Audi Q6 e-tron road-trip: exploring electric

If you’re looking to head off on a journey of discovery to explore how Audi e-tron is changing the game for electric design, then Ingolstadt is the perfect place from which to start – and the Audi Q6 e-tron is the perfect all-electric car in which to do it.

After all, the scenic city of Ingolstadt, located in the heart of Bavaria, has been Audi’s HQ since 1969, and the backdrop for many of its iconic moments of ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ progress through technology. Now, for the first time, the Ingolstadt facility is responsible for manufacturing an all-electric Audi: the new Audi Q6 e-tron.

Equally, the Audi Q6 e-tron itself is a game-changer for Audi: the apex of all Audi’s impressive e-tron innovation to date, and an electrifying taste of what’s next. 

Using an advanced new platform with more efficient powertrain technology that offers more range – up to 381 miles (WLTP)[1] on the Audi Q6 e-tron SUV quattro we’ll be driving – it’s also smarter and more connected than any Audi e-tron model before it, introducing a plush high-tech interior and advanced animated LED lights.

So, we’ve got the two essential elements for our journey. It’s time to get behind the wheel and find out where Audi e-tron has come from, and how the Audi Q6 e-tron is shaping Audi’s all-electric future. Watch the film below or read on to find out more.

Learn more about the Audi Q6 e-tron

An illuminating start

Our journey begins just before dawn, on the city street outside our hotel. This is a chance to experience the first of many elements that make this new Audi Q6 e-tron a beacon for future electric design. In this case, quite literally. 

Audi has led the way in advanced headlight design and engineering for decades, and the Audi Q6 e-tron takes that to the next level, using second-generation OLED technology on the front and rear lights to shape active digital light signatures that both amplify the Audi Q6 e-tron’s character and enhance its safety.

Up front, the Audi Q6 e-tron’s slim Matrix LED headlights[2] boast 12 segments to offer enhanced forward visibility, while the high-mounted daytime running lights boast 61 LED segments. At the rear, the Audi Q6 e-tron’s full-width OLED light strip contains a 360 individual segments. These can generate high-contrast 3D-feeling shapes and complex animations that can update as fast as 10 milliseconds.[3] 

Working together, the Audi Q6 e-tron’s front and rear lights let you explore your characterful side, giving you a choice of up to eight expressive dynamic light signature animations that give you a personalised welcome greeting from your car. It adds a wonderful moment of delight to the start of every drive.

On the road, the capability of the rear LED lights to craft more complex shapes can significantly enhance both your safety and that of your fellow road users – alerting other drivers to upcoming hazards or informing passing cyclists if you’re about to open your door by displaying dynamic warning symbols.

Dropping our luggage in the capacious 526-litre rear, we don’t even need to consider folding down the 40:20:40 split-rear seats to open up the full 1,529 litres of luggage space or think about using the additional 64 litres of space in the front trunk. Instead, we can just open the front doors of the Audi Q6 SUV e-tron, admire the welcoming glow of the puddle light, and get set to head to the first destination of our journey.

A standout first impression

It’s just a short drive to the Audi Forum on the outskirts of Ingolstadt, which is home to the Audi Museum. Spurred on by seeing some of Audi’s iconic road, race and rally cars, we head back out to the Audi Q6 e-tron to reflect on how its form has been shaped by over 50 years of Vorsprung durch Technik design. 

At the front, the Audi Q6 e-tron’s slim high-mounted LED daytime running lights and its inverted all-electric interpretation of Audi’s iconic single-frame grille sit on top of a bold black frame that hides the compact but powerful Matrix LED headlights. Large aerodynamic vents hint towards Audi’s race and rally heritage, but are more aimed at smoothing the path of air over the Audi Q6 e-tron for enhance efficiency and range.

From the side, the Audi Q6 e-tron’s short overhangs, long wheelbase and long bonnet work with the set-back cabin to give it an impressively low-slung sporty stance. After our morning spent touring some of Audi’s iconic cars from the last 50 years, you can also start to see how the Audi Q6 e-tron’s design reinforces Audi’s Vorsprung durch Technik philosophy of ‘making technology visible, and reference’s the brand’s performance-inspired heritage and DNA.

