It’s yet another big electric Audi SUV, one that slots into the not inconsiderable gap between the Q8 e-tron and the Q4 e-tron. Yup, looks like Audi is whacking batteries into all its even-numbered cars first.
This is no copy-and-paste job though: the electric Q8 and Q4 sit on the VW Group’s MLB Evo and MEB platforms accordingly, while this is built upon Audi’s new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) skateboard. That’s the same one being used in the new 'leccy Porsche Macan, so we needn’t look very far for the Q6 e-tron’s most direct rival.
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Others? Audi has its eye on the Polestar 3 and Mercedes EQE SUV, plus the Tesla Model Y, Ford Mustang Mach-E, BWW iX3 and - to a lesser extent - the Jaguar I-Pace. Lesser because in car terms, it’s now ancient.
What’s the elevator pitch?
Same as any other Audi. It’s designed to appeal to executive types who want something powerful, refined and - by virtue of this being an SUV - big enough to bring along the family and all of their belongings.
As is fairly typical within the confines of Germany’s trio of premium brands, the Audi ends up somewhere in between BMW with its focus on dynamics and powertrains, and Mercedes with its penchant for comfort and (annoyingly) overbearing tech.
Powerful, eh? Hit me with them numbers.
There are two versions of the Q6 e-tron: both are AWD (and therefore dubbed ‘quattro’) and both are bloomin’ quick. The entry car packs 382bhp and 428lb ft of torque courtesy of two electric motors - an induction motor up front and permanent-magnet synchronous motor out back - and that’s good enough for 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds and a top speed of 131mph.
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This is the new Audi Q6 e-tron, with prices starting from £69k
Then there’s the SQ6, which turns the wick up to 490bhp (or a bit more with launch control) for 0-62mph in 4.3s and a Vmax of 143mph. Which is unlikely to do your range any good if deployed with anything close to regularity. No gears in either, as you’d expect for an EV: single-speed transmission only.
Later in 2024 there’ll be a single motor, rear-wheel drive version that’ll likely be more sedate and less demanding of the battery.
Speaking of range… how is it?
Depends on what you believe. According to the lab tests, the current base-level Q6 e-tron will pull up to 381 miles from its 100kWh battery (of which 94.9kWh is useable), while the SQ6 is good for 357. That would imply very decent efficiency of 3.8-4.0mi/kWh, which we reckon is… ambitious at best. Find our full explanation over on the Driving tab.
DC charging (the type you’ll get at a service station) maxes out at 270kW, and Audi claims 10-80 per cent takes but a mere 21 minutes. On AC the most you’ll get is 11kW, and at that rate a full charge is a 10-hour job. Perfectly fine if you leave it plugged in overnight.
What does one of these cost?
No surprises here, it’s a lot. For the moment, prices start from £68,975 (if you hold out for the RWD car, it’ll be cheaper) while the SQ6 is a punchy £93k. But given what it’s up against, those numbers really aren’t that bad. What a world we live in…
Our choice from the range
What's the verdict?
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Audi has unwisely followed Mercedes’ thinking that more screens must be better, and we’d question if the interior has been executed well
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The Audi Q6 e-tron is impressive in any number of ways. It’s immensely fast. It’s incredibly refined. The suspension (we’ve only tried the fancy one) sorts out bumps in double-quick time. The brake pedal feel is spot on.
And yet, it’s all a bit… plain. Not boring plain, but beyond being gloriously wafty (and rightly so, because it’s what Audi’s customers will demand) its personality doesn’t go any deeper than that. That’s a pity, our prototype drive in 2023 suggested otherwise. Meanwhile Audi has unwisely followed Mercedes’ thinking that more screens must be better, and we’d question if the interior has been executed as well as it could’ve been.
You’ll enjoy owning one of these, but you’ll stop well short of loving it.
