Audi has grown its recently revealed A6 range already, with the addition of new plug-in hybrid variants with a maximum electric range of up to 106km. Offered in saloon and estate forms, the new variants are expected to be the cheapest in their respective ranges, but they will still offer a choice of two high-powered versions.
New hybrid system
All A6 'e-hybrid' models will come with a 2.0-litre petrol engine and an electric motor, as well as a 25.9kWh rechargeable battery that's 45 per cent larger than the battery in the old hybrid A6. As a result, and despite the fact just 20.7kWh of that capacity is usable, the new battery allows both saloon and estate (or Avant, in Audi parlance) versions of the A6 to cover more than 100km on electric power alone, according to the official WLTP economy test.
The system is also capable of charging at up to 11kW using an alternating current (AC) power supply, which means a commercial charging point can fill the battery completely in two-and-a-half hours. However, charging from a domestic 'wallbox' charging point, which normally provides power at around 7kW, will likely take a little longer.
In addition, Audi has fiddled with the hybrid system's software, allowing for increased regenerative braking and integrating that technology with the on-board navigation system, giving the car the ability to fine-tune the regenerative braking to suit gradients, speed limits and curve radii. As a result, Audi claims the regenerative braking function can account for “more than 90 percent of all deceleration processes,” with hydraulic brakes only used for “harder braking manoeuvres.”
High performance
The A6 e-hybrid models come with a choice of two different power outputs, although neither is short of performance. Both cars are based around the same 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, which offers 252hp on its own. But the 'basic' e-hybrid option uses its electric motor to increase the maximum available power to 299hp, while the more potent version gets an even heftier 367hp.
That means neither car will be short of performance, with the base version getting from 0-100km/h in six seconds flat and the more powerful option cutting 0.7 seconds from that time. Both reach a top speed of 250km/h.
But Audi clearly wants its cars to handle more keenly these days, so all A6 e-hybrid models will get all-wheel steering as standard, allowing the rear wheels to turn by up to five degrees in the opposite direction to the front wheels. That means the car can corner more nimbly in town or tight corners, but the rear wheels can also turn in the same direction as the front wheels at medium or high speeds, giving the car more stability and precision.
And Audi claims to have improved the A6's comfort credentials, too, with 30 per cent better sound insulation than the old A6, thanks to more tightly sealed windows and doors. Even the teeth of the cogs in the automatic gearbox have been altered, improving acoustics, while there are foam rings inside the tyres of all models with 19-inch wheels or larger, reducing air vibrations and thereby reducing the noise.
The budget option?
Although Irish pricing for the e-hybrid A6 models has not yet been announced, the newcomers are expected to become the best sellers in Audi's A6 line-up. Not only will they offer impressive fuel consumption of less than three litres every 100km, thanks to the large electric range and the efficient 2.0-litre engines, but they will also have low CO2 emissions between 48 and 65g/km, depending on the version. That means VRT rates will be lower than for the petrol- and diesel-powered versions and should make the e-hybrid A6 models very competitively priced.