Audi Q6 e-tron first drive review

It's 2024 and the electric car business isn’t exactly going to plan. Forget discounts, the entry segments have seen significant price corrections. In the luxury segment, depreciation is shocking. The early adopters have already, erm, adopted EVs and getting the fence sitters to swing their leg over is proving herculean. Grandiose plans to go full electric by 2030 have been shelved. And into that environment arrives the Audi Q6 e-tron, marking the start of Audi’s biggest model offensive. Ever.

Audi remain fully committed to electrifying every model in their volume segments by 2027, and there’s no walking back from that date. In turn this puts tremendous pressure on the Q6 e-tron because it debuts everything that will filter down to the rest of the range. The new design language. New Audi driving DNA. New interior concept. And the all-important range and performance of the VW Group’s new Premium Platform Electric. Which is why we will spend a little time on the PPE – shared with the Porsche Macan – before getting to the driving.

PPE is rooted in efficiency

Let me start with the numbers:

Power-to-weight improves by 60 per cent. Electric drive losses are down by 50 per cent. Installation space is reduced by 30 per cent. Power density is up 20 per cent. Weight is down 20 per cent.

All these numbers are in comparison to the Gen-1 e-tron, and the efficiency measures alone have liberated an additional 40km of range. PPE will form the basis for electrification of all volume electric models in Audi’s core segments over the next three years. It is Audi’s first 800-volt platform and in the Q6 e-tron the high voltage batteries have a gross capacity of 100kWh (94.9kWh net), which is the best in this class. The battery weighs 590kg and has twelve modules with a total of 180 prismatic cells. The PPE is scalable so that both low and high-floor vehicles can be spawned off of it – SUVs, estates and sedans will all be built within the same model family. The PPE has space for high-voltage batteries of different sizes to suit different models and can also deliver rear-, front- or all-wheel-drive depending on positioning. In fact, the longest range Q6 e-tron is the Performance variant that gets only rear-wheel-drive, boosting range to 641km on the WLTP cycle. That suffix is ironic though, considering that in Audi’s ICE heyday the Performance badge was reserved for the mightiest versions of the RS performance cars and SUVs – the bonkers RS7 Performance remaining a highlight of the super-saloon days.

Regen is another area that has contributed to efficiency with Audi claiming that 95 per cent of everyday braking is now covered by regenerative braking. Even when ABS is activated under aggressive braking, the electric motors continue to recuperate with the same power, the system thus recuperating up to 220kW.

The 800-volt system enables superfast charging, taking 21 minutes to go from 10 to 80 per cent on a 270kW DC charger and adding 255km of range in 10 minutes. This is academic because you aren’t going to find such chargers in India. On a typical 11kW AC wall box charger Audi quotes an ‘overnight’ charging time.

Audi driving DNA

Much was made in the presentation about the so-called Audi driving DNA, except they should have added the ‘new’ prefix. After all, Audis were always nose heavy, with the engine hanging ahead of the front axle, and nose pushing wide on the limit. There was never any lack of grip, but until recent times when more torque was pushed to the rear axle and sport differentials were employed for torque vectoring, the on-limit behaviour always defaulted to understeer. The new Audi driving DNA doubles down on the rear-biased torque split to give it a more dynamic attitude, so much so that the dual-motor setup uses two different e-motors.

Up front is the asynchronous motor (ASM) with a torque output of 275Nm. Also called the boost motor, it only comes into play when you are driving with verve and enthusiasm, the rest of the time – which is most of the time – the motor is spinning freely without drag losses. In this no-load stage, the ASM is more efficient than the PSM motor employed on the rear axle. The ASM doesn’t have any magnets either; no rare earths are used.

The compact permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PSM) on the rear axle is the main drive motor, with a torque output of 580Nm. The outputs of both the ASM and PSM can be varied across a wide range of performance levels by changing the axial length of the motors. That’s how the PPE can be scaled up or down, with all applications retaining the rear-biased character. Both the Q6 and SQ6 also get wider rear tyres than the front for sharper driving dynamics (as we’ve seen Porsche use so effectively on the ICE Macan).

Adding to that is a newly designed multi-link front axle where the control arms are arranged in front of the suspension arms in the direction of travel. This improves the axle kinematics to the noticeable advantage of driving dynamics. Steering precision is improved by bolting the steering rack to the subframe, eliminating the need for rubber bushing and instead using a more rigid torsion bar. And overlaid over all of this are high performance computers governed by new software modules, to deliver driving agility, and more driver feedback through the steering.

On the road

Let’s start with the Q6 e-tron. With 281bhp, going up to 382bhp with launch control, the Q6 accelerates to 100kmph in 5.9 seconds, tops off at 210kmph and delivers a WLTP range of 625km. On the road it translates into an effortlessly fast SUV that devours miles in a most unassuming fashion. Your journey is usually over before you even know it! The very nature of electric cars, with their instant throttle responses and even more instantaneous torque means the Q6 accelerates vigorously and enthusiastically when you floor it; Dynamic mode also piping through digital sounds that are supposed to enhance the feeling of sportiness (I’d rather do without it, thank you very much). The Q6 feels punchy enough to overcome the 2.3 tonne kerb weight but sticking with how Audi tunes their EVs, the acceleration is not so vigorous or enthusiastic as to make your passengers sick. Or your eyes pop in wild amazement.

The latter is addressed with the SQ6 which gets 375bhp, going up to 509bhp with launch control. 100kmph takes 4.3 seconds, top speed is 230kmph, and range on the WLTP cycle is 598km. Proper eye-popping business though will be handled by the upcoming RS Q6 with a rumoured 600bhp, double that of the range-starting RWD Q6 Performance with 302bhp.

