Audi Q6 e-Tron Review: Lord Of The Rings?

The latest from the Lord of the Rings is the new Q6 e-tron electric SUV. A significant model and Audi needs it to fire in many markets. Now, you can't run away from the fact that the one big thing when it came to this car, the big attention was going to always be on Premium Platform Electric (PPE). Brand new platform for Porsches and Audis going forward when it comes to the electric drivetrains. And then comes the fact that for the design team, there's got to have been a lot of pressure. What's the pressure? Do we go radical in a new direction because it's a new platform and a new vehicle model line? Or do we try and stay a little recognisable?

Audi Q6 e-Tron: Exterior

Now, it's quite obvious that the recognisable part certainly is there. But then comes the little caveat to that. Do you also try and look like the other stablemates, Q4 at one end and Q8 at one end, both e-trons? Well, this is where that balancing act comes in. And so you have specific things on this car regarding design or styling that are very much just for the Q6. But yes, it ties into those two models.

What am I talking about? Well, some of the little design details, like what you see as far as the grille's shape. But then the whole grille looks like an Audi, but it also looks more like the e-tron. It's that inverted grille that you've seen on the e-trons. That's very much present. I think on the white, you notice this a little bit more because it's also body coloured, unlike in the past, where it was always playing with textures, and colours, or generally staying a little darker or metallic. The lights, there are lots of configurations you can do. As you can see right now, of course, it's raining just a little bit. And so, it's covered with the water. But the LEDs in there, of course, can be configured for different kinds of signatures. You've got that coming in in a much bigger way with this model. So, you can customise it a bit more. Otherwise, I think the thing that grabs you is how ample the face looks. It's also very straight. It's very vertical, more SUV-like. There are 8 DRL signature light patterns you can choose from. And as you change them in the front, they also change concurrently at the rear.

On the sides, you don't have pronounced haunches. And yet, there's a lot of muscle. The car looks really sort of big, and chunky. And again, that's crucial for the segment for it to be able to stand out. Lots of different customisation options in terms of the trim and the variant, in terms of black roof rails or not. And then at the back, again, you've got OLED taillight treatment, something Audi's been playing with for a while. You see a nice sort of maturation of that on this car if you will. Again, there are some customisable patterns. And then you've got the connected taillight bar at the back, which is, again, reminiscent of what we've been seeing. Black badging is in line with the new styling that we see. Also, this is the S line. And so you see that, too. Now, I don't typically go for white, as many of you would know.

But with the gloomy weather, the white stands out. You do have eight colour options overall on the car, though. And honestly, that black-and-white contrast on the car is looking pretty sharp. It also kind of complements the two-tone pattern you're seeing on the alloy. Now, very sharp, new pattern, new style. That kind of goes with the territory of a new model. Wheel sizes go from 19 to 21 inches. I do have the 21-inches, which is why they look great. Now, this little blade at the side, it's standing out on the white paintwork. You can see there's an etched-in e-tron badge here. The point I want to make is that you know, a lot of times with the electric cars of late, we've seen blue badging or something in the front that indicates that the car is electric. Or there are badges all around, EV kind of badges. This is very subtle. The e-tron is there, and then it's just a small e-tron in the front grill. But that's it. Nothing screams the fact that this is an electric vehicle.

Audi Q6 e-Tron: New PPE Platform

Now, 3 different platforms are being used to make Audi electric cars – MEB, MLB Evo and the new PPE, you are going to hear a lot about Audi cars based on the PPE platform and it has begun with this one.

Now the PPE platform is for cars with a wheelbase of 2890 mm to 3081 mm and a ground clearance of 152 mm to 215 mm. But the MEB platform on which the Q4 e-tron is based will continue and we’ll get the more compact Audi EVs on that one.

Been anticipating this drive. Let's get going. It's interesting how, with electric cars, you have this sound design where the car has its sound. That's, of course, artificially created. It gives it a character, and it's pretty pronounced on the Q6. Of course, that's customisable. You can turn it on or off, or make it louder, but some of it is also down to pedestrian requirements and regulations in certain markets. There are lots of little things to look for, really, when it comes to this car.

