Audi added the A6 Avant to its growing range of plug-in hybrid models. The spacious wagon receives familiar gasoline-electric technology plus a long list of standard features that includes a sport suspension.
The plug-in hybrid system is built around a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque; it’s the same turbo four that powers the electrified variants of the A7 and Q5 we drove in late 2019. It joins forces with an electric motor connected to a 14.1-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack to send 362 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque to the four wheels. Audi quotes a 5.7-second zero-to-62-mph time, and a 155-mph top speed, though the latter figure drops to 84 mph when the turbo four is off.
Speaking of driving electric, motorists who leave their home with a full charge can cover about 31 miles without burning a drop of gasoline. Our time behind the wheel of the aforementioned Q5 on Germany’s winding country roads revealed the transition between gasoline and electricity happens seamlessly and instantly.
Charging the pack takes about 2.5 hours when drawing juice from a public charger. It’s integrated under the trunk floor, but Audi designed the A6 with electrification in mind so trunk space remains adequate. The electrified wagon offers 14.3 cubic feet with five passengers on board and 54.2 cubes with the rear seatback folded flat.
Only seasoned car-spotters will be able to pick out the hybrid in a crowd. The main visual differences are an additional flap that covers the plug and a small, chrome-like e emblem on the hatch. Sport seats for the front passengers, a sport suspension, the S-Line exterior package, and Audi’s virtual cockpit all come standard.
The 2020 Audi A6 Avant 55 TFSI e-Quattro is on-sale now in Germany with a base price of €71,940, a sum that represents nearly $78,000 at the current conversion rate. The firm pointed out the gasoline-electric Avant is eligible for a 50-percent company car tax break in its home country. Autoblog learned from an Audi spokesperson that the e-Quattro variant of the A6 will not be sold in the United States, so you’ll need to admire it from across the pond. America will receive plug-in hybrid variants of the A8, the Q5 and the Q7, however.
The news isn’t all bad for wagon fans. Audi finally decided to bring the RS 6 Avant to the United States, and it confirmed the rugged A6 Allroad will return to American shores in 2020 after a 15-year hiatus.
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