The Audi Q6 E-Tron Offroad Concept Has 9883lb ft Of Torque (Sort Of)

The Audi Q6 E-Tron wasn’t a car that pervaded our consciousness all that much, until we saw the wild-looking Offroad Concept last week. Details were scarce then, but Audi’s now revealed a bit more on the car.

It’s based on the spicier SQ6 version of the electric crossover, in sloping-roofed Sportback guise. That means a dual-motor setup with 483bhp, or 510bhp in brief bursts when the Launch Control function is enabled.

None of this is particularly interesting in itself, but what does capture our attention are the portal axles. These, in short, allow the axles to sit well above the level of the wheel hub, with an intricate system of gears transferring motion from the axles to the wheels. This all allows a car’s ground clearance to be massively upped.

The last time we saw such a system in a road car of note was the rather imposing Mercedes G500 4x4², and the same effect is achieved here, with the Q6 towering over the road. Ride height has been increased by 160mm and the track is some 250mm wider than standard, with that and the vast new wheel arches allowing for the fitment of some beefy off-road rubber.

Portal axles also effectively multiply a car’s torque at the wheels, and here, that’s happened by around 50 per cent. That means the headline figure is *checks notes* 9883lb ft. This is a slightly cheeky way of measuring it, as that’s the maximum combined torque at all four wheels over a 10-second period. For a more realistic figure, reckon on a still-decent improvement on the standard SQ6’s already healthy 631lb ft.

This new configuration does reduce the SQ6’s top speed from 143 to 108mph, but the tradeoff is that it can apparently climb gradients of up to 45 degrees. Try that in your normal SQ6. Other visual changes include a roof rack and LED spotlights aplenty.

So, when are you going to be able to head into your nearest Audi dealer and buy one of these, laughing in the face of mountains and rivers (or more realistically, potholes and speed bumps)? Erm, probably never. It’s very much just a concept. However, back in September last year, spy photos emerged of what are pretty clearly this car testing in full camo. It’s somewhat unusual for something that’s purely a concept to get such a thorough testing programme, so we’re holding out hope that Audi could be planning something cool here.