2025 Audi Q6 e-tron First Look

Audi's middle-child EV takes the stage with new technology on offer.

Benjamin Hunting | 

Nov 6, 2024 | 4 min read

Audi

The new Q6 e-tron bears a strong family resemblance to its siblings, as its sheetmetal borrows heavily from established Audi styling cues, albeit with a few more curves up front.

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Sleek Lines and a Lighting First

With the lack of front-end engine-cooling intakes, the Q6 e-tron is clearly an electric vehicle (EV). Its sharply angled headlights and swept-spoke wheels amplify its sleek, muscular lines.

A Sportback version of the Q6 e-tron, which features a sloped rear deck, will follow the traditional sport-utility body style to market.

The Q6 e-tron does have a party trick that no other EV on the market can boast. It has a matrix of OLED lights front and rear that can change what Audi calls the vehicle's "digital light signature." In the United States, drivers will be able to select from eight lighting patterns.

In markets outside the United States, the Q6 e-tron will also be able to display dynamic patterns while the vehicle is underway. U.S. regulations, however, forbid lights that change while a vehicle is in motion, meaning the Q6 is restricted to a static display.

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The 2025 Audi Q6 e-tron Offers the Most Range of Any Audi EV

The Q6 e-tron debuts a new platform that differs from existing Audi e-tron SUVs and also underpins the Porsche Macan EV. Called Premium Platform Electric, it features a 100-kWh lithium-ion battery and provides for either a single- or dual-motor configuration.

The base Q6 e-tron makes 302 horsepower and features a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive powertrain. It rolls on 18-inch wheels, and with an EPA-estimated range of 321 miles, offers the most range of the Q6 lineup.

Buyers looking for all-wheel drive will want to opt for the Quattro model with standard 19-inch wheels along with a front and rear motor making a total of 422 horsepower. Range on Quattro models drops to 307 miles. For high-performance SQ6 e-tron models, range is reduced to 275 miles, but horsepower increases to 483, and 20-inch wheels come standard. While both the Quattro and S models are all-wheel drive, in the interest of driving dynamics, power delivery is biased toward the rear wheels.

For brief periods of rapid acceleration, a launch-control feature boosts output to 322 horsepower for base models, 456 horsepower on Quattro models, and 509 horsepower on the SQ6.

Given those specs, it's no surprise the SQ6 version of the e-tron is quick. Audi claims it'll sprint to 62 mph in 4.1 seconds, which is about on par with competitors such as the Jaguar I-Pace and BMW iX. The base model is more modest when accelerating off the line, taking 6.3 seconds to hit 60 mph.

Thanks to its 800-volt electric architecture, when plugged into a DC fast charger, the Q6 e-tron can go from 10% to 80% battery in just 21 minutes.

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The 2025 Audi Q6 Gets Big Screens, Augmented Reality, and AI

The centerpiece of the Q6 e-tron's interior is a panoramic display with a large 11.9-inch digital gauge cluster blended into a 14.5-inch center-stack touchscreen. Audi refers to it as a Digital Stage.

Notable features include an available 10.9-inch display strictly for the front passenger, which includes a privacy mode allowing them to watch a movie without distracting the driver. There's also a head-up display with augmented reality to enhance navigation and an artificial intelligence assistant that understands more than 800 voice commands. Music lovers will appreciate the available 20-speaker, 830-watt Bang & Olufsen sound system.

With the back seats folded, there's 53.9 cubic-feet of cargo space in the e-tron, with 2.2 cu-ft of frunk space between the front wheels.

As you'd expect from a luxury EV, the Q6 e-tron boasts an extensive suite of advanced driver's aids, including an adaptive driver-assistance system that combines lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control.

While the Q6 e-tron hasn't been tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, it earned five stars in the Euro NCAP crash test.

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The 2025 Audi Q6 e-tron Features Plenty of Trim Options

Regardless of powertrain, all 2025 Audi Q6 e-tron models will be available in Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige trim levels.

The base model with a single motor and rear-wheel drive starts at about $65,000 for the base Premium trim, including the $1,295 destination charge. This version will be up for sale after its more expensive siblings, but Audi says it will be available before the end of the year.

Opting for Quattro increases the cost of entry to about $67,000, while the high-performance SQ6 e-tron commands about $74,000. The luxe Prestige trim SQ6 will cost north of $80,000.

Benjamin Hunting

Benjamin Hunting is a writer and podcast host who contributes to a number of newspapers, automotive magazines, and online publications. More than a decade into his career, he enjoys keeping the shiny side up during track days and always has one too many classic vehicle projects partially disassembled in his garage at any given time. Remember, if it's not leaking, it's probably empty.