Sad Trombone: We Aren't Getting the New Audi A6 Avant

• In addition to the Sportback models, Audi is launching the A6 E-tron and S6 E-tron Avant.
• Unfortunately, these wagon variants won't be coming to the U.S.
• It's hardly a surprise, but we can lust after forbidden fruit anyway.

The Avant isn't as aerodynamic as the Sportback, with Audi quoting a drag coefficient of 0.24 compared to the sedan's 0.21. It's not as range-tastic, either; while Audi estimates a 750-kilometer (466-mile) driving distance for the A6 E-tron Sportback, it quotes 720 kilometers (447 miles) for the Avant. Those numbers are on the European WLTP cycle, of course, and are not representative of what we can expect from the U.S.-spec Sportback.

Audi doesn't quote cargo capacity figures for the A6 or S6 Avant, but obviously, it'll be much more capacious than the equivalent Sportback models thanks to the larger cargo hold and more upright shape. Not that our Sportback is anything to scoff at, of course; Audi estimates as much as 40 cubic feet of storage space with the rear seats folded flat.

The 2026 Audi A6 E-tron and S6 E-tron Sportback models go on sale in the U.S. next summer. The A6 will be available with rear- or all-wheel drive, while the S6 will exclusively use Quattro all-wheel drive. All variants will be powered by a 100-kWh battery pack (with 94.4 kWh of usable capacity), with output ranging from 362 horsepower in the base car to 496 hp in the S6 — or 543 hp for small bursts when using launch control.

Edmunds says

Are we bummed about not getting the Avants? Sort of. But we can also get pretty darn close to the same pacakge in the form of the Q6 E-tron and SQ6 E-tron SUVs.