Audi Sq6 E-Tron vs Abarth 595

What's the difference?

When it comes to a performance electric SUV, the Audi SQ6 e-tron is a fine example and showcases a masterclass in design. It drives and handles beautifully, even if it’s not as fun as I expected.

The technology looks amazing and I'm sure the little bumps we experienced will be ironed out with a software update.

The SQ6 will suit a smaller family best but the decent driving range and fast charging capabilities means regional families might like it too.

It’s tough to be kind to the Abarth 595. Based on a platform that’s more than a decade old, the car has been left behind by its rivals in many ways, including basic ergonomics and its value equation.

The larger engine does work well in this smaller package, and its road-holding ability belies its size. However, only die-hard fans of the Abarth brand will be able to cope with the uncomfortable seating position and a complete lack of even the most perfunctory features that cars costing $10,000 less are able to offer.

The SQ6 has a distinct look compared to the other mid-size SUVs in Audi’s stable with panelling that lacks some of the severe pleating of its cousins, instead incorporating swoopy lines and a more pronounced moulding around the base of the car.

The sporty S styling is seen in the large 21-inch alloy wheels and red calipers but the customisable light designs inside and out really make this stand out.

The interior is sumptuously styled with Nappa leather and suede upholstery and trims, and sports front seats, while the use of displays in the dashboard makes the SQ6 feel like a spaceship.

However, the main panel curves towards the driver and it still feels accessible and intimate for a cockpit. The cabin looks as expensive as what you’d want it to look like at this price point.

Despite being based on a design that’s a decade old, the Abarths still stand out. Based on the classic Fiat 500 shape of the 1950 and '60s, it’s more cute than cut-throat, with a narrow track and tall roof giving it a toy-like presence.

The Abarth attempts to beef things up with deep front and rear bumper splitters, go-fast stripes, new headlights and alternate-colour wing mirrors.

The 595 rides on 16-inch rims, while the Competizione runs 17s.

Inside, it’s definitely different to most mainstream cars, with colour-coded plastic panels on the dash and a very upright seating position, along with a dual-tone steering wheel.

It’s a love-it-or-hate-it proposition. There’s no middle ground here.

The cabin's primary objective seems to be one of passenger comfort. Everything you touch feels soft under hand and while seat padding is on the firmer side, all but the rear middle seat is comfy on a longer journey because of their extra functions.

The rear-row back rest has two recline positions and the seat beds offer long under-thigh support. The middle seat bulges up, and coupled with the compromised legroom, it won't be a nice seat for an adult.

The front row offers the best legroom and there is enough space in the rear for my six foot three brother to squeeze into (somehow) but I wouldn't want to be in the rear for a longer journey if you're super tall.

Access is good for each row with wide door apertures and seats that aren't positioned too high. There will be no groans getting in and out of the SQ6.

Up front the glovebox and middle console shoulder most of the storage burden but there is a handy flip-down drawer at the driver's knee for a wallet and a centre console with the charging stuff but it is an awkward space that could have been better utilised. Things tend to move around in there if not secured.

In the rear there are a couple of net map pockets, storage bins and a total of four drink holders but that's about it. The other amenities back there soften the lack of storage options as you get directional air vents, climate control, heated outboard seats and a couple of USB-C ports.

The technology on a whole looks amazing and the touchscreen multimedia display is responsive and logically laid out. You'll be able to figure it out quickly and I like that important functions, like climate control, and shortcuts are pinned to the screen as it makes it easier to access them when on the go. The Audi voice assistant can be activated by 'Hey Audi' if you don't want to fiddle with screens on the road.

The wireless Apple CarPlay was simple to set up but at the beginning of the week it did tend to get booted whenever the climate or massage functions were activated. This was annoying as you'd have to reselect CarPlay and jump back into whatever app you were in and when you're using the Map app, it feels disjointed. However, this sorted itself out by the end of my week.

On the whole, all the screens and their functions are user friendly but there were a couple of gremlins that needed a car restart to fix. Randomly, my volume became useless and the touchpad/buttons on the steering wheel stopped working.

I do like a normal button over touchpad controls as I find them more responsive but the touchpad controls on the driver's door were really easy to use and I like the family-friendly option of being able to individually apply the child-lock to the rear doors.