Barring the noticeably more vigorous acceleration and even louder e-tron Sportsound, there’s not much difference in the driving dynamics of the SQ6 and Q6. The dampers are a little firmer, and the additional torque output can get entertaining when you stick it in ESC Sport and floor it out of tighter hairpins, with the rear axle moving about a bit and adding to the sense of sportiness.

Standard on the Q6 are steel springs with FSD dampers, though our test cars were all fitted with the optional adaptive air suspension. And this is where the most remarkable aspect of the Q6 comes to the fore – the excellent ride comfort. The electronically controlled adaptive air suspension continuously and independently adjusts damping on all four wheels every millisecond depending on the road conditions, the driving style, and the mode selected on the Drive Select. The latter includes an off-road mode where the air suspension can be raised by 28mm, going up to 45mm with the lift function.

The test cars were all running the largest 21- inch wheels (expect India-spec cars to get 19s to the added benefit of ride comfort) but despite that, there was none of the heave-ho that one usually associates with heavy electric cars. The Q6 glides over bumpy patches and rounds the edges off the few potholes we found, delivering calm, unflustered and beautifully comfortable road manners. Audi have never messed up on ride comfort, but with the Q6 they have raised the bar. It is wonderfully quiet too, the e-motor whine, plus road and tyre noise, all damped and cancelled out. It makes for a great cabin to relax and stretch out in – and stretch out you definitely can.

Wider than a Q8 e-tron

The Q6 plugs the gap in Audi’s e-tron portfolio, between the Q4 and Q8, but in terms of size it is just 130mm shorter than the Q8. Significantly, it is 4mm wider, 16mm taller and just 29mm shorter in terms of wheelbase than its big brother – and when you step inside, the benefits of a platform developed specifically for electric mobility become immediately apparent. For one the slimline batteries mean you don’t sit knees-up in the rear. Under thigh support is good, there’s space under the front seat to tuck in your toes and knee room is properly generous. The Q6 is the EV-cousin to the ICE Q5 but in terms of interior space this is clearly half a segment up, the huge 2899mm wheelbase (300mm more than the Q5) all going into creating more passenger space. Boot space is 526 litres, going up to 1529 litres with the rear seat folded down, plus there’s underfloor space for the cables. And there’s a further 64-litre frunk.

And more premium than a Q8 e-tron

Q8, Q7, Q5, Q3 – even the A8, A6, A4, A3 – all relied on variations of Audi’s decade-old interior architecture. Quality was never an issue, but it all felt dated and too same-same.

All that changes with the Q6 e-tron, debuting the new E3 1.2 architecture and a whole new design. Gone is the virtual cockpit and in comes the so-called MMI Panoramic screen that wraps around the driver and integrates two OLED screens – 11.9-inch cockpit and 15.5-inch infotainment. There’s an optional third screen, 10.9-inch LCD where the passenger can play with some features and also watch videos which are not visible and hence doesn’t distract the driver. Adding to it is a fourth screen – the Augmented Reality head up display which is among the best in the business overlaying navigation data real-time on the windscreen, integrating visual warnings for lane-keep assist or when you’re too close to the car in front, even doing fun things like screaming out the speed numbers when you launch it from, say, the toll booth.

Quality is excellent, the design is right up there with the best that BMW and Mercedes are churning out, and everything – as befits an Audi – feels expensive.

Android Automotive OS is used and its operation is completely different from Audis of the past. There’s a physical volume knob but everything else is on the screens, including air-con controls. That said it is all logically laid out and you quickly get used to how the tiles are arranged. Audi say over 800 voice commands are baked into the system along with ChatGPT to answer questions that the virtual assistant cannot.

Competitive landscape

Slow down or not, Audi are irrevocably committed to electrification. Expect the Q6 e-tron to arrive in India by the year end with deliveries to begin by January 2025. And what will it take on? There’s no Tesla Model Y in India, nor the Ford Mach-e. The Jaguar i-Pace has completely fallen off the radar. Mercedes doesn’t have a direct rival (EQB is half a segment lower), BMW are yet to launch the iX3, and the Porsche Macan will always carry a price premium. The Koreans have the excellent EVs in the Ioniq 5 and EV6 but the Q6 e-tron looks and feels more expensive; more premium. And that’s its trump card. The Q6 even feels more premium than the Q8 e-tron!

Pricing? In Europe the Q6 is 15-20 per cent cheaper than the Q8 which extrapolates to an India price in the region of Rs`80-90 lakh. Accounting for EV subsidies, if Audi India are aggressive, the Q6 e-tron could very well be just 10-15 per cent more expensive than the ICE Q5.

There’s another if. If… the Skoda-VW Group in India finally commit to electrification, local assembly of the PPE could be on the cards. This will after all underpin a huge range of Audi and Porsche EVs and the (significant) price benefits of local assembly cannot be ignored indefinitely.

Why stop at that? There’s a long wheelbase Q6 e-tron in China. What if Audi adopt the model Mercedes (E-Class LWB) and BMW (3 Series GL and new LWB 5 Series) have so successfully employed and locally assemble the LWB Q6 e-tron?

And there’s a final if. If... the Q6 e-tron can deliver a real-world range of 400-450km that should take care of any residual range anxiety, that last bastion of resistance to EV adoption.

Layer that with more space than traditional ICE rivals courtesy the dedicated EV platform, massively lower running costs, bigger screens and more tech, equivalent if not better ride comfort, dramatic styling with the active digital light signatures, even – dare I say it – more entertaining handling, and you’re looking at a compelling alternative to the regular Q5, X3 and GLC. That it happens to be an EV will just be a side benefit – and therein lies the Q6 e-tron’s potential to reverse EV sales trends and hit those electrification targets.