Audi Q6 e-tron: The One You’ve Been Waiting For
Launching the Q6 e-tron and SQ6 e-tron, Audi accelerates into the future.
The post Audi Q6 e-tron: The One You’ve Been Waiting For appeared first on Sharp Magazine.
Audi & SHARP
With seven fully battery-electric models in its portfolio since the introduction of the first e-tron just five years ago, Audi is accelerating rapidly into the electrified future. Now, it’s launching the Q6 e-tron and SQ6 e-tron, both riding on an all-new battery architecture that is optimized to provide cutting edge efficiency, power, and capability. The timing couldn’t be better.
Built on the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) structure, the Q6 e-tron will be built in Ingolstadt, Germany, in Audi’s latest factory to achieve zero-emissions manufacturing. Everything about the platform has been streamlined for the greatest efficiency, with excellent range and power despite a battery pack that is compact and has fewer than half the cells of the pack in the Q8 e-tron.
Audi co-developed the platform with Porsche, and it’s not the first time there’s been a partnership between Stuttgart and Ingolstadt. In fact, it just so happens to be the 30th anniversary of the RS2 Avant, the first RS model and one that blended Porsche turbocharging expertise with Audi’s legendary quattro all-wheel-drive.
All-weather capability is part of what made Audi the best-selling luxury brand in Canada last year, and it is key to the Q6 e-tron’s appeal. Every Q6 e-tron comes with dual motor capability, with the former providing torque on demand any time extra traction is required, in slippery conditions or when maximum acceleration is required.
In a first, both the front and rear electric motors feature integrated dry-sump direct lubrication and thermal management of their rotating parts. This technology is analogous to that found in high-performance combustion motorsports engines, and here allows both motors to cut drag losses in half for better efficiency.
The battery for both the Q6 and SQ6 e-tron is a compact 100kWh pack with 800V architecture for faster charging. Hooked up to a 270kW charger, it can charge from 10% to 80% power in just twenty-one minutes. When using a lower powered charger, it charges as two virtual battery packs at 400V each, absorbing 135kW while minimizing voltage losses. Maximum estimated range is over 480 km.
That’s the kind of range and charging speed to make EV ownership hassle free, properly tested by Audi engineers to handle scorching heat or winter conditions. It’s the all-conditions competence that the four ring badge has come to represent.
And electrification comes with the performance you expect, too. The Q6 e-tron has a standard rating of 422 hp, with an over-boost function on launch that briefly raises power to 456 hp. The more potent SQ6 e-tron brings as much as 509 hp to the table on launch, with a 0-100km/h time taking just 4.3 seconds.
To grip and performance, add in that the Q6 e-tron is Goldilocks-sized right. In Canada, the most popular Audi model is the Q5, and with good reason. Accounting for one-third of Audi sales across the country, the Q5 is the most-chosen blend of capability and luxury. Likewise, the Q6 e-tron sits between the agile Q4 e-tron and luxurious Q8 e-tron right in the sweet spot.
With a cargo capacity that matches the popular Q5 and even more passenger space, the Q6 e-tron is usefully practical. More impressive is the technology on display here: as Audi’s newest model, the Q6 e-tron comes with a thoroughly futuristic cabin with a gorgeous design. A 14.5” MMI touchscreen handles infotainment duties, and with an Augmented Reality Heads Up Display and AI-supported voice commands, the driver never need take their eyes off the wheel.
Wrapped in a handsome design that’s set off with up to 21” wheels available, the Q6 and SQ6 e-tron is cutting edge technology underneath, effortless style on top. Not just the most recent EV from Audi, it’s also likely to become the most popular, with its blend of efficient performance and practical layout. Set to arrive at Audi dealerships this fall, it’ll be ready to take on Canadian winters from the get go.
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The post Audi Q6 e-tron: The One You’ve Been Waiting For appeared first on Sharp Magazine.