First, the dynamic streamlined curves of the door panels help air flow more efficiently over the Audi Q6 e-tron’s body to further enhance its impressive all-electric range. Just as importantly, they also catch the light and draw your attention to the black ‘rocker’ door-sill inlay that reinforces where the modern heart of this Audi Q6 e-tron lies: it’s advanced all-electric battery. 

At the rear, the sharp angular muscular shoulders evoke the ‘quattro’ blisters of Audi’s iconic all-wheel-drive cars, leading the eye round to the continuous edge-to-edge LED rear light strip and large sportscar-inspired diffuser. It all adds up to make the Audi Q6 e-tron feel incredibly sleek and sporty for a mid-size SUV.

An interior that’s smart and stylish

There’s only so much time we can spend admiring the Audi Q6 e-tron, though, So, it’s time to get back in and really experience what it’s like behind the wheel. This is where the Audi Q6 e-tron really excels, with an interior that’s as smart as it is stylish.

The Audi Q6 e-tron’s dashboard is framed around a principle that Audi’s designers have nicknamed the ‘digital stage’. Its bold three-dimensional architecture creates a clear contrast between different elements – both in the materials they’re made of, and how you interact with them. It looks stunning, but also makes real sense.

The curved ultra-wide panoramic gloss-black glass of the virtual cockpit and MMI touchscreen arc around you, putting the bold ultra-crisp and clear graphics for driving data, navigation, media and car settings within easy reach of your fingertips. The MMI touchscreen, in particular – with its smart electric-focused e-tron route planner with live traffic and charging data – just begs to be touched, using haptic vibration feedback to give you a clear indication which part of the screen you’ve pressed. 

The high-tech screens sit on top of a bar of soft-wrap materials that extends right round the car. It provides a pleasingly warm and homely contrast to the cool glass, adding a fresh new sense of premium feel to this new-style e-tron interior.

Finally, wrapping round the windscreen is the most illuminating part of the Audi Q6 e-tron’s digital stage: the dynamic LED light strip.[4] It glows to provide information or alerts: pulsing yellow when you flick the indicator, pulsing red to warn you of traffic in your blind spot, or slowly filling green to show your battery level while charging.

As smart as it is connected

Underpinning the Audi Q6 e-tron’s digital stage is a connected ecosystem that provides new and different ways for you and your passengers to communicate with your car. As you’d expect, it starts with the MyAudi smartphone app to interact with your car and pre-plan your journey remotely, before syncing it with the smart always-online electric-focused sat-nav in the car.[5]

The real innovation in the Audi Q6 e-tron’s interior, though, is the optional passenger display[6], which lets your fellow traveller assist you by finding your next destination, or helping you pick the right tunes for your journey. Using an active privacy mode (which masks the passenger display when the Audi Q6 e-tron is moving) the passenger can even enjoy their own media without distracting the driver.

The final smart way to interact with your car is Audi’s intuitive ‘Audi Assistant’ voice control, which is now smarter than ever. It understands up to 800 commands, and can even let you construct highly complex contextual sentences.[5] For example, if you say: “I have cold feet” it will direct the air conditioning. Or, if you say: “Head to Nuremberg, and find a charger on the way” it will plan both elements of the trip. 

To make it even easier to ensure your Audi Q6 e-tron is understanding what you’re saying, your words appear on the digital dashboard: essentially letting you see what you speak. So, with the command issued: “Take me to the Audi Charging Hub in Nuremberg” – and with our feet suitably chilled – we head onto the road for the next chapter of the story of how Audi is changing electric.

Relaxing to drive in the city

Through the city streets of Ingolstadt, the Audi Q6 e-tron is wonderfully silent and relaxing to drive. The optional head-up display4 puts key information directly in your eyeline, stacking and shuffling directions and speed sign recognition so you always know where you are, where you’re going, and what’s coming next. 

The headrest-mounted speakers of the Audi Q6 e-tron’s optional Bang & Olufsen Premium Sound System[4] also play navigation directly to you rather than the whole car, giving you a clearer sense of direction and less distraction for your passengers.

