Audi Q6 e-tron - Interior, design & technology

Typically sturdy Audi build quality abounds everywhere, but some might find the Q6’s cabin a little too screen-heavy.

What is the Audi Q6 e-tron like inside?

There’s no getting away from large screens in the Q6 e-tron, with no less than three – including one specifically for the front passenger on higher-spec models – spread across the dashboard. Even some basic controls haven’t fully escaped touch-sensitive input, with a large control panel in the door for the mirrors, lights, locks and electric-seat memory settings. 

While we’d still prefer physical switches for all of these, at least Audi hasn’t confined headlight control within a touchscreen, as is the case for the likes of the Polestar 3.

What is the interior quality like?

This hasn’t always been true for Audis recently, but the finish is flawless inside, with tight panel gaps and sturdy materials. Our one criticism is that there’s a lot of shiny piano-black plastic around the centre console, which looks great in a showroom but doesn’t fare quite so well once it has been subjected to a little wear and tear.

Audi’s sports seats are supportive, but they’re also very firm. Considering that the Q6 e-tron’s buyers are most probably interested in comfort rather than sportiness, it’s difficult to see what advantage these seats provide over the already comfortable standard seats.

Overall, the Q6 Audi e-tron is a very pleasant car in which to spend time. The screens look great and work very well, while the head-up display is among the clearest in any car currently on sale.

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

The gently curving displays of Audi’s MMI system measure 11.9 inches for the Virtual Cockpit and 14.5 inches for the main display, and they present a huge amount of information. Many key shortcuts and climate controls remain a permanent fixture on the main touchscreen, but there’s plenty of room for the Google Maps-based navigation system to be shown in a generous size. 

If we have a criticism, it’s that the main menu icons are fairly small, and with so many of them shown on the same page, it’s difficult to find the functions you need.

The optional passenger display seems like a bit of a gimmick. All of the information contained within it is accessible on the main screen that’s inches to one side, so it only really makes sense if the front-seat passengers truly can’t stand sharing the use of the central touchscreen. We like that the tech is obscured from the driver’s view while the car is in motion, but until Audi fits video playback or gaming technology to the third screen, it feels surplus to requirements.