Audi S6 Avant e-tron vs BMW i5 M60 Touring: fast EV estates face-off

Audi has long been known for fast estate cars. Over various generations, the likes of the RS 4 and RS 6 have offered mind-bending performance with space for the whole family – plus the dog – to enjoy. 

Now, Audi has dipped its toe into the waters of high-performance estates with an electric twist, thanks to the new Audi S6 Avant e-tron. While there’s no fully blown RS model (yet, at least), the on-paper specs of the S6 show promise for fast wagon fans. After a series of electric SUVs that haven’t troubled the front runners in their respective classes, can Audi deliver something special when it’s working with the bodystyle it does best?

BMW might have something to say about that. Of the big three German premium brands, it has been BMW that has most consistently delivered with its electric cars – especially at the pricier end of its range, where its EV line-up is almost universally excellent. The i5 is one such example, and in the M60 Touring, BMW has a direct answer to the S6 Avant ready and waiting to go. 

In a segment where performance, refinement, luxury and space all matter, which car delivers the most?

Audi S6 Avant e-tron

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The S6 Avant e-tron sits at the top of a wider electric A6 line-up and as a result it comes with a range-topping price tag; the launch-specification Edition 1 quattro starts from £99,340 on the road. If the full-fat S6 experience is more than you’ll need, then there are less expensive options lower down the line-up. The A6 Avant e-tron starts from £64,340 when paired with a 322bhp motor and 75.8kWh battery – enough for an official range of between 324 and 363 miles.

Used - available now

2023 Mercedes

A-Class

51,381 milesAutomaticDiesel2.0L

Cash £16,600

View A-Class

2023 Mercedes

A-Class

26,570 milesAutomaticPetrol1.3L

Cash £19,100

View A-Class

2022 Skoda

Enyaq

31,705 milesAutomaticElectric

Cash £24,900

View Enyaq

2022 Mercedes

EQA

31,508 milesAutomaticElectric

Cash £20,803

View EQA

Tester’s notes 

The S6 e-tron is fitted with adaptive air suspension, which can alter its ride height by up to 30mm. Raise mode jacks the car up by 20mm relative to the standard setting, making access easier and improving ground clearance at low speeds over bumpy terrain. At the other end of the scale, Dynamic and Efficiency modes drop it by up to 10mm and offer a sportier drive and reduce aerodynamic drag at speed. The settings don’t dramatically adjust how the car behaves on the road, though.

Aerodynamic efficiency has a big part to play in making a car give the most out of the energy you put in. Be it petrol, diesel or electric, there’s not much else on the market that can claim to be as slippery as the A6 e-tron family. 

In Sportback form, its drag coefficient of 0.21Cd makes it the most aerodynamically efficient car Audi has ever produced. Although the Avant doesn’t quite cut through the air as cleanly, its figure of 0.24Cd is still class leading, according to Audi.

BMW i5 Touring

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One glance at the prices is enough to make it abundantly clear that the S6 Avant e-tron has the BMW i5 M60 xDrive Touring in its sights – and is focused on undercutting it. Prices start from just over six figures for the BMW, at £100,015. Spend that much on the Audi and it’ll come loaded with options, but to get similar levels of tech on the i5, you’ll need to factor in a further £11,800 for the optional Ultimate Package. On paper, then, the BMW doesn’t quite offer the same bang for your buck.

Tester’s notes 

While Audi makes big claims about the A6 family being the most aerodynamically efficient car it has ever produced, the i5 runs it extremely close. Indeed, while the Audi is more slippery as a saloon, in their estate guises, the pair have a matching coefficient of drag of 0.24 – an impressive return considering the boxier shape of the BMW. Active aero features help it reach that figure, with a pair of vents in the grilles opening and shutting to allow for a balance between cooling and efficiency.

It doesn’t feel like the i5 has been around for very long, but BMW is already preparing a mid-life facelift. We’ve seen spy shots of the revised model testing, and even through its heavy camouflage it’s clear that the front end is set to get an overhaul. The fresh face will carry the ‘Neue Klasse’ design language that will make its debut on the next X3 and 3 Series, which looks set to banish BMW’s oversized kidney grilles to the history books – expect a slimmer design integrated into the car’s nose.

Head to head

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On the road 

Both of these cars have superb ride and handling, but we gelled better with the S6. A large part of this is down to the steering; the BMW’s chunky wheel rim and remote feel prevent the driver from feeling properly connected, while the way the Audi’s steering weights up through turns seems more natural. Both offer superb performance and refinement; the i5 has more wind noise but less road noise.

Tech highlights

The S6 takes an early lead here, because it has a battery capacity of 94.9kWh (usable) to the BMW’s 81.2kWh, yet despite the heavier battery pack, it’s marginally lighter than the i5. With 543bhp, the Audi’s two motors are 50bhp down on the BMW’s, but they offer combined torque of 855Nm – 35Nm more than its rival. The Audi is quicker to charge, too; the S6’s peak speed is 270kW, while the BMW’s is 205kW. 

Price and running 

Slippery through the air as this pair are, they are both still very heavy, very powerful cars, even if their estate car bodies do make them more efficient than their SUV range-mates. While the Audi has only a small advantage in overall efficiency, it has a much bigger battery, so based on our 3.1 miles/kWh real-world figure, it would travel 294 miles on a charge – 50 miles further than the BMW.

Practicality 

If you’ll regularly be carrying taller passengers in the back, then the BMW is the car to have out of this pair. For a vehicle of its size, the Audi’s back-seat space is a tad disappointing, while the BMW offers loads of room. Both cars have very large boots, though the way that the S6’s load bay slopes up slightly towards the back seats is a little awkward. The i5’s boot is square and usefully flat.

Safety 

Both cars scored highly in their respective Euro NCAP crash tests, each bagging five-star ratings. But the Audi fared even better than the BMW, scoring excellent marks across the board. As standard, the S6 gets an adaptive cruise control system with lane centring, an augmented-reality head-up display and a range of external cameras to help with parking. BMW i5 owners have to pay extra for all of these.

Ownership 

Our 2024 Driver Power survey didn’t make comfortable reading for Audi, with owners not exactly heaping praise on their cars. The result was 27th place out of 32 brands, above Volkswagen, but behind German rivals. That includes BMW, which managed to edge into the top half of the table in 14th. In terms of reliability, however, there’s little to separate them, with a near-identical number of owners experiencing faults.

Verdict

Winner: Audi S6 Avant e-tron

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Trust Audi to save its best work for a rapid estate car. We’ve not been sold on all of the brand’s EVs so far, but this is the German company’s most convincing yet. Ride, handling, range and tech are all excellent, while it manages to combine all of this with a strong powertrain, which provides punchy performance, rapid charging speeds and is efficient enough to return a long range at a cruise. Add in the fact that the Audi is also better value for money than the i5 M60, and it’s enough to seal the win on this occasion.

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Runner-up: BMW i5 Touring M60 xDrive

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It’s a close second, but the i5 doesn’t quite form the all-round package of its rival here. In several ways it’s a superior car to the A6; the cabin in general is a nicer place to be both in terms of design and practicality, and the refinement is about as good as it gets in any new car. With better steering, it’d match the Audi for overall driver involvement, too. However, its range falls short of the Audi’s, plus it’s no more efficient, and with a car that feels like it has been designed for long journeys, that’s something that really matters.

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