Audi Q6 e-Tron: Ride & Handling

I think the first thing I was very curious about, was ride quality, comfort, and dynamics. With a new platform, well, of course, there's going to be curiosity around that. At first impression, it feels ample. It feels comfortable, and it feels really solid. and the steering feels precise.

The car has a newly developed front axle for much better driving dynamics. It gives the car a more supple ride feel. At the same time, makes it a little bit more manoeuvrable and agile. Now, you might wonder, what's that in comparison to? Well, I'm now thinking not just about the competition, but also about the other stable mix.

You know, how the MEB or the MLB-derived cars felt. And this feels more ample. It also feels more alert and more reactive, especially when you're doing high-speed lane changes or you're going around a corner at a relatively higher speed. It holds its composure well, and it's the front end that seems responsive. Now I know why. The car does feel heavy though and that is courtesy of the huge 100 kWh lithium battery. But the advantage is with the tighter prismatic layout it gives you the flexibility of spirited and dynamic driving with ample range anyway.

Audi Q6 e-Tron: Battery & Performance

It's an Audi, and so Quattro goes with the territory. And Quattro means All-Wheel-Drive. For those of you who still don't know what is nice about the setup here is that it's kind of differently done from the past. What you get is of course, a dual motor setup but the motors are different also not just about the amount of energy but the amount of power you get out of that front motor, which is smaller than the one at the rear. It's also a different kind of motor. The application is different, and so the idea is to be able to enhance and almost assist the overall experience by having those two different dynamics and different characters.

There’s 382 bhp on offer in this one and 0-100 kmph is done in just 5.9 seconds. When maximum performance is needed, an asynchronous motor on the front axle is activated. It is equipped with its power electronics and an axle-parallel, two-stage 1-speed gearbox.

On the rear axle, the Q6 e-tron is equipped exclusively with permanent-magnet synchronous motors, which are also coupled to a two-stage 1-speed gearbox with an axis-parallel design.

So this even applies to the recuperation. There are different modes, depending on the speed you're at and the braking energy you're putting in in terms of the pressure or the urgency with which you brake, that decide how the car recuperates energy most efficiently. It can now bring in a lot more, as compared to the previous setup that we've seen on the Q8 e-tron or the Q4 e-tron.

Audi Q6 e-Tron: Drive Modes

Now, in case you're wondering, Audi Drive Select is alive and well with the PPE cars. And so you get the stuff you're used to. But when you get into drive select, unlike the previous iterations, where you had something called Auto, now you have something called Balanced. That's nice, because as the name suggests, it doesn't just try and give you the best of both worlds, which it does, but it also adapts to your driving style. It also adapts to other external sort of inputs that it's getting kind of speed.

You're going at the kind of road that it is, navigation data that might suggest a highway versus a country road or a city road. And then, of course, tries to find you that balance of comfort, efficiency, and dynamics, which is nice. And I've tried to sort of use it more extensively. Now I am finding the advantage of doing it. I'm also finding the car behaving a little bit differently as l keep gobbling up these kilometres. The Q6 e-tron can go 625 km on a single charge and energy recuperation plays a big role.

Audi Q6 e-Tron: Single Pedal Driving

Single-pedal driving always works just fine. I think you've all heard me talk about it before. Works very nicely in this. You do have four different recuperation modes that you can activate. Again, there is an auto, but a single pedal is the way to go.

Audi Q6 e-Tron: Technology

Besides all the ADAS and safety features, there’s a lot more tech on board. Augmented reality. Yes. You've got this really big, huge setup for the head-up display. Now, that's optional, but certainly something that's a bit of a game-changer. It could be a little bit of a standout as well if you will. How else do you separate these cars, which are so fully loaded? That's one way. New graphics and pretty cool. Very intuitive and very useful.

