I had the pleasure of spending a good seven hours straight on eating when I was in Bilbao, Spain. I also had the honour of enjoying the positive vibes around the city of San Sebastian, even if the weather wasn't exactly favourable. More importantly, I had the electrifying delight of driving the all-new Audi Q6 e-tron, a luxury mid-sized electric SUV that's nothing short of elegant.
The new Audi will be going head on with the classy BMW iX, the popular Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV as well as the highly accomplished Porsche Macan BEV, a car that the Q6 e-tron shares a similar platform with.
Question is, can the new Audi electric SUV hold its own against its peers? Well, here are several things you need to know about the Q6 e-tron.
1. All-new everything
Unlike the bigger Audi Q8 e-tron or the smaller Audi Q4 e-tron, the Q6 e-tron has a lot of new things going for it. For instance, it's the first all-electric Audi model that's based on the new 800V Premium Platform Electric (PPE) platform that also underpins the full-electric Porsche Macan.
Also new is the electrical architecture in the Audi that powers the rest of the car such as the 11.9-inch instrument panel, the 14.5-inch infotainment system as well as driving functions. Dubbed the E3 1.2, this new and updated architecture is a high-performance computing platform that's faster, more customised and offers a more seamless integration in the use of the different systems of the car.
More impressively, the artificial intelligence-based chatbot ChatGPT has been integrated into the car, which will offer a multitude of new capabilities that go far beyond the previous voice control. From enriching conversations to clearing up questions, this new feature can be helpful on many levels during a car journey. This feature will, however, be subject to approval for the Singapore market.
2. Light show performance
Also new is the LED and OLED technology. Up front, the daytime running lights feature 61 programmable white LED segments on each side, while the rear lights share 360 triangular digital OLED segments that can display animated sequences that greet the driver when unlocking the vehicle.
Thanks to the aforementioned new electrical architecture, this new LED technology allows you to choose one of eight different light signatures, and they'll warn other road users of imminent heavy braking, or they'll even signal to an approaching pedestrian if a door is being opened. For instance, part of the taillights will form a triangle when you depress the hazard light, indicating the need for them to slow down and keep a lookout.
3. One leg will suffice
What you'll need to keep a lookout for is the fact that the Audi Q6 e-tron, unlike its other two electric SUV siblings, allows for 'one-pedal driving'. Thanks to a strong regenerative braking, which you can select from five different settings, you can drive the car with just one pedal. In this mode, lifting the accelerator will slow the car down steadily and significantly until it comes to a complete halt.
This brings about a couple of advantages. Firstly, you get to recuperate some of the range you've lost. Secondly, wear and tear of the brake pads will be significantly reduced, which negates the need to spend money as often for replacements.
Of course, in this said regenerative braking mode, it's necessary for the driver to get the hang of it because the sudden constant brakes and acceleration according to the calling of your right foot can cause discomfort to the rest of the occupants on board the car.
4. An honest vehicle
That said, regardless of the settings you select for the regenerative braking, the Audi Q6 e-tron quattro that we tested remains to be an honest vehicle. This variant isn't a sports car (even though it's quick like most other electric vehicles) and it doesn't pretend to be one, even if it's more than capable of holding its own around short sharp turns and long sweeping bends at higher speeds.
Instead, it knows its place and it aces as a family SUV with space and grace. Here, you get 526 litres of boot space, which is more than both the BMW iX as well as the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV. Knock the rear seats down and there's an available space of over 1,500 litres. Also you get sufficient head, shoulder and legroom for three Asian adults at the back.
5. It gobbles up tarmac
Unlike most other electric SUVs, though, is the way the new Audi gobbles up tarmac so willingly and effortlessly. Thanks to the 380bhp, 580Nm of twisting force as well as the ability to cover close to 600km on a full charge in real-world driving, the Q6 e-tron's biggest feat is undoubtedly its ability to be such a smooth operator when it comes to covering distance
Find yourself a straight, empty road and the car will be able to get from nought to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds, which is fast for a car weighing over 2.3 tonnes. Admittedly, speed limits on the roads of stunning Spain is the only factor that controls the hunger of the vehicle.
6. Not one, not two, but three
Whatever the case, good news ensue. Singapore will be getting three different variants of the Audi Q6 e-tron - the rear-wheel driven single-motor Q6 e-tron, the dual-motor Q6 e-tron quattro as well as the juicy top-of-the-line RS Q6 e-tron.
The rear-wheel drive single-motor Q6 e-tron model is capable of 288bhp and 430Nm of torque, and will allow the car to reach the 100km/h mark from nought in just seven seconds. Specifications for the RS Q6 e-tron are currently unknown.
The latter as well as the single-motor variant will be arriving only in the first half of next year. We can, however, expect the Q6 e-tron quattro variant to arrive on our shores at the end of this year.
