Audi Q6 E-Tron vs BMW IX

What's the difference?

The Q6 e-tron knocks the luxury SUV formula out of the park, regardless of the fact it’s an electric vehicle. It has a slick, sporty feel, a high level of standard equipment for a premium car and at least on paper it’s a solid EV with plenty of driving range.

But here’s the thing: To me, the Q6 e-tron feels exactly how you would expect it to. It’s the same Audi formula, just upgraded for the electric age and in an era where rivals both old and new are using this once-in-a generation opportunity to truly innovate, there’s something a little disappointing about that.

If anyone was worried that it would be too late to get a decent bit of value out of an entry-level iX, there's reassuring news.

With more power, range and features added to the model and the cost remaining close to its former sticker price, the iX has held up well despite now existing in a more competitive environment.

At a distance, the Q6 sticks to the same Audi formula. An inoffensive overall shape with the same core design cues as something like a Q5 are all part of the plan according to the brand, as it attempts to make the idea of switching to electric as easy as possible for its loyal buyers.

Things like the inverted grille (where there’s body colour where black would normally be) framed by a sporty black insert in the shape of Audi's usual combustion grille feels more tactfully executed than Mercedes’ attempt to bring an electrified touch to its EQ range.

Up close though, I must admit this car looks a bit meaner than your average Q-series SUV. The way the wheels sit wide and bold, accentuated by the inflated wheel arches (or blisters as Audi calls them) give the Q6 a tough feel, sitting boldly on its haunches.

Audi fans will love the exterior design, and it may convert some to electric car buyers, but it’s hard to see this car bringing new buyers into the fold, especially with more radical designs out there to catch the eyeballs of aspirational EV buyers.

Inside, Audi has traded away the somewhat ageing feeling of the outgoing Q5 for something much more tech-y in the Q6. The dash is dominated by the three large screens, which are also sharp, fast and responsive, with improved software this time around.

It is a lot though. While the exterior design plays it safe and the interior avoids the kind of obnoxiousness of an overbearing portrait-oriented screen, it feels almost unnecessary for every grade to get the three-screen layout.

Elsewhere the textures and patterns feel the part, and there’s no shortage of attention to detail when it comes to soft trims down the centre console, or clever new air vent fittings, for example.

The iX was a bit divisive upon its original launch, because it was one of the early adopters of BMW’s current ‘big grille’ era.

The good news for the iX is that many have adjusted their expectations on that front and it now feels pretty well at home in the brand’s line-up.

The addition of the 'Iconic Glow' grille surround might be a step too far for some, but overall the iX has aged well and its exterior design hasn’t changed much because of that.

The adaptive LED headlights have new DRL elements, and the M Sport pack is now standard, but if you were only casually familiar with the iX you’d have to be looking closely to spot the update.

The new colour palette for the iX also includes the pictured 'Arctic Race Blue metallic', though I’m personally a fan of the iX in all black, giving it a more monolithic look.

Inside, it’s a similar story - what was once perhaps ahead of its time is now the expectation in an electric SUV. Minimalism in terms of physical controls, but plenty of space.

Helping the feeling of spaciousness is the now-standard panoramic sunroof, though a lack of physical shade is one of the iX’s few interior let-downs. Instead, it can electrochromatically ‘shade’, which still lets in plenty of light.

At night, ambient lighting joins the glow of the iX’s rather large 14.9-inch multimedia touchscreen and 12.3-inch driver display.

This brings us nicely across to practicality, because along with the enormous set of screens, the Q6 brings with it a significant reduction in the amount of switchgear available. The centre console still features a physical volume dial, and there are a handful of shortcut buttons, but the climate functions are exclusively controlled via touchscreen menus. 

Additionally, the Q6 features an array of haptic buttons on the steering wheel (which some will remember, were much maligned on Volkswagen products) alongside a huge haptic panel on the driver's side door controlling everything from the headlights to the windows and mirrors.

It feels as though Audi has dressed the cabin up with new stuff rather than cost-cutting, which is often the case with its rivals. To Audi's credit, these functions are well enough laid out they didn’t bring much frustration on our test drive. Mercifully the screens are fast so adjusting functions is instantaneous, but these features are never as easy to use as physical buttons when you’re trying to concentrate on the road.

No matter how well they work, not everyone will love them (especially rusted-on Audi buyers who will be used to a decent array of physical switches).

There’s plenty of storage in the cabin. The doors feature a big pocket and bottle holder, with a further two bottle holders in the centre with adjustable ridges and a gloss roller cover to keep things tidy when you’re not using them.