The Audi Q6 e-tron’s comprehensive suite of advanced driving aids also include a few new features focused on urban driving – in addition to the adaptive cruise control and lane assist that are so valuable on autobahns and motorways. 

Cross Traffic Assist feature spots traffic when pulling out of junctions, while the Rear Cross Traffic Assist warns you of passing cars and pedestrians when reversing out of parking spaces. Equally, the Exit Warning uses the dynamic dashboard-mounted light strip to warn you of passing cars and cyclists when you’re opening your door.

Refined on the open autobahn

Once out of Ingolstadt, the Audi Q6 e-tron instantly proves capable and refined at autobahn speeds. It’s based on an all-new chassis design called Premium Platform Electric that will underpin the next wave of Audi e-tron models: delivering greater range, faster charging and more agile driving character.

At its heart is an advanced 100kWh lithium-ion battery that is more energy dense and more thermally efficient, meaning it’s lighter and more compact while ultimately delivering more range. The Audi Q6 e-tron’s enhanced motors – an asynchronous motor on the front axle, and a permanent-magnet asynchronous motor on the rear axle – are also more compact, lighter and more efficient in terms of power delivery.

The result: you can enjoy up to 388PS of confidence-inspiring quattro all-wheel drive power, while still getting up to 381 miles (WLTP)[1] from one charge on our Audi Q6 e-tron SUV quattro. It’s perfect for keeping pace with autobahn traffic, while also giving us more than enough range to reach the next destination on our journey.

Fun in the twisty bits

Autobahn cruising is all well and good, but it’s time to test another crucial strand of the Audi Q6 e-tron’s core Audi DNA: its driving character. Using the passenger display, we find a twisty road in the heart of the hilly Swabian Alps and head onto the road less travelled.

Because the Audi Q6 e-tron’s batteries are mounted low in the chassis and lengthen the wheelbase, it gives the car a confidence-inspiring balance. Enhanced steering delivers more engaging feel, while the Adaptive Air Suspension – which comes as standard on the Audi SQ6 Edition 1 e-tron – offers the perfect customisable balance between taut handling and cosseting comfort. The Audi Q6 e-tron can even lower itself by up to 20mm for a more efficient and slippery profile, or raise the ride height by 28mm if you want to head off-road.

Equally, the Audi Q6 e-tron’s regenerative braking – which uses the electric motors to provide up to 220kW of energy-recapturing force in roughly 95% of everyday deceleration – is designed to feel more natural and intuitive. Using the steering wheel paddles, you can pick between two stages of braking force, with near ‘one-pedal’ feel in the most extreme mode.

Underpinning it all is Audi’s new all-electric e-tron interpretation of quattro all-wheel drive. It’s biased to focus primarily on rear-wheel drive for a more engaging driving experience and enhanced efficiency, but the front motor cuts in when needed for confidence-inspiring grip when needed. As we glide and flow from corner to corner in near silence, it feels simply effortless.

A quick glance at the in-car battery display shows we’ve still got plenty of range left. But there’s another reason why we’ve come to Audi’s home in Germany to see how the Audi Q6 e-tron changes electric driving. It’s all about the charging.

A new way to charge

As we head into the suburbs of Nuremberg, we pull off at one of the new Audi Charging Hubs which Audi is trialling across Europe. Because Audi hasn’t only thought about how its cars can deliver more range. It’s also re-imagining how quickly – and conveniently – you can top that range up. 

First, the Audi Q6 e-tron boasts an advanced 800V electric architecture that offers ultra-rapid charging speeds up to 270kW.[7] On a compatible charger it lets you boost your range by up to 158 miles in as little as 10 minutes or do a more comprehensive top-up from 10 percent to 80 percent in as little as 21 minutes.[8]

Part of this is down to how the Audi Q6 e-tron prepares itself for charging. Using sophisticated predictive software that blends its live route-planning and live charging data from the always-online in-car navigation, it can pre-cool or pre-heat the battery so it’s at the optimum temperature to reduce the time needed to charge.

