2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron Is A Right-Size Sausage Made With An Updated Recipe
Is the Audi Q4 E-Tron too small for your needs, while the Q8 E-Tron is too big? Well, look no further than the 2025 Q6 E-Tron, the latest electric Audi crossover designed to split the difference between its larger and smaller siblings. That’s not exactly the most exciting introduction, but it’s true, and it’s also exactly how Audi pitched the Q6 E-Tron to us in its presentation.
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Make all the “same sausage, different lengths” jokes you want, but it’s a smart, pragmatic approach to filling out the lineup. Especially since, if we’re going to run with the old cliche, I would argue the quality of the sausage is much more important than the fact that you can get it in different sizes. Also, as the Q6 E-Tron is Audi’s first vehicle to ride on the new Premium Platform Electric architecture jointly developed with Porsche for the Macan EV, it’s our first taste of Audi’s reformulated recipe.
While it didn’t wildly alter my understanding of what an electric crossover could be and discombobulate my brain in the process, the Q6 E-Tron did prove to be a very competent, well-rounded luxury crossover that should sell well when it arrives in the U.S. because, at the end of the day, it’s an Audi that just so happens to be electric.
Full Disclosure: Audi wanted me to drive the 2025 Q6 E-Tron so badly, it paid for my flight to Bilbao, Spain, provided a shuttle to the hotel in Donostia-San Sebastian, put me up in a nice room and provided more wine and Iberico ham that I could handle. Audi also graciously allowed me to book a later return flight so that I could enjoy a few days in Spain on my own. It did not, however, pay for my hotel stay after the press trip officially ended. That was all on me.
Photo: Audi
For those who aren’t familiar, let’s get the basics out of the way first. The Q6 E-Tron uses a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup that makes 422 horsepower in daily driving, but there’s a launch control mode that temporarily gives you 456 hp. Weighing in at 5,269 pounds, it’ll hit 60 mph in a claimed 4.9 seconds. It also packs a 100-kWh battery, 94.4 kWh of which is usable, that provides an Audi-estimated range of 307 miles.
If that’s not enough power for you, and you’re willing to sacrifice some range and a bit more of your cash, there’s also the SQ6 E-Tron, which makes 483 hp (or 509 hp with launch control). It’s a little heavier, though, weighing in at 5,324 lbs, but it’ll hit 60 mph in 4.1 seconds. It’s certainly quicker, but that extra acceleration also drops Audi’s estimated range to 276 miles. In the real world, the lower range probably won’t be much of a concern, but the people do love to see range figures that start with a three.
Looks-wise, the front end is busy, but the Q6’s overall design is quite handsome. The real star of the show is the interior, though. It isn’t quite as flashy as some of its competitors, but it’s incredibly comfortable, well-designed, and nicely laid out. The controls were easy to master, although I would have preferred a few more physical buttons or knobs. The squared-off steering wheel might feel odd at first, but it’s actually a very nice thing to hold, and it includes one of my favorite features when driving in a foreign country I’ve never visited before — a speed limiter.
Photo: Audi
I don’t know how many people in the U.S. will actually use the speed limiter, but it’s one of those features I absolutely love. Don’t want to risk a speeding ticket, especially in a place where you don’t speak the language? Just set your maximum allowed speed, and you’re good to go. It’s especially helpful on roads where the turns are too tight to safely use cruise control. Audi’s certainly not the only automaker to offer it, but I love it, I used it a lot and I want more people to know about it. Don’t worry, adaptive cruise control and all the other important advanced driver assistance systems are there, too, I just didn’t get to use them very often because most of the drive route took place on winding back roads or going through various Basque villages. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous, and Donostia is arguably the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen, though, so it’s hard to be mad that Audi didn’t have us do a three-hour highway drive.
As far as tech that people actually care about goes, the Q6 has a fancy new electronic architecture that promises to be faster and more powerful, as well as Audi’s latest Android-based infotainment system. The driver gets a crisp 11.9-inch OLED display and a 14.5-inch OLED center touchscreen combined in one curved panel. If you’re worried that there are not enough screens, Audi will happily sell you a 10.9-inch LED passenger display that uses the magic of science to make itself invisible to the driver, and it actually works pretty well. This was my first time having a passenger in a car with a passenger screen, and I was surprised at how useful he found it. It will even let the passenger watch videos while the car is in motion.