Up front there’s a large storage bay with the phone charger mounted vertically on its side to minimise the amount of space it uses. The centre console box is shallow but extends quite far under the console owing to the car’s electric platform, and the array of charging ports are easy enough to reach.

As usual with Audis, the front seats are bolstered nicely and there’s no shortage of adjustment on offer to find a comfortable seating position.

The back seat is spacious enough, although I was expecting more for a car on a new EV platform designed to be larger than the already-spacious Q5. At 182cm tall I have decent, but not a massive amount of room behind my own driving position, with airspace for both my knees and my head. As a saving grace here, the floor is more or less flat and the car is quite wide so the centre position will still be useful for a full-sized adult.

Storage comes via bottle holders and pockets in each door and nettings (which I don’t love as they tend to age poorly) on the backs of the front seats. Unlike the Q5 the rear row is fixed instead of on rails, but it does feature individually folding seat backs, which means you can drop the centre position to put long objects in the cabin and still have two rear passengers (kind of like a ski port, but better).

The boot measures 526 litres (or 1529L with the rear seats down) which seems about right, although we didn’t have a chance to test it with our usual luggage set. It has some space under the floor for the storage of cables, although like many EVs it doesn’t have a spare wheel, only an inflator kit. It also has a frunk, which measures 64 litres. These spaces might seem like a bit of a gimmick but the Q6 comes with a clever little fitted duffle bag which slots perfectly into the void where you can keep both your wall socket and Type 2 to Type 2 charging gear.

The space on offer in both rows of the iX is a huge plus, and it might even be enough to make you look past some of the small downsides to the electric Bimmer’s interior.

The iX’s clever two-level central console has the phone charger pad and drinks holders down out of the way and means you can put distractions (phone) and your tall bottles out of the way. There's a slot above for your phone to sit upright with a gap under for charging, too.

The storage bin under the armrest also has plenty of space as well as a little shelf for smaller items you don't want to go hunting for, but the iX’s control panel and dial are still reflective and, at certain times of the day, this means distracting light getting in your eyes. 

Speaking of distracting, I have found BMW’s multimedia software to be less intuitive and more complicated with each major update, and ‘OS 8.5’ is no different. At this point, using the brand’s touchscreen feels like operating an iPad on the move, with dozens of menu tiles to sort through.

But back to the physical space that is the iX’s interior - the big EV makes a lot of sense as a family car, especially if your kids are old enough to appreciate (and keep clean) the fit and finish.

Not only does the drive have a nicely adjustable and comfortable sports seat thanks to the M Sport pack, there's also heating and a massage function.

The front passenger gets the same, and the second row is borderline palatial. There's heaps of kneeroom, headroom, and even space under the front seats at their lowest setting to slot your feet.

The four-zone climate controls mean arguments are avoided, there is of course a central armrest, though even with it folded up and a person in the centre there's enough room in the back to be comfortable. 

Behind that, the iX’s 500 litres of boot space could probably be expanded but at the expense of rear legroom, so it's acceptable. There is space under the floor for cables, but no space saver spare, just a repair kit.

There's a switch that allows you to fold the seats down from the tailgate, but you can also manually fold the middle seat for a 40/20/40 split rather than the more expected 60/40.

The sole entry-grade iX is the xDrive45 M Sport, which brings with it more than the original base xDrive40, but also a price a few thousand dollars higher.

It starts from $142,900 but can quickly become much more expensive when you start ticking options boxes. But in this market segment, it's not that unusual, especially considering recent arrivals like the Polestar 3. 

Given it’s only a little more expensive than before, the extra kit and higher grade that now forms the iX entry-point is impressive.

The 'M Sport' pack is now standard as the name suggests, plus there’s M trim inside like the steering wheel, the M seats and silver design highlights.

The LED lights are now adaptive and the glowing grille surround has also been added.

There’s also now a panoramic glass roof as standard, rather than an option, plus the steering wheel is heated and there’s now a tyre pressure monitor.

Aside from that, there’s plenty that carries over, like the wireless phone charging, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 18-speaker surround sound by Harman Kardon, four-zone climate control and heated front seats.

There’s also an 'Executive Pack' which adds some comfort features like soft-close doors, privacy glass and front seat ventilation with rear seat heating. That one’s $6500.

Then there’s active steering, which brings the rear wheels into play for more manoeuvrability and stability for $3000.

