Design driven: Audi A6 e-hybrid

I always struggle with a black estate car as the silhouette inevitably takes the form of a certain type of carriage. The expression ‘sports hearse’ was heard during our time with the new Audi A6 e-hybrid, and we don’t think it was meant as praise.

‘Our’ car was delivered in a dark metallic with heavily tinted rear windows and two-tone black/silver wheels. The honeycomb grille up front was blacked out; so too the cladding around the lower extremities of the car. Silver trim around the window frame aside, it is all rather menacing, but could also feasibly fall in line with a funeral parade.

This is unfortunate as the A6 remains one of my preferred formats from the four rings, and particularly in Avant guise. At five metres from tip-to-tail this is a long car, and its proportions are stretched further by the nearly three-metre wheelbase and fast roofline that flicks upwards ever so slightly at the top of the boot. At the back, the bumper extends far beyond the rear mask (the bit between the glass and the tail lamps) which only emphasises the whole streamline moderne thing going on. It is undoubtedly aerodynamic but does well to avoid the generic polished pebble look. It looks like an Audi. 

It has a great side profile, but I really struggled with that paint. A lighter colour, or maybe even a dark red or blue, would do the muscled bodywork far better justice and feel more like a shooting brake — much closer to the concept shown back in 2022. Even the metallic brown shown at launch did better to accent its curves.

On closer inspection of the printed spec sheet sitting on the passenger’s seat, it became apparent that this A6 is in fact green. Midnight Green, to be exact. Hmm. From family members and colleagues to strangers waiting in the Dover ferry queue, this came as a surprise and some outright refused to believe it is anything other than black. This was impossible to show in pictures, but there is the slightest hint of a green flake to the paint which reveals itself in very particular lighting. 

This latest generation of the A6 is more ominous than before with sharp headlamps and gaping intakes at either corner of the front mask. Paired with the gentle creases that run either side of the bonnet, and it does indeed feel quite sporty. This is backed up by its performance on the road, which is mighty impressive. More on that later. 

In typical Audi fashion, the interior is very nicely appointed: materials are high quality and the mix of textures all feel and look good. The steering wheel cover is perforated on the ‘racing’ sections at 9 and 3; the meshed Bang & Olufsen speaker shrouds play nicely with the clean upper leather and lower leather sections of the doorcards, and there is a nice harlequin diamond pattern embossed elsewhere.

Up front, a curious rectangular perforation wraps around the centre console to create a break between the piano black lid. The seats themselves are incredibly comfortable and even in light Ivory did not seem to pick up and marks or scuffs from mucky paws or boxes of wine. Speaking of which, the boot was more than large enough to support the reason for our trip: 40 something boxes of claret for a friend's wedding later this year. Three passengers and their luggage also fit nicely.

I did come away with some dislike for elements of the UX. The main screen is clear and responsive, but almost overly so to the point of accidental nudges on neighbouring buttons. It wraps around most of the dash, about 60% of the interior’s width, as a single, curved unit with soft edges. As a piece of hardware, it looks great but I am not sure it elevated my driving experience. A ledge below does serve as a nicely designed anchor point for the hand when navigating through menus, and in general I am sure many users will enjoy this wide screen. I found it intrusive and distracting. Particularly so at night. 

The situation is worsened when you throw in the ambient lighting that floods the interior, not only with soft glows but also thin, bright beams that add a neon glare. The halo that spans the width of the dash really bothered me. It is much less of an issue during the day, but I could not immediately find an obvious solution to dulling it down.

The nature of the haptic buttons within thumb reach on the steering wheel and below the door handle was also a little off-putting. They seem to sit in a grey area between fully haptic and normal push control, and it took a while to get it right. Separately, this was one of the rare occasions where the built-in navigation was preferable over Apple CarPlay, and the HUD will only show the instructions when using Audi’s own nav. It is a great system that is easy to use, so credit where it is due. 

As a car, the 2.0-litre powertrain is pokey to say the least and puts power down with ease, the autobox shifting through its seven gears early to ride the wave of torque in comfort mode or holding on to the higher end of the rev range in sport. The support of the battery really adds some heft and pushes you back in your seat gleefully. Engine note is less than thrilling – it sounds like a much smaller engine with lifter tick. 

Handling is remarkable for a car of this size – 2,150kg unladen – no doubt helped by the quattro all-wheel drive, and balanced by the high-voltage battery pack mounted at the rear. After ditching the Carrefour cargo and tired passengers, a late night drive from Liphook to Swindon using mostly A-roads was an unexpected delight and the car really came alive through the twisties.

In terms of range, the PHEV unit sipped on fuel and there only one pit stop during our week with the car, which not only included a trip to France but also several blasts between London and Wiltshire. A full tank indicated just over 350 miles, with about 50 miles of additional electric range. The latter is more than enough to handle a bunch of short trips to the shops on one charge, and in Eco mode we managed to replenish 15 miles of range even after mostly highway driving.

The colour combo for 'our' A6 was not to this writer’s taste and the nightclub effect of the giant screen and numerous backlit surfaces made for quite an unpleasant experience at night. That aside, this is a handsome premium wagon with plenty to offer those with both spirited and frugal driving in mind.

A6 Avant e-hybrid S line

Engine: 1,984cc petrol plug-in hybrid

Power/torque: 299PS (295bhp) / 380Nm (430Nm with battery)

Stated EV range: 62 miles

Colour: Midnight Green metallic

Interior: Leather and leatherette combo in Pastel Silver and Black

Price as tested: £73,385

Representative finance offer: £822pm for 47 months with £14,377 initial customer deposit