Audi Q6 e-tron

Middle child of the premium brand's electric SUV line-up offers up to 392 miles of range On sale September Price from £69,700

- Will Nightingale

BELIEVE IT OR not, Audi hasn't launched an all-new model in more than three years - a decidedly dry spell for Britain's third-biggest car brand. Things are about to change, though; a deluge of new Audis is due over the next 12 months, and the first is this: the Q6 e-tron.

As you might have guessed, it slots in between the Q4 e-tron and the flagship Q8 e-tron in Audi's electric SUV line-up. That means it counts the BMW iX3, Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV and high-end Tesla Model Ys as its closest rivals. If you're unfamiliar with those electric vehicles (EVs), it's best to think of the Q6 as a battery-powered Q5 - even though the two cars are completely unrelated underneath.

In fact, the closest relation to the Q6 e-tron is the new electric Porsche Macan. However, while the Macan has been tuned for sporty handling, the Q6 has been designed to excel at comfort and long-distance cruising.

What's it like to drive?

In dual-motor quattro form, the Q6 is far from sluggish. This might be a sensiblelooking SUV, but even the slowest initial version can do 0-62mph in 5.9sec.

However, because of how smooth and quiet the Q6 is on the move, acceleration never feels as fast as those numbers suggest. You're obviously aware of the scenery flying by at an increasingly rapid rate, but it's closer to the experience you'd get in a jumbo jet at take-off than when putting your foot down in a similarly fast sports car.

Indeed, we can see why you might want to wait for the cheaper single-motor Performance version that's due later in the year. Unlike the quattro we've tested, only its rear wheels are driven, but it still promises a respectable 6.6sec 0-62mph sprint time.

Another reason you might want to wait for the single-motor model is range. It's lighter, you see, and has the same 94.9kWh (usable capacity) battery as the quattro models, so it can officially take you up to 392 miles on a charge.