Adaptive air suspension is $4000, while the most expensive option is a 30-speaker Bowers & Wilkins ‘Diamond’ surround sound system for $9500.

A lot of the bigger innovations for the Q6 e-tron can’t be as easily seen because they’re primarily a result of its new platform. This Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture is new to Volkswagen Group and is designed specifically by and for Audi and Porsche rather than the MEB platform which underpins both the Q4 e-tron from Audi and ID.4 from Volkswagen.

Benefits include a primarily rear-drive orientation, the ability to accommodate more sophisticated suspension layouts, software capable of reaching deeper into the car (when it comes to updates), and of course a new electrical architecture with the capability to support 800-volt systems.

Power is impressive across the range. The base Performance puts out 225kW/485Nm from its rear motor, and can sprint from 0-100km/h in 6.6 seconds. The Quattro adds a second motor on the front axle, which combines with the rear motor for totals of 285kW/580Nm. It can sprint from 0-100km/h in 5.9 seconds.

The range-topping SQ6 ups power significantly to 360kW/580Nm from its dual motors, lowering the 0-100km/h sprint time to just 4.3 seconds using launch control.

The iX has, as the xDrive part of its name would suggest, a dual-motor electric set-up with all-wheel drive. 

Power and torque now total 300kW and 700Nm for the system in the xDrive45 M Sport, up from the 240kW and 630Nm on offer in the outgoing xDrive40.

BMW says the iX is now good to hit 100km/h from a standstill in 5.1 seconds, with its claimed top speed a nice, rounded 200km/h.

Driving range is excellent no matter which variant you pick. You’d hope so given the size of this car’s nickel-manganese cobalt battery pack. The usable 94.9kWh capacity grants the Performance 558km of range, the Quattro 542km of range, and the SQ6 568km of range, all measured to the WLTP standard.

The 800-volt architecture which forms part of the new PPE platform unlocks ultra-fast DC charging times, which are impressive given the size of the Q6 e-tron’s battery pack.

A claimed peak charging speed of 270kW will take the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in just 21 minutes if you can find a fast enough charger. Audi says the charging system is optimised to maintain its peak charging for as long as possible (something we’ll have the opportunity to test at a later date, although we’ve found these claims to ring reasonably true for the e-tron GT on the older J1 platform).

On a slower AC charger (the kind you might find at the local shops), the maximum charging speed is an acceptable 11kW, although the max rate of 22kW would be nice to see. At 11kW to charge from 10 to 100 per cent will take around eight hours. In an unusual touch, the Q6 gets a second AC charging port on the driver’s side to go with the AC/DC combo port on the passenger side.

Sadly, there’s no vehicle-to-load or vehicle-to-grid features for the Q6 e-tron range, particularly given the size of its battery pack. While you might not use these features initially, it would be good to have them long-term as more use-cases become apparent.

When it comes to energy efficiency the Q6 e-tron’s official numbers are 19kWh/100km for the Performance, 19.5kWh/100km for the Quattro, or 18.4kWh/100km for the SQ6. Interestingly, the SQ6 has the most impressive efficiency rating, which, according to Audi is due to the lower ride height and better aerodynamic performance afforded by the air suspension.

The consumption numbers are about on-par for a vehicle this size, but are far from impressive numbers I’ve seen in the real world on similarly sized rivals like the Ford Mustang Mach-E for example. As we were jumping in and out of vehicles on this launch, expect a more thorough real-world efficiency evaluation at a later date.

The iX’s 94.8kWh battery allows a range up to 522km, but relatively low efficiency because of the size and weight.

Its 20kWh/100km is on the higher side of power use for cars around this size and this is part of the reason its huge battery capacity results in a fairly average driving range.

Maximum power input for DC fast charging is, however, up from 150kW to 175kW with the update, which is good news for those long drives.

Here’s the thing, Audi has talked a big game about this new PPE platform, but from behind the wheel the Q6 e-tron doesn’t offer the kind of massive step change I was expecting. In fact, just one look at the car and I felt like I knew how it would drive, and it didn’t stray from this expectation.

The Q6 e-tron is defined by its balanced weight distribution, its sharp steering and the powerful follow-through its electric motor provides. It defies its weight in the corners, but at the same time its SUV body struggles to shake the sheer mass which remains present under the floor.

As a result, it doesn’t have the reactive athleticism of its combustion counterparts, instead offering a more sturdy feel of the road, bolstered by thick tyres. Still, no matter which variant you pick, you’re getting more power delivered more quickly than entry-level engines in the Q5 range, for example.

