Audi S6 Avant e-tron

Audi's new electric S6 has lots going for it, but it also has some fundamental issues

- by STUART GALLAGHER

AS YOU START READING THIS REVIEW of Audi's new, £99,300, S6 Avant e-tron (and no, that price isn't a typo), bear in mind that its name might well have changed before you reach the end. It's fair to say Audi is currently having a bit of an internal argument with itself over how it names its cars.

After first switching from traditional engine-capacity-based naming conventions to meaningless 35, 45 and 55 tags, Audi went a step further with the introduction of its e-tron electric range and declared that its battery-powered models would have an even-numbered name - A4, A6, Q4, Q6, etc - and those with an internal combustion engine would use an odd number - A5, A7, etc, etc.

However, after Audi's marketing folk had it pointed out to them that consumers like simple things to remain just that, it's now back to square one: Audi's executive saloon, regardless of the powertrain, is to be called the A6. What this means for the A7 nameplate is anyone's guess.

Available as a saloon-cum-sportback or Avant, the new S6 is a good car. It rides with an unexpected finesse and has a level of refinement that's closer to an A8 than the outgoing A6. However, it's not a car that can carry off a near-six-figure price tag. Not by a long shot.

The good stuff is good, some of it very good. With Audi going back to its design roots by focusing on aerodynamic efficiency, this is the slipperiest car it has ever made, with the most aero-efficient new A6 saloon having a 0.21 coefficient of drag, the Avant 0.24. The best bit is that, in achieving this, Audi hasn't resorted to a design with AI-generated generic looks. It's clearly an Audi and doesn't follow others (e.g. Mercedes) who seem happy to throw away decades of design iconography to make their EVs look as different as possible to their ICE models.