Rounding out the cabin is the large 526L boot which offers a level loading space and the ability to adjust the height via the adaptive S air-suspension from buttons in the rear.

The rear row has a 40/20/40 split, which opens up storage options again and there is a deep under-floor storage pocket that houses the tyre repair kit. A handsfree-powered tailgate comes standard, which I always appreciate and the massive frunk (64L) takes care of all of the cable storage.

This is another area where the Abarth falls down. First and foremost, the seating position for the driver in both cars is utterly compromised.

The seat itself is mounted far, far, too high, and has little adjustment in any direction, and there is no reach adjustment in the steering wheel column to allow a taller (or even an average height) driver to get comfortable.

The more expensive Competizione we tested was fitted with a set of optional sports bucket seats from racing company Sabelt, but even they are mounted literally 10cm too high. They are also ultra firm, and even though they look supportive, lack decent side bolster support.

The tiny multimedia screen is okay to use, but the buttons are miniscule, while there’s a complete lack of storage places in the front. 

There are two cupholders under the centre console, with two more in between the front seats for rear seat passengers. There are no bottle holders in the doors and no storage for rear seaters.

Speaking of the rear seats, they are the very definition of cramped, with little headroom for moderately sized adults and precious little knee or toe room. There are two sets of ISOFIX baby seat mounting points, though, should you fancy wrestling your wriggling toddlers through the narrow aperture.

The seats flip forward to reveal more cargo space (185 litres with the seats up, and 550 litres when the seats are down), but the seat backs don’t fold flat into the floor. Under the boot floor is a can of sealant and a pump, but no space saver spare.

In truth, it was a long day testing this car… at 187cm, I simply could not get comfortable in it at all.

The range has been stripped back to just two cars, and costs has come down slightly, with the 595 now starting at $26,990, plus on-road costs. 

A new 5.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system (with digital radio), a leather wrapped steering wheel, TFT dash display, rear parking sensors, alloy pedals, 16-inch alloy rims, and (front-only) adaptive dampers are standard on the base 595.

A convertible, or more accurately, a rag-top (cabriolet) version of the 595 is also available for $29,990.

The 595 Competizione is now a whopping $8010 cheaper at $31,990 with a manual gearbox, leather seats (Sabelt-branded sports buckets are optional), 17-inch alloys, a louder Monza exhaust, as well as front and rear adaptive Koni shocks, and Eibach springs.

Unfortunately, what stands out more on the Abarths is what they don’t come with. Auto lights and wipers, cruise control of any sort, driver aids including AEB and adaptive cruise… even a rear view camera is missing.

What’s more puzzling is that the Abarth’s architecture, though a decade old, has provision to accept at least a rear view camera.

Abarth’s explanation that the car’s home market doesn’t see these inclusions as important doesn’t really hold water, either.

In terms of value, the lack of basic content sends the Abarth to the bottom of a competitive pile that includes both the Ford Fiesta ST and the Volkswagen Polo GTI.

The SQ6 is a fully electric all-wheel drive and has two motors, one located on each axle. Together they produce up to 380kW of power and 580Nm of torque, which means this can do a 0-100km/h sprint in just 4.3 seconds when the launch control is activated.

There are three regenerative braking levels and a one-pedal mode which can be selected by sliding the gear-selector into 'B' otherwise the other two modes can be selected via the paddles on the steering wheel. You'll get the best efficiency when B is selected but it does take a beat to get used to and if you time your stops right, it can function as a proper one-pedal action.

The Abarth 595 pair use the same 1.4-litre 'MultiJet' four-cylinder turbo engine in differing states of tune. The base car makes 107kW/206Nm, while the Competizione makes 132kW/250Nm, thanks to a freer-flowing exhaust, a larger Garrett-branded turbocharger and an ECU re-tune.

The base car can do 0-100km/h in 7.8 seconds, while the Competizione is 1.2 seconds quicker; the optional 'Dualogic' automatic is 0.2sec slower to the mark in both cars.

A five-speed manual gearbox is standard, and neither car is fitted with a limited slip diff.

