The battle for customers in the market for a luxury, all-electric SUV is about to get a little hotter with the imminent arrival of this new Audi Q6 e-tron.
Sitting somewhere between Audi’s existing electric SUV offerings – the Q4 and Q8 – the new Q6 is a direct competitor for the likes of the BMW iX and Mercedes EQE.
At launch it is being offered in two guises: the Q6 e-tron quattro, which offers typical Audi sporty performance with a system output of 382bhp, and an even meatier SQ6 quattro version which has a system output of 483bhp.
Both feature a sizable 100 kWh battery and four-wheel drive, with the Q6 e-tron quattro costing from 69k and the sportier SQ6 weighing in at more than £93k.
But if your company car allowance won’t run to that, there’s also cheaper rear-wheel drive versions, known as Q6 e-tron and Q6 e-tron performance. These feature a smaller 83kWh battery but still offer zesty performance.
This Q6 e-tron performance version produces 301bhp and is good for a 0-62mph time of 6.7 seconds. When launch control is engaged, the system power output increases to 322bhp and the 0-62mph time is 6.6 seconds. Entry level prices for these rear-wheel drive versions start at just under £60k.
Stung by the rapid growth of upstarts like Tesla and BYD, established manufacturers like Audi are in a race to catch up but there’s plenty here to suggest the Germans aren’t beat yet.
Audi’s new electric car platform is built with efficiency in mind. The electric motors weigh 20 per cent less than they do on the older Q8 e-tron and take up less space too. The Q6 e-tron charges at an impressive rate, too – up to 270kW from a suitably powerful charger and means a 10-80% charge in just 21 minutes.
The Q6 e-tron has a 526-litre boot, which compares favourably with rivals. It’s a wide, unobstructed space, and the rear seats drop totally flat. They fold in a 40:20:40 split, allowing you to carry long thin items in between two rear passengers. There’s also space underneath the floor to store the parcel shelf, which is a useful touch.
Also very handy is the addition of a 64-litre ‘frunk’ taking the space where an engine would go in a combustion car, which is handy for storing charge cables.
With up to 392 miles on a single charge, the Audi Q6 SUV e-tron performance is also among the best in its class for electric driving range.