Sportback e-tron

• Audi •

We won’t repeat the points we mentioned in the introduction which relate to all electric vehicles aside from Tesla.

Exterior and interior design

If we concentrate on the car’s appearance, Audi hits hard with a sporty-looking car and a fit and finish worthy of the four-ringed marque. The cameras posing as wing mirrors are a success from an aesthetic viewpoint. However, for practical purposes, this optional extra is of limited use, especially as one is not used to looking at video screens. The Digital Matrix LED headlights are a real winner.

As for the interior, well, what can we say – the finish is, as ever, of flawless quality. You’ll say that’s not surprising for a car costing over a 100K Euros. The space, front and rear, is enough to accommodate large people and, therefore, long journeys are not tiring because it’s so comfortable.

We should also mention the Bang & Olufsen Premium Sound audio system (it goes without saying that it’s optional…).

Performance

The performance is amazing with its two asynchronous electric motors (one per axle) and total power of 408 hp. Just think, 2.5 tons and 0 to 100 km/h in 5.7 s.

As for range, Audi states that the car can do 446 km on the WLTP combined driving cycle. In practice, we wanted to go to SaasFee from Geneva, being 240 km of which 70% is on the motorway with the last 15 km climbing up to 1,800 metres’ altitude. These are two factors which electric cars do not like very much. However, we thought we still had a bit of range left… well, in fact, the car let us down 10 km from our destination, that is, after 230 km.

To reach Saas-Fee, we had to make use of an electric power outlet at the “Little India” restaurant at Saas-Baal. It was a long wait for the recharge. (A domestic power outlet takes at least 4-5 hours to obtain a charge for a few kilometres’ range.) These are the joys and sorrows of ecologically compatible travel…

Technical specifications of the car tested

Performance : 408 hp - 300 kW Useable battery capacity : 86.5 kWh Range : 414 km (WLTP) Consumption : 22.0 kWh/100 km (WLTP) Curb weight : 2,455-2,555 kg

Base price : 95 200 CHF (around €88 500)

Price of model tested : 135 257 CHF (around €125 000)