Meet the new Audi Q6 e-tron under consideration for South Africa

Audi on Monday evening revealed the latest addition to its electric vehicle (EV) portfolio. Slotting in between the smaller Q4 e-tron and gigantic Q8 e-tron, the new mid-sized Q6 e-tron has arrived to take on the likes of the Tesla Model Y, BMW iX3 and Jaguar I-Pace. 

Measuring 4,771mm in length, 1,993mm in width and 1,648mm in height, the striking Q6 e-tron is built on the German carmaker's all-new PPE platform co-developed with Porsche and debuted on the second-generation Macan launched at the end of January. 

Typical of Audi's earlier Q model products, the Q6 e-tron sports notably short front/rear overhangs and an upright front end characterised by a closed single frame grille framed in either gloss black or selenite silver. The same treatment is applied to the vehicle's side air intakes. Flanking this standout feature is a pair of Matrix LED headlamps and above them slender, fully customisable daytime running lights. Depending on their mood or driving conditions, drivers can toggle the latter between eight preset digital light signatures. Gimmicky? Perhaps, but this seems to be the type of feature customers are after in 2024.

When viewed side on the Q6 e-tron cuts a dashing profile with its gently tapered roofline, stretched greenhouse, prominent “quattro blisters” above the rear haunches, sloping D-pillar and choice of alloy wheels ranging in size from 18-inches up to 21-inches. The rear of the Q6 e-tron is home to a set of narrow taillight clusters linked by a continuous light strip and enriched with the carmaker's second-generation digital OLED technology.

According to Audi the latter comprises six OLED panels with 360 segments capable of generating a new image every 10 milliseconds. As a result the units are able to communicate warnings to other road users, such as displaying a warning triangle when the hazard lights are called into action. The same triangle will also illuminate when the driver opens their door and the car's proximity sensors detect an approaching cyclist. 

Inside the Q6 e-tron you get seating for five and a 526l boot expandable to 1,529l when the rear seat bench (40:20:40 split) is folded flat. A new wraparound dashboard is a defining feature of the SUV's interior architecture and perched on it is a freestanding Audi MMI panoramic display with a curved design and OLED technology. It consists of an 11.9-inch Audi virtual cockpit and a 14.5-inch MMI touch display. The latter runs a new Android Automotive operating system and is compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Available as an option is a 10.9-inch MMI front passenger display with Active Privacy Mode which prevents it from distracting the driver while on the move. This allows the front passenger to stream video content, assist with navigation or find a charging station.

Another notable gizmo is the “dynamic interaction light” which spans the entirety of the cockpit and supports a variety of communication functions. For example, if one is about to move into the right hand lane and there's a car approaching from behind, the right side corner will flash red giving the driver a visual cue to warn him/her about the hazard. 

Customers can also look forward to sustainable fabric upholstery materials, a new Audi phone box system supporting 15W inductive charging, four USB-C charging sockets, Audi Assistant voice control, over-the-air software updates, an 830W Bang & Olufsen Premium sound system with 20 speakers and access to Audi's somewhat controversial functions on demand, namely a host of downloadable services/features available for purchase of subscription. 

Of course the meat of the Q6 e-tron sandwich takes the shape of its electric powertrain, which pairs a 100kWh lithium-ion battery pack with an asynchronous motor on the front axle and a permanent-magnet synchronous motor on the rear axle. Total system output in the Q6 e-tron quattro is rated at 285kW, which Audi claims is good enough for 0-100km/h in 5.9 seconds and a VO2 Max of 210km/h. In the more potent SQ6 e-tron quattro this system is dialled up to 380kW, seeing the 0-100km/h dash drop to 4.3 seconds and top speed rise to 230km/h. While the Q6 e-tron quattro offers a maximum driving range of 625km (WLTP), the more performance-orientated SQ6 e-tron quattro returns 598km. 

Featuring the latest 800V technology and a maximum charging capacity of 270kW, the battery in the Q6 e-tron can go from 10% to 80% in as little at 21 minutes. Up to 255km of range can be added in  10 minutes. When plugged into lesser 400V chargers the SUV will enable “bank charging”. This automatically divides the 800V battery into two batteries at equal voltage which can be charged in parallel with up to 135kW. Depending on the state of charge, both halves of the battery are first equalised and then charged simultaneously. AC charging with up to 11kW is possible on basic home chargers.

To further boost efficiency and range, the Q6 e-tron features a fully adjustable 220kW brake recuperation system which Audi said can handle 95% of all everyday braking processes.

Tenacious mechanical grip is provided by Audi's famed quattro all-wheel drive system. On the Q6 e-tron it is rear-biased (with wider rear tyres to boot), however varying amounts of torque can be instantly distributed between the two axles based on real time driving loads and surface conditions. Audi set out to make the SUV as dynamic to drive as possible and fitted a newly designed front axle which sees the control arms positioned in front of the suspension arms. This is complemented by a new steering system mounted to the subframe that does away with conventional rubber bushings and is boosted by a more rigid torsion bar. According to Audi, both result in improved steering precision. Customers can also bank on increased steering feel thanks to the firm's newly developed software. 

The Q6 e-tron comes standard with Audi's new frequency selective damping. This system is designed to automatically reduce damping forces, particularly at high frequencies, across rough road surfaces while maintaining high damping forces at low frequencies, such as those that occur when changing lanes or cornering. An adaptive air suspension is available as an option and offers an even wider spread between smooth ride comfort and sporty handling. It also allows vehicle ride height to be raised or lowered.  

The first all-electric model series produced at the Ingolstadt plant, the new Audi Q6 e-tron will be launched in Germany and other European countries from the third quarter of 2024 with pricing starting at €74,700 (about R1,539,225). According to Audi South Africa it is under consideration for a local introduction in Q4 2024 or Q1 2025.