2026 Audi RS Q E-Tron Specs, Performance, Dimensions – In order to assess the advantages and disadvantages of Audi’s gasoline-electric off-road racer, I drive a few laps around a Sardinian rallycross track. 2026 Audi RS Q E-Tron Specs
2026 Audi RS Q E-Tron Redesign and Update Plan
Exterior & Interior
However, I must first familiarize myself with the cockpit. A panel in front of me with my name on it displays the necessary data, such as tire pressure, speed, battery level, and whether I’m in forward or backward gear.
The same data, as well as the remaining fuel and brake bias, are shown on a screen in the middle of the cabin. Additionally, this display controls the air conditioner, danger lights, and wipers. The temperature reaches a scorching point.
I placed most of the eight buttons on the steering wheel away because I won’t be utilizing the turn signals, speed limiter, or horn. Rather, I concentrate on where the massive throttle and brake pedals are located beneath my feet. Now that everything is in order, Emil gives me the all-clear, and I go to the course.
With so many curves on the rallycross track, this all-wheel-drive race car has plenty of opportunity to go sideways. Not too sideways, though. Aside from the fact that the E-Tron’s large BF Goodrich tires are situated well outboard of the cockpit, I soon learn on my first sighting lap that it’s difficult to tell where they are.
The enormous A-pillars of the E-Tron make it difficult for me to see where I want to go. Because my race seat doesn’t give me much room to adjust and I’m not even wearing a head-and-neck restraint, I find myself attempting to move my head to gain a better line of sight during bends. 2026 Audi RS Q E-Tron Specs
2026 Audi RS Q E-Tron Specs
Engine & Performance
I’ve driven some pretty fantastic gas-powered vehicles in off-road competitions, from a Class 11 Volkswagen Beetle in the Baja 1000 to my own Class 1600 buggy in events in California. Apart from competing in standard electric vehicles, I have also driven a Volkswagen ID 4 in the Mexican 1000 and a Rivian R1T in the Rebelle Rally twice. But up until now, I haven’t been able to combine these two engine kinds.
Audi participated in the Saudi Arabian Dakar Rally this year with three of their hybrid off-road racers, the RS Q E-Tron. A 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 engine powers a 52-kilowatt-hour battery. Therefore, the only reason this Audi still uses gasoline is the battery. Keep in mind that Dakar racetracks may sometimes span more than 500 kilometers; the existing battery technology just cannot manage such a distance. The RS Q E-Tron’s horsepower is limited to 386 per Dakar regulations.
Of course, the conditions this automobile encounters in Dakar are far more challenging than my test drive. Rather, I am riding shotgun with seasoned Dakar navigator Emil Bergkvist in Sardinia. On a short rallycross track, I have to do three hot laps, a cooling lap, and a sighting lap.
I expect the electric drivetrain to provide some regenerative braking when I let go of the accelerator prior to my first turn, but the car coasts instead. Luckily, I managed to lift early enough to slow the car down for the turn by applying the left-foot brake.
Since I’m accustomed to utilizing mechanical brakes in my own race vehicle, Emil informs me that the E-Tron has some regenerative braking. However, I disabled it during my test drive. Actually, this makes things a little easier. I’m a little disappointed, though, because I would want to know how much regen this item gives to slow down the rig.
After a few spins, I become used to all the movements, but the RS Q E-Tron has amazing body roll because to its soft suspension. Even before the suspension fully settles, Emil coaching me and tells me to go back on the throttle sooner than I believe I should. With the E-Tron countersteering, I will soon be able to do flawless slides while drifting a bit.
Even though I’m a bit taken aback by how light this vehicle is, I have to admit that I would like a respite from hard steering if I had to drive it for hundreds of kilometers every day for 12 Dakar stages. I never had to seesaw the wheel to get the E-Tron to turn in, and I could steer it with one finger if I wanted to. (Okay, maybe once when I understeered into a bend and burned it too quickly, but it was my own damn fault.) 2026 Audi RS Q E-Tron Specs
2026 Audi RS Q E-Tron Fuel Economy
Even while the co-driver is still in control, the gas engine is set to start when the battery reaches a specific level of charge. Emil turns a switch halfway through my session, and the gas engine’s drone fills the cabin.
I immediately detest it. The gas engine is noisy and doesn’t rev in rhythm with my acceleration because it’s only functioning as a generator. It just hums continuously to supply the battery with electricity. Even if I much like the futuristic whine of a totally electric motor or the rumbling of a gas engine pushing its way through the rpm, this is the only way Audi could truly make the RS Q E-Tron a competitor in a lengthy rally stage.
For the next events, however, my friend Kyle Seggelin’s handmade electric Toyota 4Runner for the King of the Hammers off-road tournament could offer an alternative: swappable batteries. Still, changing batteries takes a long time.
Audi would be squandering valuable time changing batteries in a future when a car can fill up with 50 gallons of fuel in less than 30 seconds. There is no need for external charging because the stage is powered by a gas engine that charges the batteries.
2026 Audi RS Q E-Tron Release Date & Price
Emil and his driver, Mattias Ekström, finished in the top 10 of this year’s Dakar Rally, outperforming the three RS Q E-Trons. However, the RS Q E-Tron will take part in the Andalucia Rally in Spain in June after teammates Edouard Boulanger and Stéphane Peterhansel recently won the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Of course, Dakar 2026 is another option.
An excellent example of how contemporary internal combustion and battery technology may coexist in a racing application is the RS Q E-Tron. But me? I will continue to use electricity or pure gas.
Note: The details included in this blog post are derived from pre-release material that was accessible when the article was written. If you want the latest information, you should check official sources or call your nearest dealership.
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