{"id":1885806,"date":"2026-04-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1885806"},"modified":"2026-04-16T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T21:00:00","slug":"audi-a6-sportback-e-tron-long-term-review-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1885806","title":{"rendered":"Audi A6 Sportback e-Tron – long-term review"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In 2012,\u00a0the AA\u00a0conducted a poll of 6,000 parents. It found that a third of them were spending up to 49 hours a month ferrying their children around by car.<\/p>\n

While that survey is fairly old now, I can\u2019t imagine the numbers have dropped \u2014 if anything, I\u2019d wager that third is closer to a half today. It certainly feels that way in our household. The \u201ctaxi of Mum and Dad\u201d is very real, and worst of all, my service is completely free.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There is, however, a silver lining. Aside from the countless hours spent watching sporting fixtures, all that intense ferrying of offspring is the ideal stress-test for a family car. So, is the A6 the perfect taxi wagon? It\u2019s close, but it has its faults\u2026<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re going to spend hours behind the wheel, comfort and user-friendliness is a non-negotiable. This A6 e-tron delivers comfort in abundance, but the ergonomics are a mixed bag.<\/p>\n

The seats may be basic \u2014 no electric controls (old school, I know) \u2014 but they strike a fine balance between support and that sink-in, lounge-chair effect. The white leather adds a welcome sense of light and airiness to the cabin, but is hardly practical for intensive family wear-and-tear.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just the seats that lean toward simplicity; the steering wheel does too. Thin-rimmed and generously sized in diameter, it suits the relaxed driving style this car encourages. In fact, it calls to mind the classic wheels of the\u00a0Audi 100\u2014 understated, elegant, and designed for effortless cruising rather than aggressive inputs. I love it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Despite this, the touch-sensitive digital controls on the wheel are infuriating, often causing me to accidentally crank up my \u201cdad music\u201d to full volume \u2014 much to the annoyance of my Gen Alpha passengers. And it seems Audi has recognised that was a cock-up. I notice inside the new\u00a0Audi RS5, it\u2019s reverted to proper toggle buttons. A welcome return to tactile common sense.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While we\u2019re on the subject of controls, Audi has consolidated the lights, wing mirror adjustments and locking functions into a single panel on the driver\u2019s door. Initially, I found the repositioning of the light controls particularly irritating. After what feels like centuries of them residing either on the indicator stalk or as a rotary knob by the steering wheel, muscle memory didn\u2019t adapt overnight.<\/p>\n

Now that I\u2019m used to it, it does begin to make a certain sense having everything grouped together. But is it actually safer? Having to glance down to operate them (with no raised buttons, just a smooth touch-sensitive panel) feels more distracting than the old, tactile setup.<\/p>\n

Another piece of muscle memory I\u2019m wrestling with is the seat-sensitive auto start. I constantly find myself climbing in and instinctively pressing the start-stop button, thereby turning the car off, so conditioned am I to physically starting an engine. It\u2019s a small thing, but it speaks to how deeply ingrained certain driving rituals are.<\/p>\n

The main multimedia display is huge \u2014 as seems to be the norm these days \u2014 but it wraps around the driver neatly, creating a cocooned, driver-focused feel rather than simply looking like a tablet glued to the dashboard. Functionality is straightforward \u2014 arguably simpler than a BMW\u2019s similar system \u2014 and key controls such as heating remain permanently accessible on-screen, regardless of which menu you\u2019re in.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m less convinced by the digital dash. The graphic showing a visualisation of the rear of the car and surrounding traffic feels distracting and, if I\u2019m honest, a little pointless. I should be using my mirrors \u2014 and I do \u2014 but I\u2019m already finding all-round visibility slightly compromised. The relatively shallow front windscreen pushes the driver further back from the A-pillars, while the swoopy, aero-obsessed rear results in a narrow back window that limits rearward vision.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s no rear wiper. Why? In poor weather it renders rear visibility almost impossible, leaving you heavily reliant on cameras and sensors. For a car that excels at comfort and long-distance usability, that feels like a surprising oversight. And don\u2019t give me the excuse that it\u2019s \u201csuper slippery\u201d and water simply slides off \u2014 perhaps it does, but dirt certainly doesn\u2019t. In fact, I\u2019m finding it a very tricky shape to keep clean.<\/p>\n

Of course, if you were a professional taxi driver, you\u2019d probably want to know about boot space and mpg. For that, you\u2019ll have to tune in again for the next instalment \u2014 I\u2019ve brought in a diesel Avant to see whether we\u2019ve made the wrong choice.<\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t wait until then, you\u2019ll find me at the parent taxi rank\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2012,\u00a0the AA\u00a0conducted a poll of 6,000 parents. It found that a third of them were spending up to 49 hours a month ferrying their children around by car. While that survey is fairly old now, I can\u2019t imagine the numbers have dropped \u2014 if anything, I\u2019d wager that third is closer to a half […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,237],"class_list":["post-1885806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-topgear-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1885806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1885806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1885806\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1885806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1885806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1885806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}