There’s something to be said for how exhilarating these can be. These new motors also don’t have the same disappointing hollowed-out acceleration feeling lesser MEB-based cars can have when it comes to overtaking manoeuvres.

And yet, there’s something disappointing about how the Q6 feels to drive. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a powerful Audi EV and nothing more, where some rivals, and even Audi’s own e-tron GT feel more like an absolute generational leap.

There’s more, too. Versions that don’t feature the acoustic glass had a surprising amount of road noise on coarse chip surfaces. I’d expect better for a premium car on a new platform, and the standard suspension had the odd jilted moment as it wrangled with the sheer weight of the Q6.

The air suspension package was a massive improvement on this, damping both noise levels and the undulations and imperfections the road can throw at you. It stood out to me as a very worthwhile option to have, even on base cars if you’re chasing the best handling and ride this platform has to offer.

The SQ6, featuring the lot, is of course an absolute monster of a car, with even more powerful acceleration, and the air suspension as standard, although on the road at least the additional power over the Quattro was hard to quantify. 

We didn’t have the chance to sample the base Performance at the launch. The rear-drive dynamics and lesser weight over the front axle as well as smaller wheel will make for a different feel compared to the Quattro and SQ6 we did drive, so we’re hoping we can bring you a review of this car at a later date.

The BMW iX was a relatively early entry into the catalogue of electric cars I’ve driven and because of that it had a couple of (in hindsight) unfair criticisms levelled at it.

For a start, it felt heavier than expected and its ride quality didn’t feel up to BMW’s standards - both things that plenty of electric SUVs have struggled with since.

But its drivetrain, design, and interior all impressed, aside from perhaps some of the aforementioned interior reflections.

Now years on, and the iX has aged well.

Some of the mechanicals and suspension also copped a tweak along with the entry iX now being a more powerful ‘45’. The result is a big electric SUV that holds up better than I remember.

‘Smooth’ is the key word that comes to mind in regards to a lot of the iX’s characteristics. While it’s still not perfect and feels heavy, the iX rides well in comparison to many SUVs on the market, including some of its close rivals.

Perhaps key to this is the fact its standard 21-inch wheels leave plenty of tyre to help the suspension soak up sharp edges on bumps, while we’re sure BMW’s handling engineers have learned more about getting the best out of a big, heavy electric vehicle in the last couple of years.

Road noise is well-muted as a result, and the shape of the iX doesn’t seem to lend itself to excessive wind noise. Even when you’re getting rather quick.

Despite being a 2525kg beast, its 5.1-second sprint to 100km/h is in the muscle car realm - the last of Holden’s V8 Commodores would do about that, for reference.

Its acceleration is also nicely progressive, rather than giving you an almighty but unnecessary jolt of torque right as you put your foot down. But once there’s traction and you’re rolling, the xDrive45 is impressive.

Meanwhile, its cornering and braking still reveal the heft behind the iX, it’s not something you can chuck around like a go-kart, but that’s also not really its area.

Anyone familiar with BMW’s steering characteristics will find the slightly higher force required for its weight (and thickness of the steering wheel rim) standard, though it’s still unnecessarily on the heavier side.

The BMW iX holds a five-star ANCAP rating, which it earned under slightly more lenient testing back in 2021.

Seven airbags, auto emergency braking with cyclist and pedestrian detection up to 80km/h, lane-assist, rear-cross traffic alert and intersection assist, plus a surround view parking camera all help immensely.

The usual five-year and unlimited-kilometre warranty applies to the Q6 e-tron, alongside six years of roadside assistance and an industry-standard eight-year or 160,000km battery warranty.

Additionally, Audi throws in one year of a Chargefox subscription, theoretically making your first 12 months of fast DC charging free (provided Chargefox administers your local charging infrastructure).

At the time of writing, Audi was yet to provide service pricing, but the interval is nice and long, at 24 months or 30,000km. A pre-paid service package covering six years and 90,000km comes in at just $2080 which is super affordable for a car from a traditional luxury brand, even if it only covers the first three workshop visits.

BMW offers a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty with an eight-year/160,000km warranty on the battery.

BMW servicing takes place as needed rather than on a schedule, meaning you’ll be alerted via the car or app when a service is required in the near future.

For the iX a six-year all-inclusive service pack costs $3475, regardless of how many km you drive.

BMW has 54 servicing dealers listed in Australia, with each capital city covered and many more locations in the eastern states.