It doesn’t occur often, where someone takes up a new discipline and becomes a master in record time. But it’s happened with Audi and electric cars. That kind of quiet power plays right into the Audi approach, a company that says a lot through understatement. The all-new 2025 A6 Sportback e-tron forms a kind of matrix where electrons, design, plushness, prestige, and practicality converge.
Text and Context
The A6 we all know about. It’s had a great history of being Audi’s midsize luxury car. Although the company didn’t invent the sleek hatchback body design, it has popularized the Sportback concept with its erstwhile A5 and A7 models. And the e-tron name now denotes an electric vehicle (EV). These elements go into the A6 Sportback e-tron. There’s a new generation of gasoline-powered A6 sedan due for 2026, while 2025 sees the launch of this all-electric counterpart.
It’s not quite the same as the BMW 5 Series and BMW i5, which are both sedans derived from a single platform. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Audi, however, builds the A6 Sportback e-tron on a foundation designed and developed especially for electric vehicles.
Drive and Drivability
The entry-level version has one electric motor driving the rear wheels to the tune of an energetic 362 horsepower. Or brief bursts of 375 hp with launch control engaged, which enables a brisk standstill-to-60 mph time of 5.2 seconds. Alternatively, buyers can choose a dual-motor version with all-wheel drive, whose total output is 422/456 hp and the ability to hit 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds. I was lucky enough to drive the second of these two.
I didn’t get out the stopwatch, but did what normal drivers do — deal with traffic, trundle around town, negotiate the suburbs, hit the freeway, and revel in some emptier and twistier roads. At every turn, on every straight, over every surface, the A6 Sportback e-tron remains composed and supple. This top Prestige model has an adaptive air suspension, but I’d be willing to bet that the regular setup is well-calibrated. The cabin is quiet, letting in just enough sound to accompany the feeling of motion.
That motion can be more than quick enough for public roads. The power delivery is linear and predictable, the steering is perfectly responsive, and the brakes feel natural. The A6 Sportback e-tron is a complete pleasure to drive. In this way, among others, it’s a typical Audi.
One aspect that’s not so typical is one-pedal driving. In its earlier electric vehicles, Audi decided not to have this feature, claiming to retain a kind of familiarity with good old gasoline-powered stuff. However, virtually every other EV maker is using different levels of brake generation so the driver can slow down — and come to a halt if necessary — just by easing off the accelerator. It soon becomes second nature, and saves moving the right foot over to the brake pedal unless a more urgent stop is required. So I’m pleased to see the A6 Sportback e-tron join the throng and expect subsequent Audi EVs to follow suit.
Tech and Textures
Another area where Audi is following the curve rather than creating one is interior design, a traditional company strength. This is not a criticism, just observing that the large one-piece display incorporating a digital instrument cluster and an infotainment touchscreen pioneered by Mercedes-Benz, and taken up by BMW and Genesis, now makes it into a new Audi. Incidentally, the infotainment system can obey more than 800 spoken commands. And my test car came with an excellent Bang & Olufsen surround-sound system that includes speakers in the front headrests.
This car also had the optional third screen for the front passenger, which worked out as a useful addition when road works necessitated a tweak of the navigation system. And the clever thing is that it really isn’t visible to the driver, so not at all distracting. Otherwise, the interior of the 2025 A6 Sportback e-tron has a pleasant mix of class and simplicity, with particular attention paid to textures. Rear legroom of 35.2 inches is acceptable. An adult male of average size will be fine sitting behind someone of the same stature.
Roof and Ruthlessness
This is personal taste, obviously, but I’m not usually a fan of the sunroof. Whenever I’m in a car with one, I’ll close the shade and never think about it again. The large sunroof available in the A6 Sportback e-tron is different — it lets in light without the heat, and can go from transparent to opaque at the touch of a button.
The Sportback aspect makes this model distinct in its class. There’s no aerodynamic edge over a sedan body style — they’re pretty much equal. This model has an impressive drag coefficient of 0.23, though. The real advantage comes in cargo space. Behind the rear seats is 26 cubic feet. Compare that to the generous 17.3 cubic feet of the BMW i5. Folding those seats down results in 39.9 cubic feet. All while keeping a sleek silhouette.
Stance and Distance
As well as being Audi’s most aerodynamic car to date (this slippery shape helps keep wind noise down, along with the dual-pane front side windows of the top Prestige trim), the A6 Sportback e-tron also has the best range of any Audi EV so far: 392 miles. That’s achieved by the single-motor/rear-drive version on 19-inch wheels. That’s close to the 402 miles maximum of the Tesla Model S, while beating rivals from BMW and Mercedes-Benz quite easily. My dual-motor/all-wheel-drive test car is capable of a similarly splendid 377 miles.
Audi says the “secret sauce” behind such figures is efficient thermal management. It also helps to have an 800-volt electrical architecture and a battery with a net capacity of 94.4 kilowatt-hours (kWh) — again, one of the class best. Using a DC fast charger can take the battery from 10% to 80% charge in only 21 minutes, as good as almost any other fast-charging EV.
Purse and Persuasion
Starting at a competitive $67,195 (including the destination charge), I like the 2025 Audi A6 Sportback e-tron, the excellent range, the recognizable-yet-contemporary Audi styling, and the fact that it comes from an established company that really is hitting its stride in manufacturing superb electric vehicles. I think we have a new class leader.