Audi S6 Sportback e-tron interior, design and features

Audi makes great wagons, or as it calls them, Avants. But it's also created some of the best-looking sportbacks out there. This one may be its best ever - meet the Audi S6 Sportback e-tron.

This may be an A6 by name, due to Audi's new naming convention, but it's all A7 on the outside. You can have the same car as the classic Avant but this Sportback is Audi's most aerodynamic vehicle ever.

Give me the technical stuff!

Audi A6/S6 sportback e-tron at a glance:

• Dimensions: 194 inches x 75.7 inches x 58.5 inches, 116 inches wheelbase.
• Drivetrains available: A6 Performance - RWD 270 kW (367 hp), 417 lb-ft, 100 kWh total battery capacity, 94.9 kWh usable battery capacity; S6 - AWD 405 kW (551 hp), 631 lb-ft, 100 kWh total battery capacity, 94.9 kWh usable battery capacity
• Charging: 270 kW CCS; V2L
• Range: 475 miles WLTP
• Weight: 4,960 lb unladen, 6,063 lb gross
• Trunk: 17.7 ft³, 0.88 ft³ frunk.

What's great about it?

The Audi S6 Sportback e-tron performance is impressive to look at and very high-tech and luxurious - all you'd expect a high-end Audi to be. This is the Glacier White paint job.

The slim headlights have matrix LEDs with different effects and a breathing indicator built-in. Below them are the low and high beams, cleverly integrated into the blacked-out bottom portion of the front. The door handles don't have moving parts and sit very flush with the car.

The S6 Sportback looks like an A7

Going with the Tech Pro configuration brings in soft close doors, adaptive air suspension, and digital OLED tail lights. The Audi logo illuminates as well.

The S6 Sportback e-tron performance has both a frunk and a trunk and both can be opened without you touching the car - wave back and forth just above the right headlight or kick your foot under the left side of the rear, just under the bumper.

The interior of the S6 Sportback e-tron is a lovely place to be. Audi offers at least ten different seat styles and type configurations. You can have fabric or these lovely synthetic leather sports seats.

With the Tech Plus package, you get a 12-inch driver's display and a 14.5-inch infotainment display with Audi's MMI built-in. There's an optional 11-inch display for the passenger.

Thanks to the sporty low height of the car, the driving position is spot on - low in the car, but still with a great view out. The optional sports seats pin you in place.

If you prefer to be a passenger, you'll have no shortage of room. There's ample headroom even with the panoramic sunroof. Speaking of, the glass roof can be adjusted to dim itself without the need for a slide-out shade.

The trunk has a respectable 17.7 ft³ of space with an additional bit of storage under the false floor. The liftback makes it easy to load the trunk. Upfront, you get just 0.95 ft³ of space, but that's still better than nothing.

The liftback trunk

What's not so great?

The optional mirror cameras aren't the easiest to get used to. And they do stick out further than regular mirrors (though they're still folding).

Despite the word performance in the Audi A6 Sportback e-tron's name, its base version is rear-wheel drive and its 270 kW (367 hp) are good for a sprint to 62 mph in 5.4 s. That's in part because the liftback weighs around 6,063 lb.

You'd need to step up to the 405 kW (551 hp) S6 variant with all-wheel drive to get head-turning performance - that one does the 0 mph in a much tidier 3.9 s.

Mirror cameras improve aerodynamics, but can cause issues for the far-sighted

Which version to get?

The Audi A6 Sportback e-tron performance starts at about $84,300 with VAT. We would at least get the Tech Plus package, which includes the matrix headlights, and LED tail lights, and the MMI infotainment. That puts the car's price at around $93,200. That's arguably the sensible choice for those looking for maximum convenience as this version has the longest range as well.

The S6 AWD model is just under $110,000, but does come with those niceties included in addition to the second motor. So if you are keen to do some spirited driving this is probably the one to go for.