The SQ6 has a lithium-ion battery with a large 100kW capacity and can accept up to 270kW on DC power, which is excellent. There are two Type 2 charging ports (on either side of the car) and one has a CCS enhancement which means you can charge this from 10 to 80 per cent capacity in as little as 21 minutes on a 270kW ultra-rapid DC charger.

It is more common to see a 50kW DC charger though and that charge time sits closer to an hour and 20 minutes.

On a home 7.4kW charger, you'll get the same percentage after 15 hours, perfect for an overnight recharge.

With a claimed WLTP driving range of up to 568km and energy consumption between 17.5 and 18.6kWh/100km, the daily commute and odd family road trip is more than covered with this model.

My average consumption popped out at 18.1kWh based on the trip computer and that’s a good result for how hard I’ve pushed it over country roads, in the city and on the highway. 

Over 150km of testing, the Competizione consumed a dash-indicated 8.7 litres per 100km, against a claimed combined fuel economy figure of 6.0L/100km. Our brief test of the 595 revealed a similar number, against the same claimed figure.

The Abarth will only accept 95 octane fuel or better, and its small 35-litre tank is good for a theoretical 583km between fills.

Outside of the initial acceleration thrill, I have to say that the SQ6 sort of drives like a lot of the other Audi SUVs I’ve sampled. Which is fine because it’s dynamic and handles beautifully on the highway or city but it’s just not as fun as what I was hoping it would be. The power will satisfy everyone though. 

The different driving profiles and adaptive S air suspension really personalises the on-road experience when you want it and my favourite profile is Dynamic as the suspension and steering feels more performance focused, which I prefer. 

Ride comfort is up there with the best and you won’t really be bothered by the bumps in the road, even with the stiffer suspension, but road noise does creep in at higher speeds. 

The visibility all round is good despite thicker pillars but the rear visibility is narrow even before a car seat or passengers are back there. A digital rearview mirror would have been handy here. 

Just something interesting to note is that when you accelerate from a full stop, there can be a small lurch as if it’s rolled backwards or the brakes have held a tad too long. It’s so quick when it happens that it’s not annoying but it is noticeable in stop/start traffic.

The SQ6 is really simple to park and navigating small car parks feels like a dream. The dimensions are forgiving and the 360-degree camera system is top notch. 

Ergonomics aside, the combination of torquey engine and lightweight car is always a good one, and the 1.4-litre turbocharged four is a good match with the front-drive Abarth.

There’s always enough mid-range urge to give the Abarth the hurry-up, and the longer-legged five-speed gearbox is a good match for the engine.

It also grips and turns surprisingly well, despite the Sport button adding too much artificial weight to the Abarth’s steering feel. 

That same button also firms up the front dampers on the 595 and all four on the Competizione, which works well on smoother terrain, but stiffens it too much over more undulating surfaces.

Around town it can be hard to strike a good balance between ride and comfort. The difference between soft and firm is much more pronounced in the Competizione, but it will still get tiring if your commute is a bumpy one. 

The turning circle, by the by, is ridiculously large for such a small car, making u-turns - already compromised by the lower front bumper - unnecessarily fraught.

The Monza exhaust on the Competizione gives it a bit more presence, but it could easily be louder (or at least more crackly) again; you’re not buying this car to be a wallflower, after all.

Despite a lack of electronic safety aids – and, somewhat amazingly in the current age, a rear-view camera – the Fiat 500 that forms the Abarth's basis still carries the maximum five-star rating from ANCAP it was awarded in 2008, by dint of its seven airbags and bodyshell strength. 

It wouldn’t have the same luck if it were judged under new ANCAP regs coming into force in 2018, though.

The SQ6 is covered by Audi’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and the battery is covered by an eight-year or up to 160,000km warranty, which are all standard terms for the class.

Audi also offers six years of complimentary roadside assistance and a servicing program for six years that costs $2080, which is competitive, and servicing intervals are at every two years or 30,000km. 

Audi includes the installation of a 7.4kW AC home charger, three charging cables and a one-year Chargefox public charging subscription with this model.

A three-year/150,000km warranty is offered as standard on the Abarth 595 range, with a suggested service interval of 12 months or 15,000km.

Abarth importer Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Australia offers three fixed-priced services for the 595 range at 15,000, 30,000 and 45,000km, with the first costing $275.06, the second $721.03 and the third $275.06.