Audi Q6 E-Tron: Price, specs and release date
Possibly Audi’s most important electric car to date is this, the Q6 E-Tron, which is the marque’s debutant model to use the all-important, all-new PPE EV architecture, promising more performance, more efficiency and less weight than what’s gone before. Draped over that platform is the body and cabin of a smooth, appealing SUV not too dissimilar in size to the existing Q5. It's also near enough bang on where the upcoming all-electric Range Rover Velar will be in terms of cost and specs. Visually, it carries plenty of cues from the Q4, bloating them out for a broader footprint.
Twinned with Porsche’s equally important all-new Macan, the Q6 could, like the E-Tron GT, Audi’s other Porsche co-development, end up being the dark horse of the two. Let’s break down everything there is to know about the Q6 E-Tron, including its performance, specs, price and when you can expect to get one.
Audi Q6 E-Tron range and efficiency
PPE. That’s the all-important acronym to remember around the Audi Q6 E-Tron. It stands for Premium Platform Electric and it’s destined not only for use in the new Porsche Macan and this Q6, but the next-generation Audi A4, A6, and numerous other cars. It’ll certainly play a huge role in Audi’s goal to offer an electric vehicle in every core segment by 2027. So there’s a lot riding on it both for Audi and for the more upwardly-mobile marques in the Volkswagen group. So what does it have to offer?
Well, in terms of raw specs in this instance, a 100kWh (94.9kWh usable) battery with 30 per cent greater energy density, that’s 15 per cent lighter than previous-generation batteries of a similar kWh figure. Audi says the base Q6 E-Tron Quattro will be good for 388 miles of range, which works out at 3.6m/kWh in terms of efficiency.
It’s plumbed in via an 800-volt system good for 270kW of charging – for 158 miles of range in 10 minutes – and twinned with the all-new E3 electronic architecture, itself destined for a career across the VW Group’s premium brands. That 800 volts can split into twin-400-volt packs for more efficient parallel charging when at lower charging speeds up to 135kW.
The Q6 also sports new motors which are both more compact and lighter, but with 62 per cent greater power density and 33 per cent greater performance. Rear-driven models are coming, with a 100kWh battery for the maximum range – likely well over 400 miles – and an 83kWh entry-level model.
For now, though, it’s all about Quattro and all about performance, as Audi leads with the Q6 E-Tron Quattro and SQ6. Yes, like with the Macan, there’s a high-performance one. It is the tendency in premium EVs to lead with the fast expensive one, as these models yield better profits thanks to higher margins. Hence the Porsche Taycan arrived first in top-billing Turbo S form.
Audi Q6 and SQ6 performance
Yes, the SQ6 leads the range and becomes, in the process, one of the quickest, most powerful cars Audi sells, with 489PS (360kW) that rises to 517PS (380kW) with launch control activated.
That makes it good for 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 142mph. Utilising any of that performance will slash your chances of hitting the SQ6’s reduced range figure of 372 miles.
The standard car isn’t exactly slow, mind, with the Q6 E-Tron Quattro delivering 387PS (284kW) and 436lb ft, which gets to 62mph in 5.9 seconds.
In terms of how it’ll drive, Audi reckons the dynamics will “set standards”, with the Q6 sporting rear-biased torque distribution, with wider rear tyres to handle the shove, while the steering rack is now fixed to a subframe for packaging and better steering feel.
Inside the 2024 Audi Q6 E-Tron
That E3 electronic architecture really comes into play on the inside, with an array of high-performance computers helping to power the cabin electronics which are… extensive. There’s a lot of screen, to say the least, with an 11.9-inch virtual cockpit display alongside a slab-like 14.5-inch infotainment screen. In front of the passenger is another 10.9-inch screen, completing what Audi calls the ‘digital stage’.
Thankfully, privacy mode means the passenger can cordon off their screen from view of the driver so they can watch movies without their screen being a distraction. The front passenger can also be enlisted as navigator.
The Q6 E-Tron also gets Audi’s new self-learning voice assistant, called by saying ‘hey Audi’ – super casual. There’s even an avatar in the Audi Assistant Dashboard and in the HUD that comes to meet you. The system is designed to evolve and will come to better-understand your needs and habits behind the wheel and improve its own functionality.
In terms of physical buttons, well, there’s the drive selector, a volume knob, the hazard lights and the start/stop button. Space wise it should be fairly commodious, as we’ve come to expect from EVs, with 526 litres of seat-up boot space augmented by a 64-litre frunk. The latter seems a token nod to practicality really.
2024 Audi Q6 E-Tron – Price and availability
Deliveries of the Audi Q6 E-Tron are set to begin at the end of April. Prices start from £68,975 for the Quattro, though of course, lower-end rear-driven models will come in cheaper when they arrive next year, hopefully in the £50,000 range for the base model. On the other end of the scale, the hot SQ6 starts from £92,950, which is a fair chunk of cheddar.
How is that pricing by comparison to the Porsche Macan, which uses near-identical oily bits with slightly boosted specs? The Porsche is a bit more expensive, if not as much as you’d think, at between £69,800 and £95,000. Would you go for the Audi, or stretch to the Porsche?
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