We like
Inherent sophistication, agile chassis, build quality, cabin ergonomics, hushed cabin, real-world efficiency, 800-volt charging speeds, handsome styling, will be sold sub-LCT

Room for improvement
Noticeable firmness more sporty than luxurious, steering feel, rear seat legroom, slower than many cheaper EVs, fantastic air suspension option unavailable at this level

Overview

 

AUDI sales are flat in Australia. When considering a circuit-breaker, it was not lost on the Ingolstadt brand’s local team that BMW’s rapid growth in recent years has been underpinned by the availability of appealing battery electric vehicles (BEVs) qualifying for key Australian tax incentives.

 

Both Mercedes-Benz and Audi have been behind the eight ball on this development. While the pace of global BEV sales growth has wobbled in recent times, of the legacy premium marques, only the Bavarian badge has convinced a decent proportion of customers into its electric options.

 

The effect of Australia’s major BEV purchase incentive—the waiver of fringe benefits tax (FBT) for leases of BEVs priced below the Luxury Car Tax threshold—has been to concentrate nearly all demand below this level, leaving pricey six-figure luxury BEVs deeply exposed.

 

This distortion has frustrated Audi’s chance of selling its Q6 midsize BEV crossover in Australia. Expensively co-developed with the Porsche Macan, the Q6 is a sophisticated electric car underpinned by the state-of-the-art 800-volt Premium Platform Electric (PPE) chassis.

 

Sadly, buyers don’t care unless it’s priced below LCT! Honourably, Audi Australia has swallowed its pride and duly introduced the simply named Q6 e-tron ($99,900 plus on-road costs) in both SUV and Sportback body styles. It’s above LCT but execs confirm it will transact below that level.

 

To co-opt American parlance, this base model is a “lease special” Q6. But it doesn’t feel like one: 19-inch alloys, genuine leather, powered/heated front seats, three interior screens, two charging cables, heated steering wheel, the Audi Connect app suite, power tailgate…it’s reasonably lavish.

 

Notably, the Q6 is also quite a bit more luxurious and mature—particularly inside the cabin—than the firm’s main sub-LCT model, the Q4. That model drives well but is fitted with an interior that doesn’t quite meet the Audi promise in terms of refinement. The Q6 does.

 

On paper, it seems likely that ordering a base Q6 with either the Style pack ($5500), which blacks out the exterior and adds 20s, or the Premium Pack ($8900)—with 16-speaker B&O stereo, panoramic sunroof, acoustic glazing and HUD—would render it ineligible for the FBT waiver.

 

Scrupulous buyers might be able to convince a dealer to do the deal at the FBT limit, but we expect that not only will nearly all Q6 stock in Australia shift towards this new base model, but that many of the entry-grade cars will be unoptioned. Flat grey paint is the standard colour.

 

For the small proportion of buyers happy to forego the FBT waiver, higher-end Q6s will continue in the form of the RWD Performance ($115,500), Quattro ($122,500) and SQ6 ($151,400), all plus ORCs.

 

Cosmetically, this is an inoffensive and subtly handsome SUV. Around 50 per cent of Audi crossover buyers in Australia prefer Sportback, and that shape introduces a little more drama (and adds five per cent more range to the SUV’s 462-466km claim), though we prefer the upright format.

 

Under the skin, the PPE skateboard platform can accommodate large battery packs, though the base Q6 steps down from its siblings’ 94.9kWh nickel manganese cobalt units to a 75.8kWh pack, while also adopting a more modest 185kW/450Nm rear motor tune.

 

Claimed efficiency is 16.4kWh/100km for the SUV and 15.5kWh/100km for the Sportback. DC charging speed is limited to 225kW for the base model, though the 800-volt architecture keeps average charging speeds high (150kW) for 22 minute 10-80 per cent replenishment.

 

A six-year service plan for the Q6 is priced at $2080. Warranty for the vehicle is five years/unlimited kilometres with the traction battery warranted for eight years/160,000km.

 

Driving impressions

 

The Q6 looks distinctly like an Audi—and it drives like one, too. The usual highlights come to the fore within the first kilometres: a sense of solidity and density, mid-weighted steering with quick self-centring, and hushed, efficient progress, even in this least-powerful base grade.

 

There are also objective lowlights. As is sadly typical for German premium cars, the standard (read: low-end) suspension so often fails to deliver a premium ride quality. While the Q6’s passively damped suspension is extremely well-controlled, it is also excessively firm and almost terse.

 

And that’s on base 19-inch wheels with plenty of sidewall. It is possible to solve this issue on higher-tier Q6 variants by optioning the $4900 Tech Pro Pack’s adaptively damped air suspension, which elevates the ride to limo-like lushness, combining control with wonderful compliance.

 

To make the Q6 ride correctly, then, you must forego BEV purchase incentives and purchase an expensive option package. Frustrating!

 

Still, that’s about the only dynamic ding. Acceleration is silken, with an overboost function temporarily increasing power to 210kW for 7.0 second 0-100km/h sprints, while paddle-shifted, adaptive regenerative braking allows customisable control for slowing down.

 

We’d prefer more steering feel and bite (as displayed by the hybrid-powered A5 sedan and wagon), with the Q6’s large-diameter tiller sending only aloof messages from the 235/60 R19 Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres. Still, the EPS ratio is intuitive, and you can build a flow with the Q6.

 

In fact, while the base Q6 is a hushed (though firm) companion for commuting and highway work, it comes alive on winding B-roads, with the brilliance of the underlying platform allowed to shine through. You can really push on, with the chatty chassis providing feedback and options.

 

Clearly, Audi’s A-team was responsible for the geometry, as well as the deft tuning of the Q6’s traction and stability control systems. It makes sense, as while BEV demand fits and starts in some markets, the Q6 is a linchpin model for Europe where BEV is quickly becoming default.

 

While the triple screen-laden cabin may disturb the sensibilities of existing Audi customers (who appreciated the maturity of older-gen interiors), many Audi hallmarks remain inside the Q6 including satisfying tactility of key controls and the use of pleasant (real) leather and grained plastics.

 

And frankly the new technology, dubbed ‘Digital Stage’, works quite well. The OLED 14.5-inch touchscreen is stunningly crisp, providing wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto or its own extensive connectivity, and at least the climate controls have a permanent bar at the bottom of the display.

 

The seats are Teutonically wide-set rather than hugging—though this isn’t the SQ6. Space and storage options up front are plentiful, but back seat legroom might be shorter than what you expect for this upper-midsize SUV that measures 4771mm long on a 2899mm wheelbase.

 

Merciful is the adaptation of Audi’s active safety features for Australia, with the ability to disable speed warning beeps permanently—while the lane departure steering intervention is subtle. Too subtle, perhaps, with true lane-centring not fitted for our market for now.

 

Impressively, we were able to beat Audi’s WLTP efficiency and range claims in an honest drive of the Q6 SUV in mixed environs. We managed 15.3kWh/100km for a theoretical range of 495km—seven per cent better than the official numbers. The Sportback would be over 500km.

 

With the addition of the entry-grade Q6, Audi joins rival BMW in offering two distinctly varied SUV options below the LCT threshold. For Audi, the Q4 and Q6 are rather different propositions. It is a choice between an optioned-up but lower-end Q4, or a stock-standard higher-end Q6.

 

A test drive of both should reveal which approach you prefer.