Audi still wins the prize for having the coolest name to distinguish its ever-growing brood of all-electric EVs. E-tron.
It still sounds pretty science-fictiony with shades of the Tron mega movie franchise and its too-cool synthesized soundtrack.
Audi brought its first production e-tron EV to the US back in 2019 with the e-tron SUV. Since then it has added its sensational e-tron GT sedan – the top version packing an insane 912-horsepower – plus e-tron Q4s and Q8 SUVs in both standard and Sportback body styles.
Arguably its most important e-tron SUV to date is the version I’ve just spent an electrifying wheel trying out for size, the 2025 SQ6 e-tron.
This is the blast-to-drive, high-performance version of the regular Q6 e-tron packing up to 509-hp and capable of slingshotting from standstill to 60 mph in a blink-of-an-eye 4.1 seconds.
The reason for its headlining importance is down to three little letters; PPE. They’re short for Premium Platform Electric, which is Volkswagen-speak for the state-of-the-art EV platform it has developed.
The first EV model to use PPE was Porsche’s newly-launched Macan EV. Next up is Audi’s Q6 and SQ6 which share most of their tech with the Porsche at a fraction of the price.
And talking of price, while the regular Q6 e-tron kicks off at $65,095, our SQ6 e-tron comes in at $74,195, though adding the pricey $8,400 Prestige package and $2,800 Edition One package can take the sticker up to the lofty $83,395 of our tester.
That said, it’s around $15,000 less than a comparable Porsche Macan EV which, design-wise, still looks like it came out of a Jell-O mold.
Talking of looks, if I were buying an e-tron Q6 or SQ6, I might just be tempted by the sleeker, sportier-looking Sportback version. Same electric bits, sexier body.
But what of this SQ6 performance e-tron I’ve been driving? One word: Awesome.
Slotting in between the Q4 and Q8 e-trons, it’s roughly the size of Audi’s beloved and best-selling Q5. That means seats for five, space for a ton of luggage, and a perfect not-too-big, not-too-small size for ease of zipping around town.
And boy does this SQ6 e-tron zip with a beefy 100-kWh battery pack under the floor and electric motors front and rear producing a combined 483-hp, or 510-hp when launch control is engaged.
Hit the launch control button, stand on the throttle, and prepare for that Starship-Enterprise-into-warp-speed acceleration that’s guaranteed to put a mile-wide grin on any performance car lover’s face. Talk about fun.
A full charge should give around 275 miles of range. That’s OK but not outstanding – Mercedes’ rival EQS450 SUV offers around 340 miles.
But the fancy 800-volt PPE electric vehicle architecture means that with a DC fast-charger, going from 10 to 80 percent should take around 21 minutes, with 135 miles of range added in just 10 minutes.
While the exterior styling of this new e-tron SQ6 is perhaps a little too bland for my taste – too similar to the regular Q5 – it’s the interior is what wows.
For starters, it comes with more screens than your local AMC multiplex. Three to be precise, including a stunning 14.5-inch curved-glass display in the center. In front of the driver is a 11.9-inch display along with a terrific head-up display with cool, pin-sharp graphics.
Then there’s a 10.9-inch front passenger screen that lets the person in the right seat control features like music an navigation without disturbing the driver.
Add to all that, body-hugging sports seats up front, plus a thumping 830-watt Bang & Olufsen stereo with 20 speakers, two of which are in each front headrest.
With this new SQ6 e-tron, Audi has produced its best electric SUV yet. Watts not to love?
