Soon to enter the Malaysian market is the Audi Q6 e-tron – Audi’s latest fully electric SUV which has just made its debut after a few months of being teased in camouflage. Upon its world debut, the Audi Q6 e-tron is shown in 2 variants – the ‘regular’ Q6 e-tron and the sportier SQ6 e-tron.
This is Audi’s first electric car to be built on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture, which is the architecture jointly developed with Porsche and is also used for the newly unveiled Porsche Macan. If you’re curious about the Q6 e-tron’s size, it measures 4,771 mm long, 1,993 mm wide, and 1,648 mm tall. Its wheelbase measures 2,899 mm long. It is about the size of the BMW iX3 or the Mercedes-Benz EQC.
Audi says that the Q6 e-tron is a pioneer in terms of design for Audi as it experiments with a new design philosophy. That aside, it still features the signature long wheelbase and short overhang look that has become synonymous with Audi crossovers.
It also features the latest lighting technology from Audi which bossts the world’s first active digital light signature. The new front light technology comprises 6 OLED panels with a total of 360 segments. What’s also a first for an Audi is the ability of the rear lights to communicate with its surroundings in a targeted manner. These new lights can warn other road users of accidents and breakdown sights via a special static taillight signature with integrated warning symbols.
As expected of an Audi, the new Audi Q6 e-tron is an all-wheel drive electric car with the standard Q6 e-tron powered by a dual-motor setup that makes 285 kW (387 hp metric). The standard AWD Q6 e-tron can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds onward to a limited top speed of 210 km/h.
The more powerful Audi SQ6 e-tron also gets a dual-motor setup, albeit with more power at 380 kW (517 hp). With more power, it does the century sprint in 4.3 seconds, onward to a top speed of 230 km/h. Only shown in two AWD versions for now, Audi says that it will soon introduce rear-wheel drive (RWD) entry-level versions of the Q6 e-tron.
Storing power in both the Q6 e-tron and SQ6 e-tron is a 100 kWh (gross) battery that can provide up to 625 km of range. The battery can be charged at a maximum DC charging rate of 270 kW and a maximum AC charging rate of 11 kW. The company says that with a high-performance charger (HPC), the Q6 e-tron can charge from 10% to 80% in around 21 minutes. This is enabled by the 800V architecture of the Q6 e-tron.
Another brand-first feature on the Audi Q6 e-tron is its ability to do bank charging. What this means is that if you plug in the 800V Audi Q6 e-tron to a 400V charger, it will be able to charge at 135 kW for both battery banks at the same time. Of course, upon initial plugging, it will first equalize both halves of the battery before charging them simultaneously at the same speed.
Inside, the Audi Q6 e-tron finally succumbs to the screen invasion with three screens perched on the dashboard. An 11.9-inch screen functions as the digital instrument cluster, a 14.5-inch screen functions as the touchscreen head unit, and lastly, a 10.9-inch screen functions as the infotainment screen for the front passenger.
On top of the three screens, the Audi Q6 e-tron also comes with an optional augmented reality head-up display (AR HUD). The field of view of the augmented reality function corresponds to a diagonal of around 88 inches viewed from the driver’s position.
While it shares the same DNA as the Porsche Macan EV, it has kept its gear selector on the centre console. The cabin design also remains rather conventional given its status as the pioneer in design for Audi. Completing the cabin of the Q6 e-tron is a sound system by Bang & Olufsen.
As for safety, the Audi Q6 e-tron gets the latest Audi advanced driver asisstance system with Adaptive Driving Assistant Plus. The system uses high-resolution map data and swarm data from other vehicles aggregated in the cloud to improve the handling of the Q6 e-tron. The SUV uses radar sensors, the front camera, and ultrasonic sensors for easy-tooperate guidance. The vehicle uses the collected information to create a virtual route and follows it dependably and as comfortably as possible across the entire speed range and in traffic jams.
GALLERY
Audi Q6 e-tron
Audi SQ6 e-tron
