You probably don’t sit up at night wondering about Audi naming nomenclature. Actually, unless you own one, you may not think of it at all.

Nevertheless, going forward, odd numbers are powered by petroleum, even-numbers, by electrons. This renders the new 2025 Q6 and performance-oriented SQ6 SUV Audi’s newest electric-powered, two-row SUVs, giving consumers a choice beyond the smaller Q4 and larger Q8.

This new Q is built on Volkswagen Group's new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture, which is also used for the Porsche Macan EV. You won’t visually mistake one for the other, despite the shared genetics.

The front features a textured octagonal shape where a grille would reside on a conventional Audi SUV, one flanked by narrow horizontal headlamps, the only kind most designers seem capable of drawing these days. Out back, a thin band of taillights lends a distinct identity, being similar to that on other Audi products. But the line that runs atop the side windows flows back to the rear proof pillar, visually disconnecting it in what has very quickly become a design cliché among far too many other vehicles.

It lends this part of the Q6’s design a generic quality. The Q6’s chunky, block form is handsomely weighty and serious, but not all that visually interesting. Then again, most SUVs aren’t. Still, Audi’s designers have usually delivered beyond most consumers’ design expectations and disappointingly, the Q6 merely meets them. The effortlessly effervescent artistry that was once an Audi hallmark is curiously absent.

The same is true inside, where a massive amount of the interior is given over to screens, placed in a functional, unimaginative fashion. Then again, if Times Square is your idea of heaven, as it appears to be for German automotive designers, then you’ll adore the Q6’s interior. It consists of a 11.9-inch instrument cluster, 14.5-inch infotainment touchscreen and an optional 10.9-inch touchscreen for the front-seat passenger. A 20-speaker 830-watt Bang & Olufsen audio system livens up the proceedings, thanks to the headrest-mounted speakers, which endows the cabin with admirable surround sound.

If you like the gas-powered Q5, you’ll love the battery-electric Q6, which is slightly larger, but only an inch or two here or there. Notably, the wheelbase is three-inches longer, making for a notably roomier cabin. It’s trimmed in typically solemn German fashion, with good material quality, as you’d expect. Cargo space is fairly generous at 30 cubic feet, expanding to 60 with the rear seats folded.

Power comes from a single electric motor on the rear axle, providing rear-wheel drive, or one on each axle providing Quattro all-wheel drive. Opting for the base Q5 nets you 322 horsepower through the rear wheels, good for a 0-60 mph time of 6.3 seconds and a range of 327 miles. Spend another $2,100 and you’ll get Quattro, along with a far healthier 456 horsepower, 307 miles of range and a 0-60 mph run of 4.9 seconds. But if you have a need for speed, you’ll want the $72,900 SQ5, with 509 horsepower, 275 miles of range and a 4.1-second 0-60 mph run. Towing is rated at 4,400 pounds.

Thoughtfully, drivers can adjust the amount of regenerative braking effort. This is like engine braking in a petrol-powered car, but here it captures energy generated under deceleration and funnels it back to the battery. If you ask for lots of it, you’ll rarely touch the brake pedal, allowing for one-pedal driving.

There’s much that’s agreeable about the Audi Q6 and SQ6, with forceful, if well-mannered, acceleration. Unlike a Q5, the Q6 is as quiet as a college library on Saturday night, lending it more refined than its gas-swilling siblings. But like them, the ride is incredibly well-controlled, with the rough stuff easily absorbed without muss, fuss or bother. Body motions are noticeable by their absence, while linear steering makes the whole affair effortless, much like other Audi models.

But is it artful? No. There’s a straightforward, artless functionality that has infected Audis, rendering them a bit less enticing than they once were. For some, it overcomes other strong points like ride and handling and range.

Shallow? Perhaps. But luxury goods such as the Q6 and SQ6 earn their living by being more extravagant than something far more pedestrian. And even though the electric driving experience is exemplary, in typical Audi fashion, it’s let down by a design that’s remarkably unremarkable.

2025 Audi Q5/SQ5

Base price: $65,800/$67,900/$72,900

Engine: Single or dual

Horsepower: 322 (RWD), 456 (AWD), 509 (SQ5)

EPA-rated range (miles): 327 (RWD), 307 (AWD), 275 (SQ5)

Recharge time: 21 minutes (10-80% fast charging); 14 hours (Level 2)

Length/Width/Height: 188/76/67 inches

Ground clearance: 8.5 inches

Cargo capacity: 30-60 cubic feet

Towing capacity: 4,400 pounds

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