Sporty all-electric SUV shows promise
Design of the 2019 Audi e-tron crossover marks a new dawn for the German automaker
BITTERSWEET LODGE, Namibia — Parked under palm trees providing meagre protection from the scorching sun is a line of vehicles clad in an op-art film that could, if viewed for too long, induce a migraine.
There is distorted lettering across the flanks of what is clearly a crossover shape, and the four rings on the front of the grille identify it as some sort of Audi. In terms of size it could, at first glance, be a new version of the Q5, the German automaker’s best-selling model in North America. Except the second-generation Q5 has only been out for a year, so it’s far too soon for a makeover.
Squinting, to better bring the lettering into focus, we see: e, hyphen, t, r, o, n. E-tron. Now it starts to make sense.
This is the e-tron prototype I’ll be driving, a few details shy of being a production model but otherwise a fully representative rendering of Audi’s first all-electric model.
The op-art exterior disguises a sporty premium crossover — a somewhat obvious choice for the German automaker, considering the public’s appetite for such vehicles — with room for five, along with plenty of cargo capacity. Until production actually starts, this is one of 250 development vehicles completing testing under various conditions worldwide.
The e-tron is just the first salvo. By 2020, Audi says it will have two other all-electric vehicles in addition to the production e-tron: a fourdoor Gran Turismo and a smaller Q3-sized compact crossover. Five years further down the road and the company says it will have 20 electric cars and plug-in hybrids.
And why Namibia? Audi is completing testing in multiple geographic zones, Scandinavia for its cold weather, Africa for its heat and dust, Asia for its mountains, China for its cities’ stop-and-go traffic, the U.S. for its interstate highways, and the north loop of the Nürburgring for — well, that’s obvious.
These e-tron prototypes are in the process of covering more than five million kilometres of practical testing, as well as intensive analysis of the vehicle’s charging technology.
The sound — or more accurately the lack of it — as the e-tron sends up huge plumes of dust on the dried-up salt lake is disorienting at first to one used to the mechanical pulsations of an internal-combustion engine.
Though I’ve driven a few plug-in hybrids in the past two years, my experience with pure electric vehicles is limited to a Chevrolet Bolt last year and a prototype version of an electrified Mini Cooper a few years ago.
I know I should be impressed with the e-tron’s potential full-charge range of 400 km, but that’s not what commands my attention.
I’m on the salt lake to give the e-tron’s electric quattro all-wheel-drive system a workout; its porous, hard surface with fine-grained gravel offers a low coefficient of friction similar to that of snow. And the course includes a high-speed straight, a couple of driftable corners, a slalom section and several variable-radius turns.
Laps with the e-tron in automatic and sport modes with the electronic stability control on, and then in dynamic mode with the ESC off, showcase a crossover that is extremely easy to control, whether driving with the utmost caution or letting it all hang out in your best rally-driver impersonation.
Without getting overly technical, the ESC optimizes the traction and brake control and increases the effect of the electronic differential lock for optimum power transfer between the two motors (one each on the front and rear axles).
Audi says it takes just 30 milliseconds or so from the system detecting the driving situation and the torque from the electric motors kicking in, much faster than with conventional quattro technology.
The next morning is an hour-long drive through the scrub desert to provide some semblance of the Audi’s offroad capabilities.
For a decidedly weighty vehicle (2,490 kilograms), the e-tron can hustle; zero to 100 km/h arrives in 6.6 seconds. Its range and its speed are courtesy of a 95-kWh lithium-ion battery pack with 432 cells arranged in 12-cell modules located under the floor.
The e-tron’s front-mounted motor puts out 125 kW, adding another 10 kW under maximum boost; the rear motor is rated at 140 kW with a 25-kW boost. Combined power output is 355 horsepower (265 kW), or 402 hp (300 kW) at full boost. When maximum juice is called for, the e-tron will drop its zero-to-100 km/h run to 5.7 seconds. Torque is a stout 414 pound-feet.
Audi says the e-tron offers superior recuperative technology while driving; during more than 90 per cent of all decelerations, the crossover will apparently recover energy solely via its electric motors. It taps its maximum recuperation potential in combination with the integrated electro-hydraulic brake-control system.
From initial impressions, the electric Audi shows much promise, not just for what it is but for what the company believes it will represent — nothing less than “the dawn of a new era for the company as it transforms from a traditional automaker to a systems supplier for mobility, offering its customers tailored solutions for charging, whether at home or on the move.”
Audi Canada has not released e-tron pricing, though U.S. pricing will start at US$74,800.
First deliveries of the crossover are expected in the second quarter of 2019.