Test drive

Audi's Q6 e-tron outperforms Tesla and the Chinese, the road test of the electric SUV of the Four Rings' redemption

The Ingolstad manufacturer is back on top in the game of technological innovation with a model that combines driving pleasure, energy efficiency and on-board equipment

by Mario Cianflone

1 July 2024

Aggiungi Il Sole 24 Ore
ai preferiti su Google

Audi con il suv Q6 e-tron rilancia sulle tecnologie d’avanguardia

7' min read

7' min read

Audi is back. Of course, it was never gone but with the new Q6 e-tron it is back to set technological and driving pleasure benchmarks. And since it is an electric car, the theme of technological avant-garde is fundamental in trying to distance itself from Tesla and avoid being caught up with the Chinese, who are increasingly aggressive and with a strategy aimed at the premium segment. With the Q6, Audi debuts the long-awaited PPE (Premium Platform Electric) platform, developed with Porsche but declined by the four rings in a slightly different way from what was done with the Macan.

by the house of Zuffenhausen, will be the basis for numerous models where the Vorsprung durch Technik philosophy returns, that is to go one step ahead in technical development, to be one step above the others. In this sense Audi returns to the concept of Vorsprung, after having neglected it in order to aim at concepts alien to Audi's DNA such as the idea that cars are mere mobility devices and other inventions of a marketing drive that wanted to take the upper hand over the German group's brand's superior engineering.

The EPP platform had a troubled genesis: a change of CEO, changed technological and market conditions, the need to get software development back on track, but the wait was worth it and the car, tested in the two versions Q6 e-tron Quattro and SQ6 e-tron Quattro, succeeded in every parameter: driveability, sporty behaviour, performance, comfort, on-board space, efficiency and technological equipment/setting.

Of course, there are a few inconsistencies: the infotainment system, for example, is not 100 per cent convincing in its user interface, or in some somewhat old-fashioned controls (such as the cruise/autonomous drive lever), a choice that Audi engineers explain was made so as not to disorient the auditioning public. That said, the Q6, a lithium-ion suv capable of travelling some 600 km, is one of the best Audis of recent years and certainly the most accomplished Bev so far built by the German group, which just to underline the design and technical rigour is made in Ingolstadt.

The car is decidedly satisfying in dynamic driving, fun on the mixed road despite its size. Acceleration is obviously electrifying, but this is not about gluing drivers and passengers to their seats in a sprint from a standstill. The Audi Q6 is unbelievably at home on the mixed road despite being a 4.8-metre long, almost two-metre high 1.65 behemoth with a wheelbase of 2.9 metres and a mass of around 2.5 tonnes. It dances through the three corners like a sports car and the roll is always contained.

The management of the energy recovery on release is also excellent: the battery recovers and the passengers do not suffer from motion sickness (and with an electric SUV this is not a given). The steering is super-responsive, it is at ease in traffic and even on the motorway where it has two souls: that of a fast cruiser or a comfortable family suv loaded with luggage thanks to a 526-litre load compartment that can be expanded up to 1,529 litres, to which 64 litres are added under the front bonnet and 25 litres on board.

The Audi Q6 is offered in three variants: the basic one, christened Perfomance, with single-engine rear-wheel drive and the dual-motor, all-wheel drive versions that, depending on power, give rise to the Q6 e-tron quattro version and the more performance-oriented one, christened SQ6 e-tron quattro, following the classic Audi name syntax. At the moment the versions that are being introduced on the Italian market are the integral ones with prices of 79,500 euro and 97,200 euro respectively. It is available in eight colours, including Daytona grey which is reserved exclusively for the S line variant and the S model. As for the range of rims, they range from 18 to 21 inches.

Audi Q6 e-tron, le prime foto del suv elettrico dal vivo
Photogallery19 foto

Contributing to the decidedly satisfying and healthy road handling in terms of dynamics is a refined suspension layout: at the rear we find a multilink system. In addition, the chassis, also made solid by the gigantic 100 kWh battery, offers very high torsional rigidity. Furthermore, at the service of driving pleasure is a digital intelligence that distributes torque between the front and rear axles, favouring the rear wheels.

This creates an extra-large suv-sized electric car that is fun to drive (when you want to drive it, because on the motorway you can rely on Adas for level 2+ driver assistance where Audi doesn't push level 3, but it's a strategy that makes sense given the problems its competitors have had). In addition, the car manages to combine comfort and roll control thanks to two-stage dampers, but there is also, depending on the version, adaptive air suspension that can vary the car's ground clearance by up to 65 mm.

