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By Jonathan Crouch

The Q6 e-tron raises the bar when it comes to what we can expect from Audi EVs. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 48

The Q6 e-tron. At first glance, just another premium all-electric Audi SUV, the next step up from the Q4 e-Tron. Actually though, it could hardly be more significant thanks to it's all new Porsche co-developed PPE platform that will undergird forthcoming Audi electric models into the foreseeable future.

Backgroundword count: 170

A 'technological leap'. Audi thinks that's what this Q6 e-tron is, familiar though the packaging might look. Like its similarly-sized combustion counterpart the Q5, it shares much with an equivalent Porsche, in this case the Macan Electric. That obvious rival also has this Q6 e-tron's new 'PPE' 'Premium Performance Electric' platform, the first installation of ultra-rapid charging 800V architecture in an Audi SUV. It's also shared with the A6 e-tron and is a big step forward - the point, you could argue, from which the technology of electric Audis really starts to get serious. An EV of this model size is over-due for Audi, a brand that until this point hasn't really had an electric SUV naturally sized to take on key contenders in the upper mid-sized premium segment like the Jaguar I-PACE, the BMW iX and the Mercedes EQE SUV. But the competition in this class is fierce, so this, the first electric Audi to be built at its company's Ingolstadt base, will need to be very good indeed.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 239

The line-up kicks off with two rear-driven models. One is an entry-level variant using a smaller 83kWh battery (75.8kWh of it usable), which goes 326 miles between charges. It puts out 252PS (or 292PS with launch control) and makes 62mph in 7.0s. The other version, badged 'performance', uses a larger 100kWh battery (94.9kWh of it usable) and offers the longest drive range in the Q6 e-tron SUV line-up - 392 miles (10 miles less than the equivalent Sportback version). It puts out 306PS (or 326PS with launch control) and makes 62mph in 6.6s. Beyond that is the quattro 4WD version, also with the 100kWh battery, which manages 381 miles of range. It puts out 388PS and makes 62mph in 5.9s. Much the same powertrain also features in the top SQ6 e-tron, but here the motors are tuned to deliver 490PS (or as much as 517PS with launch control engaged). Which takes the car to 62mph in just 4.3s en route 143mph. Range from the same battery falls only slightly to 358 miles (due to wider tyres). If that's still not fast enough, talk to your dealer about the forthcoming RS Q6 Sportback e-tron model, expected to produce over 600PS. The dual motor powertrain in the quattro and SQ6 Sportback e-tron AWD variants features a rear-based torque distribution system; and different front and rear motor sizes mean that different amounts of power can be sent to each axle as required.

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