The West Coast there and back with an Audi A6 Sportback e-tron performance

From SECC to reality Audi A6 e-tron

When Audi Sweden entered Swedish Electric Car Championship, The SECC, with the Audi A6 Sportback e-tron performance, had a clear objective. They wanted to demonstrate how far EV development has actually come. The competition, which runs from Ystad to Haparanda, is about traversing Sweden as quickly and energy-efficiently as possible. Audi used the car's built-in navigation system to plan the charging stops and showed that a modern electric car today can be used for significantly longer journeys than many still believe.

It sparked a thought for me. A competition is a competition, after all. Every charging stop is planned in detail, and the goal is to optimise the entire journey. But how does the same car perform during a completely ordinary holiday week? With camera equipment in the boot, spontaneous detours, and without any ambition to set a record whatsoever.

When Audi offered me to borrow a A6 e-tron I didn't have to think for long. The plan was already made. Jenny and I would leave Stockholm and drive towards the west coast. The route went via Lysekil to Strömstad and on to Gothenburg before it was time to head home again. To be able to fully enjoy the holiday, I chose to take all the photos in Strömstad.

This would be a significantly more realistic test than SECC.

A step forward

I have to admit I've been quite sceptical about electric cars for long journeys.

At the beginning of 2025, I was driving Audi Q8 e-tron Dakar to Åre. That journey didn't quite turn out to be the experience I had hoped for. Five charging stops on the way up meant the travel time dragged on considerably, and even though the car impressed in many ways, I left it with the feeling that I still preferred a petrol or diesel car when the goal was to travel far without having to think about charging.

Since then, development has progressed rapidly.

Even the first few miles in the A6 Sportback e-tron show that Audi has taken a significant step forward. The car feels considerably more efficient, charges faster, and above all, is experienced as significantly more relaxed to drive. The comfort is at the high level one expects from an Audi, and on the motorway, the car glides along almost silently. After several hours behind the wheel, you still get out of the car without feeling tired.

It's actually easy to understand why Audi chose this particular model for the SECC.

Electric car on holiday

The journey to Bohuslän offered exactly what I had hoped for. Long stretches of motorway, smaller country roads, coastal roads and several spontaneous stops along the way. Precisely the type of driving that many Swedes do during their holidays.

This is also when you discover that the A6 Sportback e-tron isn't really trying to impress with raw performance. It's the overall package that makes an impression. The quiet cabin, the excellent suspension comfort, and how easily the car devours mile after mile make the journey unusually relaxing.

I also notice that Audi has been very successful with energy efficiency. Compared to my previous experiences with electric cars, the range feels significantly less stressful. The car instils a sense of calm that I haven't actually experienced in any electric car before.

That does not mean, however, that I have changed my mind about electric cars as long-distance cars. On the contrary. For me, it's still not about range. It's about freedom.

Freedom still means most

For me, it's not really about range. The Audi A6 Sportback e-tron performance offers more than enough for the vast majority of journeys, and the charging speed is a huge step forward compared to previous generations. What still makes me hesitate is rather about freedom.

When I drive a petrol or diesel car, I never have to worry about whether the next station will be working or if all the charging bays will be occupied when I arrive. I know that filling up takes a few minutes and then the journey continues. With an electric car, there's still an element of planning that I personally haven't quite got over. If you arrive with little battery left and discover that the chargers are already occupied, that relaxed holiday feeling quickly disappears.

At the same time, it must be said that the A6 Sportback e-tron has made me reconsider quite a lot. This car makes long journeys significantly easier than the electric cars I've driven previously, and I understand why Audi chose it as its representative in SECC. For many, it will likely work excellently even on very long trips.

For me, however, the electric car is still strongest in everyday use. For commuting, photo shoots and shorter trips, it is hard to beat. It's only when I want to drive really far and get there as quickly as possible that I still choose a car with an internal combustion engine.

The digital wing mirrors

There's really only one detail on the car that I haven't managed to get used to, and that's the digital wing mirrors.

I understand why Audi offers them. They are more aerodynamic than traditional wing mirrors and contribute to lower air resistance, which in turn provides slightly better range. On paper, it's a smart solution.

In practice, however, it doesn't work as well for me.

When looking in a regular rear-view mirror, the perspective naturally changes as you move your head. That change helps the brain to judge the distance and speed of traffic behind. That sensation cannot be recreated on a screen, no matter how high its resolution.

This is most noticeable when overtaking. With a traditional rearview mirror, I can see immediately when I've passed the car and can safely move back into the right-hand lane. With the digital rearview mirrors, I have to think much more actively and I never feel quite as confident about the distance.

I actually think car manufacturers could use the technology more intelligently here. If the car is already aware of surrounding traffic, it should be able to mark the car you're overtaking with a red symbol as long as it's unsafe to pull back in front of it. Once the overtake is completely safe, the marking could change to green. That kind of function would provide real added value and make digital rear-view mirrors significantly more useful.

It's possible that a manufacturer already offers a similar solution, but I didn't find such a feature in this Audi.

For me, regular wing mirrors would still have been the obvious choice.

A stop I never planned

The best thing about road trips is that they rarely turn out exactly as you'd planned.

I stopped at a pier in Strömstad to photograph the car and fly the drone. Just then, the fishing boat Gryning glided into the quay with the day's catch. I quickly realised I was a bit in the way, apologised, and offered to help unload the boat.

A few minutes later, we had carried basket after basket of fresh shrimp ashore. In thanks, I was given a couple of well-filled bags directly from the boat. Suddenly, there were fresh shrimp on the passenger seat of a brand new Audi A6 Sportback e-tron performance.

I couldn't help but laugh. Most people might have a bag of loose sweets next to them during a car holiday. I had freshly caught prawns.

It became one of the trip's funniest photographs and a memory that I will probably carry with me significantly longer than the car's official range or charging times.

A big thank you to Björn Feskarn and the crew of Gryning for their help and the fantastically good prawns.

Conclusion

After nearly a hundred miles behind the wheel, my conclusion is quite simple.

The Audi A6 Sportback e-tron's performance is the most complete electric car I've driven so far on a long journey. It combines high comfort, low consumption, fast charging, and an impressive range in a way that makes it a very strong long-distance car.

Has it changed my mind about electric cars? Yes, to some extent. It has definitely pushed the boundaries of what I think a modern electric car is capable of, and I can see why Audi chose this particular model for the Swedish Electric Car Championship.

Has it made me abandon petrol or diesel when it comes to really long journeys? Not yet.

For me, road trips are still about the freedom to drive without worrying about the next charging stop. At the same time, Audi has shown that the gap between electric cars and traditional powertrains is narrowing with each new generation.

When I think back on this journey, however, it's not the battery size, the charging curve or the consumption that I remember first. It's the winding roads through Bohuslän, the sea views, the small spontaneous detours and a bag of freshly caught prawns in the passenger seat of an Audi A6 Sportback e-tron performance.

And really, that's the best compliment a car can receive.

Audi A6 Sportback e-tron performance

Price: From approximately 799,000 kronor.
Engine: Electrically permanently magnetised synchronous motor.
Effect: 381 hp with Launch Control, 565 Nm.
Transmission: Rear-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive. Single-speed transmission.
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h: 5.4 s.
Top speed: 210 km/h.
Consumption (WLTP): 1.37-1.59 kWh/mile.
Range (WLTP): Up to 756 km.
Battery: 100 kWh (gross), 94.9 kWh (net).
Service weight: Approximately 2,175 kg.
Dimensions (length/width/height): 4,928 / 1,923 / 1,487 mm.