Audi’s mid-sized electric SUV is now on sale in the US, and we’ve tested it.
Credit: Jonathan Gitlin
HEALDSBURG, Calif.—Earlier this summer, Ars got its first drive of Audi’s new Q6 e-tron on some very wet roads in Spain. Then, we were driving pre-production Q6s in Euro-spec. Now, the electric SUV is on sale in the US, with more power in the base model and six months more refinement for its software. But the venue change did not bring a change of weather—heavy rain was the order of the day, making me wonder if Audi is building its new electric vehicle on the site of an ancient rain god’s temple?
Of all its rivals, Audi appears to have settled into a nomenclature for its vehicles that at least makes a little sense. Odd numbers are for internal combustion engines, even numbers for EVs, although it also appends “e-tron” on the end to make that entirely clear… and give francophones something to snicker about. (Yes, the e-tron GT does not fit into this schema, but nobody’s perfect.)
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The Q6 e-tron is also the most advanced EV to wear Audi’s four rings. Built on a new architecture called PPE (premium platform electric), at its heart is an 800 V powertrain with a 100 kWh (94.4 kWh useable) lithium-ion battery pack that powers a permanently excited synchronous motor driving the rear wheels, and in the case of the quattro versions, an asynchronous motor. The electric motors have 30 percent less energy consumption than those used in the Q8 e-tron, and are smaller and lighter.
Blistered rear wheel arches are a visual nod to the e-tron GT.Jonathan Gitlin
Audi’s mid-sized SUV is its bestseller here in the US, and the Q6 now means there’s an electric option.Jonathan Gitlin
That makes it a lot more up to date than the Q8 e-tron, which uses a modified version of Audi’s venerable MLB Evo platform, or the smaller Q4 e-tron, a somewhat disappointing electric crossover that’s essentially a Volkswagen ID.4 with a glow-up. That goes for the Q6 e-tron’s electronics, which are also a generation newer than the Q4 e-tron, and also more capable.
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Audi is starting off US Q6 e-tron sales with a pair of models, the $65,800 Q6 e-tron quattro and the $72,900 SQ6 e-tron quattro. A $63,800 single-motor (not-quattro) Q6 e-tron will be available in time, with 302 hp (225 kW) and an EPA range of 321 miles (517 km), but we’ll have to wait a while before we get behind the wheel of that one.
The Q6 e-tron quattro is the version that most US customers will go for anyway—all-wheel drive remains an important feature for SUVs, and quattro is synonymous with the Audi brand, after all. With 422 hp (315 kW) and a 456 hp (340 kW) boost function, it will still travel 307 miles (494 km) between charges when fitted with 19-inch wheels.
The Q6 cabin is well laid out and spacious.Audi
Audi chose not to give the Q6 the ability to display a map on the main instrument panel, despite pioneering that feature.Audi
When it’s time to recharge, that will take 21 minutes to go from 10–80 percent state of charge on a DC fast charger, maxing out at 270 kW. Audi says it’s done a lot of work on the charging curve and that it can maintain 250 kW charging rates even with the battery pack at 40 percent. A full charge on AC power should take 14 hours at a 40 A level 2 charger. For this model year, Q6 e-trons will come with J1772/CCS1 ports—we expect NACS to be substituted for model year 2026.
Driving on American roads
I had some slight worries that the very engaging steering I encountered in June might not have made the trip across the Atlantic, but these fears were ill-founded. Cars with electromechanical power steering have rightfully gotten a bad rap for abandoning the idea of feedback and steering feel, but the Q6 e-tron serves as an example that this need not be the case. In this case, Audi says it removed some rubber bushings from the steering rack and made things a little stiffer overall.
There is a quite noticeable spread between the comfort and dynamic drive modes, with more linear throttle response and slightly heavier steering in the latter, as well a firmer ride when fitted with air springs.
That said, it’s still not the most exciting car to drive down a twisty road. It’s extremely competent and was utterly unfazed by the rain, but the order of the day is dependable rather than pulse-quickening. Then again, that is entirely consistent with most of Audi’s machinery other than the hardcore RS models, and it seems entirely appropriate for this car, which otherwise would encroach on the Porsche Macan (which also uses the same PPE underpinnings).
Fitted with air suspension, our test Q6 e-tron quattro also had a smooth, pleasant ride from the passenger seat, with no trace of the motion sickness that we’re starting to encounter from the right seat of some other new EVs.
Set condition, one SQ6
The SQ6 e-tron quattro gets more power and more standard equipment.Audi
The SQ6 cabin features Alcantara trim.Audi
It’s more of a cruiser than a canyon carver.Audi
The SQ6 is the current king of the range, at least until an RS Q6 appears in the next couple of years. Nominal power is 483 hp (360 kW), with up to 509 hp (380 kW) available in launch control. That drops the 0–60 mph time from 4.9 seconds for the Q6 e-tron quattro to 4.1 seconds for the SQ6 e-tron quattro (5.1 seconds to 100 km/h versus 4.3 seconds to 100 km/h), and the top speed rises from 130 mph (210 km/h) to 143 mph (230 km/h).
I’m ambivalent about the extra power, and the SQ6 e-tron quattro isn’t noticeably more thrilling to drive, but you can access some features and options with this model that aren’t available in the lesser Q6s. Air suspension is standard and tuned differently in the SQ6. LED headlights with digital daylight running lights are standard, as are massaging front seats.
For all three versions of Q6 and SQ6, the middle trim (Premium Plus) is probably the sweet spot, though. This adds adaptive cruise control, a very good augmented reality head-up display, and a Bang and Olufsen sound system that includes a speaker in the driver’s headrest that can be the sole speaker to play navigation directions or phone calls. You’ll need to step up to the Prestige trim in the Q6s to get air suspension, and this package also adds acoustic glass, seven additional themes for the digital DRLs, and a 10.9-inch passenger infotainment screen.
This is one of eight possible light signatures for the daylight running lights.Audi
These OLED rear lights are reserved for the top trim SQ6 for now.Audi
The prestige trim of the SQ6 e-tron quattro is also the only version to come with Audi’s new OLED taillights. But thanks to relatively restrictive lighting regulations in the federal motor vehicle safety standards, these are not allowed to be animated while driving, unlike in Europe. Maybe one day…
