-seat configuration, 1,330 liters instead of 1,422 liters in the

23:00Avant.

23:02Audi also listened to clients and added a small 27-liter frunk.

23:06Just enough for charging cables.

23:08I'm sorry I didn't get a shot of it.

23:10There's a couple of seconds of stock footage.

23:13If equipped with a tow hitch, your A6 e-tron can tow up to 2,100 kilograms, regardless of the

23:19powertrain.

23:20Prices of the Audi A6 e-tron start at 62,800 euro for the Sportback and 64,450 euro for

23:29the Avant.

23:29This test car is an A6 e-tron Sportback performance.

23:33With extras, it costs 94,415 euro.

24:01Can you road trip the A6 e-tron?

24:05Yes, as long as the chargers are fast and you take it slow.

24:09Is this how you like to travel?

24:12Let me know in the comment section below.

24:17If you like my sarcastic, down-to-earth and possibly mildly amusing car reviews,

24:22join me every Friday at 3 p.m. Central European time.

24:26And don't forget to subscribe and like this video as it helps me with the YouTube algorithm.

24:31Thanks for watching and I will see you in the next one.

24:34We'll see you then.

24:37We'll see you then.

Audi A6 Sportback e-tron Performance 1000 km EV road trip review

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