All of this is the perfect fit for Audi’s Charging Hubs. Designed to bring ultra-rapid charging to urban areas[9] – meeting the demand of apartment-dwelling electric drivers who don’t have charging at their homes – they can offer charging speeds up to 300kW and capacity for up to 80 cars a day. 

Because of their modular design, they can be quickly and easily built to fit their environment. City-centre Audi Charging Hubs can be smaller, letting drivers enjoy the convenience of local cafes and restaurants while charging. In the case of this Audi Charging Hub on the outskirts of Nuremberg, which is located a bit further out in the suburbs, it boasts a first-floor lounge and veranda where you can relax, grab a coffee or a cold drink, plug-in a laptop and use the wi-fi to catch up on your emails. 

So, with our Audi Q6 e-tron plugged in, we head upstairs to watch its charging progress in comfort on the large interior screen. It gives us a last chance to reflect on the journey we’ve taken with Audi: both through our time in the Audi Q6 e-tron, and over the last 50 years of Vorsprung durch Technik progress through technology.

Blending iconic head-turning style, ultra-efficient powertrains, spine-tingling performance and driving character, and the very latest smart connected tech, if Audi e-tron is the future of electric, bring it on… 

Learn more about the Audi Q6 e-tron

[1] Range dependent on trim and optional equipment. All vehicles are tested according to WLTP technical procedures. Figures shown are official test values for comparability purposes; only compare electric range figures with other vehicles tested to the same technical procedures. These figures may not reflect real life driving results, which will depend upon a number of factors including but not limited to factory fitted options, accessories fitted (post-registration), variations in weather, road and traffic conditions, individual driving styles, vehicle load, vehicle condition, use of systems like climate control (and, for battery electric vehicles, the starting charge, age and conditions of the battery). Figures for battery electric vehicles were obtained after the battery had been fully charged. Battery electric vehicles require mains electricity for charging. Zero emissions while driving. Figures quoted are subject to change due to ongoing approvals/changes and figures may include options not available in the UK. Please consult your local Audi Centre for further information.

[2] Standard on Audi Q6 Edition 1 e-tron models, Audi matrix LED technology provides precise,high-resolution illumination of the road. Dazzling for oncoming vehicles or vehicles in front can be considerably reduced as a result.

[3] Digital OLED tail lights including communication light is standard on Audi SQ6 Edition 1 e-tron models.

[4] Standard on Audi SQ6 Edition 1 e-tron models and included within the optional Sound and Vision Pack on Audi Q6 e-tron models.

[5] MyAudi account and app, Audi connect and Wi-fi or mobile data connection required, data charges may apply.

[6] Passenger display is available as standard on Audi Q6 Edition 1 e-tron and Audi SQ6 Edition 1 e-tron models.

[7] To charge at 270kW, you will need to use a charger in excess of 270kW or to charge at 260kW, you will need to use a charger in excess of 260kW. The availability of 260kW+ chargers is currently limited to UK motorways and major arterial routes. Not available in NI and most of Sco/Wal. Please see https://www.zap-map.com/live/ for further details.

[8] Timings based on a ten minute and 10 to 80% charge using an ultra-rapid DC public charge station at the vehicle’s maximum charging capability. For rapid 270 kW charging you will need a charger in excess of 270 kW, or to charge at 260kW you will need to use a charger in excess of 260kW. The availability of 260kW+ chargers is currently limited to UK motorways and major arterial routes. Not available in NI, most of Scotland or Wales. Please see https://www.zap-map.com/live/ for further details. Test data under standardised conditions for comparison purposes. Actual charging times will vary depending on various factors, including the selected vehicle (and battery option, if available), the type of charger used, the level of charge in the battery, the age type, condition and temperature of the charger and the battery, the power supply, ambient temperature at the point of use and other environmental factors. Charging times will also be affected by the charging curve (for example, once charging passes 80%, charging will slow to protect the battery’s longevity) and will be longer in cold weather or if battery temperature activates safeguarding technology.

[9] Audi Charging Hub locations currently limited to Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Nuremberg, Salzburg, Zurich and Tokyo