New Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron revealed: electric SUV gets 408-mile range

On sale Early 2025 Price from £65,000 (est)

When adding a little bit of chilli powder to an otherwise bland meal, it’s important that you get the balance right so that you don’t ruin the whole dish – but when you do get it right, the results can be mouth watering. That’s exactly what the new Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron is designed to do, adding a spicy alternative to the regular Audi Q6 e-tron SUV.

The new model certainly looks spicier than its Q6 sibling, with a sloping roofline and swept-back proportions.

Buyers will be able to choose from four different versions of the Q6 Sportback. The entry-level rear-wheel-drive model comes with a 75.8kWh (usable capacity) battery, and its single electric motor produces 248bhp – the same as the entry-level Audi Q6 e-tron SUV. With an official range of around 339 miles, even an entry level Q6 Sportback e-tron outdoes the rival Tesla Model Y, but doesn’t quite reach the 380 miles offered by the Porsche Macan Electric.

The Performance version, meanwhile, is equipped with a 94.9kWh battery, and its electric motor produces a heady 302bhp. It has the longest range of any model in the Q6 series, too at around 408 miles, comfortably beating the Macan Electric. If your favourite curry house is in Glasgow, then, you’ll have enough juice to get there from London without stopping to recharge. 

There are also two four-wheel drive options, which gain a second electric motor to drive the front wheels. The Quattro model achieves an official 382bhp, while the performance-focussed SQ6 version officially pumps out an impressive 483bhp.

The regular Q6 e-tron SUV offers a smooth ride, and you should be able to feel just as comfortable in the new Sportback thanks to an upgraded adaptive suspension system that reacts to bumps in the road and controls the movement of the car. Sharper steering compared with the regular Q6 aims to make the car feel more agile, too.

Inside, there’s an 11.9in curved digital instrument screen, alongside a 14.5in infotainment touchscreen. As an option, the front passenger can control some of the infotainment functions, with a 10.9in display in front of them. 

The Q6 Sportback also comes with a head-up display and AI-supported voice-control options which can be used to control some vehicle functions, including searching for destinations and even providing a weather forecast. The infotainment system in the regular Q6 e-tron is one of the best among its electric SUV rivals, so it’s likely that the Q6 Sportback’s system will be equally as impressive.

We were underwhelmed by some of the cheap furnishings in the regular Q6 e-tron, although high-quality recycled materials have been promised for the Q6 Sportback e-tron.

In terms of storage space, the Q6 Sportback offers a 511-litre boot, which increases to up to 1373 litres with the seats folded. This falls slightly short of the Macan, which offers 540 litres, and pales significantly in comparison with the Model Y, which offers a hugely impressive 854 litres. There’s also a 64-litre storage space under the bonnet, which can be particularly useful for storing charging cables.

Speaking of charging, it’ll take you around 10 minutes to charge the Performance model up to a range of around 165 miles using the fastest public chargers, and around 22 minutes for the higher-capacity batteries to get from 10% to 80%. Maximum charging powers range between 225kW and 270kW, depending on the version you choose.

The Q6 Sportback e-tron is expected to go on sale at the start of 2025, with prices for entry-level models starting at around £65,000. For a top-of-the-range model, prices are expected to start at around £95,000. This puts the Q6 Sportback e-tron in the same price range as the Macan, but makes it significantly pricier than the Model Y.

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