There is an Al assistant on board. We've seen that before. But now it also packs in Chat GPT. That's coming on the production cars. The other thing, optional, of course, is having some speakers for some of these spoken instructions right here in my headrest so it doesn't bother everybody else. It's not that loud, but you hear it, even if you're listening to loud music. Nice touch.

Audi Q6 e-Tron: Interior & Features

The Q6-tron has a large footprint and with a generous wheelbase of 2899 mm, it has good space on the inside. In many ways, the Q6 needs to have the similar appeal and convenience of a Q5, except with the electric advantage. So, in terms of space and cabin layout, I think that part is important, given the buyer profile globally that the company looks at. So, you do pick up on a sense of space, even at the back. I have to say, the legroom is pretty good. I'll talk about that in a second.

But the big talking point when you get into the car is, of course, this massive layout. Now, Audi has prided itself for some time on the virtual cockpit, pioneering that space and then making sure that it kind of stays ahead of the curve of the competition because everybody's doing these big screens. So, you see this curved OLED screen. Impressive. Amazing in terms of its actual quality of resolution.

And then, of course, the MMI system has been updated, too, to give you a little bit more functionality. But things you expect in terms of connectivity, infotainment, music, and then, of course, the telematics, all of that is in there, ADAS and things like that, too. Steering wheel, different size and different shape. Now, again, trying to be a little different from the usual Q range, and that part becomes obvious. You have the little capacitive touch panels here, which are nice and easy to use, but, of course, takes getting used to because you're sliding rather than punching buttons.

Yet, there is a bit of haptic response. Certainly, the haptic response on the screen here is pretty excellent. And then, you get a whole lot more functions in terms of more apps that you can download and use on the car. And then, a whole lot more when it comes to the connectivity and different options that the car comes with. There is more that's embedded into this, which will, of course, make its way to the other models, too.

Now, again, a lot of carmakers playing with that. It has a privacy option so that the driver doesn't get distracted when they are driving. They don't see what's happening on that screen, and it's kind of exclusive for the co-driver or the front passenger. It's nice. It is a sign of the times. And, of course, it's finished nicely, though it's an LCD panel.

You see a lot of customisation options. The car I have right now has a pearl beige interior, but you also get grey. And then, there's also a much darker, sportier version on the S models or the S line, which has red stitching.

Audi Q6 e-Tron: Second Row Space

Always nice to have, especially in the Indian context. But I have to say, while the seat is very comfortable and it's decent on legroom, Audi India will have to certainly plan a little bit to make this a little bit swankier because let's not forget, buyers still do sit at the back. I mean, there's a lot of them who are being chauffeured everywhere. So, while this is functional from a European aspect, I think, from an Indian point of view, it needs to be swanked up a little bit.

So, you've got to have a little more bolstering, maybe a little more under-thigh support. And you could have some functionality, if it's possible, in this drop-down armrest. At least a wireless charger for your phone, if nothing else. Something to think about.

But otherwise, in terms of space, in terms of comfort, seat back angle, AC controls, rear seat warmers, which by the way, here, I think, on a cold, damp day like this one, feels nice. But, in the Indian context, again, think about it, there could be seat ventilation for the rear as well.

Audi SQ6 e-Tron: How Is To Drive?

I also had the chance to quickly jump into the SQ6, the more powerful avatar of the car. 510 bhp impresses a lot, 0-100 kmph is done in just 4.3 seconds and it’s exciting at every level. It’s taut, and visually the changes are very subtly enhanced.

Audi will bring an RSQ6 e-tron somewhere down the line too. I can’t wait to drive that one.

Audi Q6 e-Tron: Verdict

India will get both cars, though it will initially be just the Q6 e-tron quattro. The SQ6 e-tron will come a little later in 2025. Expect prices to sit in ₹79-₹89 lakh (ex-showroom, India) price band for the Q6, and over ₹1 crore (ex-showroom, India) for the S model.