Audi S6 Sportback e-tron vs BMW iX xDrive50 I20: which is truly faster?

Off the line, the S6 Sportback e-tron hits 100 km/h in 4.08 s versus 4.69 s for the iX xDrive50. At this point, the S6 Sportback e-tron leads by 0.61 s and sits roughly 7 m ahead.

At 200 metres, the S6 Sportback e-tron is doing 146 km/h against 144 km/h for the iX xDrive50. The gap is 0.42 s. The challenger starts to claw back ground.

At 400 metres standing start, the S6 Sportback e-tron crosses the line in 12.52 s versus 12.93 s. The 0.41 s gap represents roughly 20 m of track - two to three car lengths.

Past 400 metres, the gap narrows. The iX xDrive50 maxes out at 200 km/h while the S6 Sportback e-tron keeps accelerating towards 233 km/h. At 600 metres, the gap is down to 0.28 s from 0.41 s at 400 metres.

At 1,000 metres, the S6 Sportback e-tron finishes in 23.58 s versus 23.92 s, with just 0.34 s to spare. The iX xDrive50 fails to fully close the launch gap.

Both rivals are electronically governed, but not at the same level: the S6 Sportback e-tron is capped at 240 km/h, the iX xDrive50 at 200 km/h. This isn’t a physical engine limit - it’s a manufacturer choice, usually for tyre safety or homologation reasons. Neither car reaches its true aerodynamic top speed.

With two electric powertrains, the difference comes down to power-to-weight ratio (4.28 kg/hp vs 4.94 kg/hp) and transmission (Unknown vs Automatic).

In European road use (130 km/h max), both vehicles reach the legal speed limit in under 7.07 seconds. The 0.61 s difference in 0 to 100 km/h is mostly felt in motorway merging and overtaking.