Photo: Audi
Another useful piece of tech is the augmented reality head-up display. Not only does it have all the features you’d expect from a modern HUD, but it also projects navigation instructions in front of you, which was, again, very helpful in an unfamiliar country. It may be hard to believe, but my Basque is actually significantly worse than my Spanish.
Despite the U.S. version offering more than 400 horsepower, the Q6 E-Tron that I drove didn’t actually feel all that quick in regular driving. Part of that, of course, comes down to physics. After all, 5,200 pounds is a lot of pounds to move around. The much more important part is that the European version we drove only made 382 hp. The extra 40 hp would have been appreciated, but I’m also not sure that tells the whole story. I suspect the insulation and refinement that make the Q6 E-Tron such a relaxing, quiet car to drive also end up making it feel slower than it is. It’ll still get up and go when you need it to, and the American version should feel quicker. I just don’t want anyone to walk into the dealer for a test drive expecting to be blown away by the acceleration. Supposedly, there’s an RSQ6 E-Tron coming that should scratch that itch.
Photo: Audi
One issue that I ran into, and apparently several other journalists experienced as well, appears to be some kind of bug in the native navigation system that gets triggered by a phone having Apple CarPlay or Android Auto on in the background and randomly deletes your drive route. Audi promised it would be fixed by the time the Q6 E-Tron goes on sale in the U.S., but the first time it happened, we were at the mercy of whatever route the GPS chose for us as we tried to get back to the lunch location we’d just left to have Audi fix it.
Unfortunately for my drive partner and me, there were a lot of marked roads in the area that aren’t actually roads, which led to some unexpected adventures and possible trespassing. We did eventually make it to the lunch stop so they could program the drive route back in, but not before being instructed to drive up a sketchy two-track that had me grateful Spain doesn’t have America’s gun culture. It wasn’t a particularly challenging road, but I still put the car in Off-Road mode just to be sure, and I can now tell you the Q6 E-Tron can drive up a grassy hill with no problems. That’s also probably the maximum amount of off-roading anyone’s ever going to do in one of these, but hey, at least now you know.
Photo: Audi
As far as range goes, based on the numbers I saw, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Q6 E-Tron ended up beating Audi’s estimate in real-world driving. Allegedly, the improved efficiency of the new electric motors alone is good for an extra 25 miles of range, and you can tell Audi’s worked hard to make sure it’s a usable daily driver — just a regular Audi crossover that you don’t have to put gas into.
U.S. pricing has yet to be announced, but in Europe, the Q6 E-Tron starts at €74,700, while the SQ6 E-Tron starts at €93,800. However that ends up shaking out on this side of the Atlantic, it’s probably safe to assume the vast majority of buyers can charge at home, so the only reason range should ever be an issue is if you want to go on a 500-plus-mile road trip. In that case, finding working, available chargers is probably a much bigger concern than how far it can go on the highway without charging. The good news is that Audi’s navigation system can plan a route for you with chargers along the way. It’s not necessarily new technology, but it’s nice to not have to worry as much about finding a nearby charger on your own. Also, it can charge at up to 270 kW, so if you can find a fast enough charger, you’ll be back on your way in no time. 135 miles in about 10 minutes really isn’t bad, and you can charge from 10 to 80 percent in a claimed 21 minutes.
Photo: Audi
At this point, you’ve probably noticed I haven’t really said much about handling. That’s mostly because it’s largely not the point of this car. Not every electric crossover needs to be the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. I’d say it’s competent, and it didn’t feel completely unsuited for the tight, winding roads we spent so much time on, but I also didn’t ever feel the desire to push it harder. Especially since, while the Q6 E-Tron is typical or even small by American SUV standards, it’s quite large for European roads, and there’s still no way to get around its weight. I don’t even know where I would have tried to get it to slide if I’d wanted to in the first place.
As a luxury car, though, the Audi Q6 E-Tron is very good. You just get in and drive, and you don’t have to really think about it. It puts you at ease even while dealing with the stress of trying to get un-lost in Spain. And that’s a good thing. I say let luxury cars be luxury cars. Not everything has to lap the Nürburgring in less than eight minutes.
Audi says it expects deliveries to begin in the fourth quarter of this year “with additional variants to follow in 2025.” Expect U.S. pricing to be announced closer to that time.
Photo: Audi
