The Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron, celebrating its world premiere at the 2024 Paris Motor Show, is the newest member of the four-ringed brand’s athletic SUV-coupe line-up. Streamlined for maximum aero efficiency and stellar road presence, the new model is the Ingolstadt-based German automaker’s long overdue Tesla Model Y rival. Here are my first impressions of the electric SUV-coupe live from Paris Expo Porte de Versailles:
Design
The Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron seamlessly blends the powerful and confident exterior of the Audi Q6 e-tron with an added touch of elegance, resulting in a more sophisticated flair. With its redesigned roof arch, it sits 1.4 in. lower than its SUV donor. A more dynamically sloping roofline flows seamlessly into the tail of the EV, exuding grace and conveying a sense of forward momentum, even when stationary. The flat back glass featuring a dynamic upward bend ends in a breakaway edge that integrates the EV’s third brake light.
For it’s an Audi, cutting-edge technology is at the core of the Q6 Sportback e-tron. The new electric SUV-coupe flaunts Matrix LED headlights with separately placed DRLs and low- and high-beam lights separated. The DRLs can produce up to eight light signatures, allowing customers to personalize the first impression of the EV to their liking. The second-generation digital OLED rear lights can display a static light signature with integrated warning symbols to warn other road users of accidents and breakdowns.
Interior
The Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron features a sumptuous interior with a minimalist theme, although it’s not as pared-back as a Tesla Model Y or Polestar 4. The asymmetrical dashboard has a concave surface in the center and three displays dominate its real estate. A slim, free-standing curved panel integrates an 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.5-inch central touchscreen, and a 10.9-inch passenger touchscreen with active privacy mode complements them. Audi offers an augmented reality head-up display as well.
Audi uses the Android Automotive OS operating system for the infotainment system of the Q6 Sportback e-tron. This means customers can access YouTube and other popular smartphone apps natively, without pairing their smartphones. While on the entertainment subject, an 830-watt, 20-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system is also part of the tech features. It includes four speakers built into the headrests of the front seats as well, enabling so-called “sound zones.”
My experience with the Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron
When I stepped into the Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron at the 2024 Paris Motor Show, I found the ingress in the front easy because of the wide-opening doors. As soon as I sat in the driver’s seat, I noticed how the dashboard and cockpit wrap around you, giving a calming and reassuring feel. The headroom up front was more than enough for my six-foot frame, and I found the lumbar and under-thigh support perfect.
However, when I moved to the rear seat, it became clear that the swooping roofline affected headroom. From my experience at the show, I can say that the rear seating is better suited for kids or shorter adults due to the restricted space. That said, it does offer some comforts like a center armrest with cup holders, ventilated seats, and rear AC vents. But for taller passengers, the rear seats just aren’t ideal, reinforcing that the focus of this Sportback is on the front seats.
Specifications
Based on PPE, a dedicated EV platform, the Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron is 187.9 in. long, 76.3 in. wide, and 65.2 in. tall and has a 114.1 in. wheelbase. The U.S.-spec luggage space figures aren’t available yet, but the Euro-spec model’s capacities can serve as a reference point – 511-1,373 liters (18.0-48.5 cu. ft.). There’s also a frunk with 64 liters (2.3 cu. ft.) of additional volume, but that, too could slightly vary for the U.S.-spec model.
The Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron will be available in the U.S. in a quattro variant and an S variant, also with all-wheel drive. Both share a 94.4 kWh battery pack, but while the Q6 Sportback e-tron quattro’s powertrain produces 422 hp (nominal)/456 hp (peak), the SQ6 Sportback e-tron’s powertrain generates 483 hp (nominal)/509 hp (peak). As a result, while the former maxes out at 130 mph, the latter can continue speeding up to 143 mph.
You can charge the 94.4 kWh battery pack at up to 270 kW, with a 10-80% charging session taking as little as around 21 minutes. Audi expects the Q6 Sportback e-tron quattro to deliver an EPA-estimated range of around 300 miles. In that case, we think the SQ6 Sportback e-tron’s EPA-estimated range will lie between 285 and 290 miles.
Price and release date
We think the Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron’s prices will start at around USD 68,000. Audi says it will launch the new electric SUV-coupe in the U.S. in Spring/Summer 2025.
An automobile engineer by training, I’ve analyzed the global car market since 2005, with a keen focus on EVs since 2008. My journey in online automotive publishing spans 16 years, during which I have reviewed cutting-edge automotive technologies and interviewed leading CEOs and vehicle developers from around the world.
