Exploring the Austrian Alps with the Audi A6 e-tron and S6 e-tron

MUNICH, Germany - Road trips are my favourite sort of journeys. It’s not easy to bond with a car in a few hours within a day, but when you drive it through different conditions and environments over several days, you really get under its skin and unearth the truth within.

As my colleague Chin Hui has already did a First Drive Review of the Audi A6 e-tron and S6 e-tron in Tenerife (tough life…), I decided to take a more relaxed approach to reviewing both cars on this trip, seeing how they tackle daily life (and all of its foibles) as we made our way from Munich, Germany to Gyor, Hungary - a journey of at least 530 km. We did more because we snaked our way up some mountain passes while at the Austrian Alps, but more on that later.

In case you didn’t know about the A6/S6 e-tron yet, here’s a quick primer. Built on Premium Platform Electric (PPE) that underpins the new Q6 e-tron as well as the Porsche Macan, the A6 e-tron is the electric version of the popular mid-sized ICE A6 sedan. Audi scrapped its strategy of naming its ICE vehicles in odd model numbers of EV models in even, so the A6 now exists in both ICE and EV variants (thank goodness for common sense). It’s available in single-motor (RWD) or dual-motor (AWD), but only the RWD one will come to Singapore. If you want AWD, you’d have to plonk for the S6 e-tron, which is also coming to our shores. Its chief rivals are the BMW i5 and the Mercedes EQE.

Right then, now that that’s out of the way, let’s begin our road trip in Munich, where I got the keys to the S6 e-tron at the airport. Despite initial disappointment that I would have to give up the S6 e-tron just as we reach the Alps tomorrow, it all worked out as we swapped halfway while still at the mountains.

The S6 e-tron is a sharp looker, especially in the colour of the test car, which reminds me of the colour of alpine lakes. Its front is probably its strongest angle. While I initially had misgivings about its rear design, I think it is a resolved look overall. More contentious is its interior, which many Audi purists have complained has lost much of its quality. While I could see where they are coming from, it still feels very Audi in the staid but logical approach. It certainly is better than BMW’s or Mercedes’ efforts, in my opinion. It is more user-friendly than either of its rivals.

Slipping into traffic, the S6 e-tron immediately feels dynamic and smaller than it is. It’s the same feeling I got when I drove the latest A5 sedan, which also feels light on its feet and agile, quite a departure from last generation Audis. The chief difference here is that the S6 e-tron wears air suspension as standard, which delivers a creamy and supple ride.

Less impressive were the small A and B-roads that brought us slowly to Salzburg, which were chock full of traffic. Progress was slow-going, but at least I had Adrian (Xiaoming) as an interesting drive partner, who turned out to be my senior in JC. The S6 e-tron was also effortless in tackling the most mundane of driving situations, despite its sporty remit.

It was a relief when we finally reached Salzburg, but it immediately felt well worth the effort. We strolled around the Old Town and discovered Mozart’s very own home, which felt really special as I am a little bit of a classical music fiend. After devouring some Mozart balls (chocolate, actually) and tasting local Almdudler, a popular Austrian herbal lemonade, we continued our journey to the Audi Charging Hub. With a max charging speed of 270 kW for both the A6 and S6 e-tron, it was just a quick stop before we retired for the evening at Cool Mama hotel (there were no mamas, just a cool rooftop bar).

With hardly any spirited driving done, save for a short blast on the Autobahn, I was eager for the following day where a whole day of driving in the Austrian Alps were planned. The weather forecast was also looking clear and sunny. Conditions couldn’t be any better.

We took the S6 e-tron upwards and started to gain altitude. Our first scenic view was Fuschlsee, a stunning lake that primed us for the rest of the day. Passing St Gilgen, we then meandered along the shores of Wolfgangsee, a much larger lake that brought us all the way to Kleefeld. Here, it was a turn off into a surprisingly small road upwards into the mountains. The sort of road where one should panic a little if there was another oncoming car. Thankfully, it was very light in traffic and there was a beautiful river that tracked us along the way.

Passing Postalm and then shooting east from Rigaus, the roads opened up where we could see a lot further ahead. Here the S6 e-tron showed its beautiful balance and composure - it’s not the sort of car you would drive with the rear kicking out or tyres screeching - but it has reserves of grip so vast that you would feel utterly confident at pushing ever so harder at every bend. It’s not the last word in dynamism, but that’s OK, because this approach is trademark Audi and you can’t fault it for that. I’d expect that if conditions were worse with rain or sleet, the S6 e-tron may be quicker than its rivals.

We passed by the world-famous Hallstatt but sadly didn’t get the chance to stop due to the crowds. Nonetheless, we were rewarded with postcard-perfect views at our stop for lunch at Schloss Pichlarn. It’s literally a castle with an unblocked view of the mountains, a perfect venue for a wedding or a getaway. As I was there for neither, I video called my wife and kids to share the utterly beautiful moment.

After lunch, it was time to give up the keys to the S6 e-tron for the A6 e-tron. The roads to our stop for the evening, Eisenstadt - near to the Slovakian and Hungarian borders - were faster and more sweeping. The A6 e-tron exceeded my expectations in many ways. On these sorts of roads, it feels more than powerful, enough to make me question if the S6 e-tron is simply too excessive. The single-motor setup is also a blessing in disguise, allowing me to unwrap more of the dynamic potential of the car with a lower grip threshold. It was unexpectedly good to drive. I can’t fault the conventional dampers as well, which gave a very pliant ride that’s very well-judged. The A6 e-tron is hardly a downgrade, if at all!

The final day of the road trip involved us crossing the border into Hungary, with our destination being the Audi factory in Gyor which produces the PPE vehicles. I was surprised to learn that, upon crossing the border, Hungarian roads were actually much better paved than Austrian ones, at least on this side of Hungary. With hardly any traffic and great visibility, it was hard to keep to the speed limit. The A6 e-tron continued to be a consummate cruiser all of the way to Gyor.

It was kind of symbolic as the A6 and S6 e-trons brought us back to where they were first made. Here in Gyor, Audi’s electrification strategy enters an important phase as PPE becomes the foremost platform for the brand’s EV models. Whether or not Audi prospers as a brand hinges very much on the PPE, and judging from the drive of the A6 e-tron and S6 e-tron, the future is bright indeed.

Photos by James Wong

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