Powertrain and performance

Audi Q6 e-tron uses electric motors developed to be light and efficient. All engines are produced in Gyor, Hungary.

The Audi Q6 e-tron Quattro boasts a permanent magnet synchronous motor on the rear axle and an asynchronous motor on the front axle.

Total power is up to 285 kW (387 hp) with 535 Nm of maximum torque. The 'S' version, on the other hand, packs 517 hp (380 kW) and 820 Nm of torque. The Q6 e-tron quattro accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 210 km/h. The range is 625 km and the combined energy consumption in kWh/100 km between 19.4-17.0, both with Wltp approval. Overall, the efficiency measures for the new electric motors fitted in the EPP generate around 40 kilometres more range than before. The newly developed electric motors require around 30 per cent less installation space than the motors in the first-generation e-tron. Weight has been reduced by around 20 per cent. The weight of the Q6 e-tron Quattro is 2,325 kg. The SQ6 variant, on the other hand, offers a maximum range of 598 kilometres with consumption varying between 18.4- 17.5 kWh/100 km (Wltp). a value not far from the 20 kWh/100 km found in our test drive around Bilbao. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is 4.3 seconds and the top speed is 230 km/h.

Battery and charging

Audi's Q6 leverages a newly developed 100 kWh (94.9 kWh net) battery pack that helps break the 600 km range wall (641 in the Perfomance single motor version) consists of just twelve modules with a total of 180 prismatic cells. The 15 cells per module are connected in series. For comparison, the high-voltage battery of the Audi Q8 e-tron consists of 36 modules and 432 cells. It operates at 800 volts and takes only ten minutes at a fast charging station to generate a range of up to 255 kilometres under ideal conditions with a maximum charging capacity of up to 270 kW. If a charging station operates with 400 Volt technology, the Q6 e-tron can be recharged in bank charging mode: the 800 Volt battery is automatically divided into two batteries of equal voltage, which can then be charged in parallel up to 135 kW. Depending on the state of charge, both halves of the battery are first equalised and then charged together. In alternating current sockets, charging at 11 kW is possible, and later on also at 22 kW. There is also the Plug & Charge function, where the car communicates directly with the enabled points and starts charging autonomously.

Digital Technology

In the Audi Q6 project, and thus in the Ppe platform, there are some noteworthy points. The car has a control system based on five digital platforms, i.e. five computers, each with its own processing unit for a specific task. Audi has therefore opted for a group of control units and has not followed the 'mono-brain electronic' approach of other manufacturers. Indeed, the Ingolstadt-based manufacturer claims that this optimises the speed of calculation in the management of key parameters: energy efficiency, batteries (also with intelligent pre-conditioning for recharging) and steering of driving dynamics. This unprecedented End-to-End Electronic Architecture controls all the vehicle's functions including infotainment, which is based on the Android Automotive operating system that also integrates artificial intelligence (ChatGPT) as well as the Hey Audi voice assistant (the latter didn't entirely convince us).

The dashboard is dominated by the presence of no less than three displays. In fact, we find a structure with two screens, one for the 11.9" virtual instrument cluster and another 14.5" dedicated to infotainment, man-machine interface and vehicle management. A third 10.9" screen is dedicated only to passengers and is not visible from the driver's seat.

Nice Google maps with custom graphics, but we still prefer smartphone integration. And the system is compatible with Android Auto and CarPlay, even wirelessly. There are plenty of possibilities for charging personal devices, which can be powered up to 15 watts. There are the four USB-C sockets for up to 100 watts.

Among the functions managed by the electronic architecture is a real treat: intelligent Oled rear lights. The Q6, in fact, uses organic LED technology that can change light signature (8 different styles) and, thanks to a specially developed algorithm, are able to communicate to the outside world in order to warn cars and other road users of possible dangers. In fact, the communication light shows a specific static rear light signature with warning symbols integrated into the rear light. There are warning symbols for Emergency Assist, for Recas (Rear-end collision alert signal), when the hazard warning lights flash, during an emergency call (eCall), during a breakdown call (bCall) and when the emergency stop lights flash. A masterpiece of light design. At the front we find Matrix LED headlights.