E-TRON IS MEGA

Sporty but supremely comfortable too

ONE of my nieces was born and raised in England, but when it came to getting married, she always wanted to do that here – on the basis that Irish weddings just tend to be more fun. So it proved last September, when 50 of her friends arrived over for the bash in Clonabreany House in Co. Meath, with the proceedings ending some time around 4am. Never change, Ireland. Never change.

My own contribution to the event was that I promised I’d borrow a really nice car to drive her to the ceremony, as I had done a few years back for another niece.

On that occasion, the mood was traditional, and I snaffled a 7 Series BMW. The English niece is an Audi girl, though, and a bit sporty too, so it only ever was going to be the RS e-tron GT quattro, that wonderful, sleek sports car that boasts 590hp, hurtles from 0100km in 3.3 seconds, and starts from a tasty €145,360.

For that money, you could have two Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback full electric SUVs, though, and you would soon learn that while sports car performance is a wonderful thing, real-world comfort is rather nice too.

THE Q4-tron is a standard shape SUV (and priced from €56,780, so it’s cheaper too), and a little too heavy looking for its own good.

The Sportback, on the other hand, adopts coupé lines, and looks as light as a feather, while remaining just as sturdy on the road. There are two battery variants available, 52kWh and 77kWh, and my car came with the latter. That offers WLTP-certified range of 517km, though at 100% charged, my car was showing predicted range in the high 300s.

WLTP also says consumption runs at 16.6 to 19kWh per 100km driven, but I averaged 26.6kWh, which reflects the fact that a lot of my driving was at a cruise controlled 120kph on the motorway.

A 4km round trip to the shop saw my predicted range actually increase by 20km, because the speed limit around these parts is 50kph, and there’s often a van, so I stick to it. In short, range is a moveable feast in all EVs, and they can only make predictions of range based on your last drive.

That said, I haven’t charged the car all week, and will do so tomorrow only to make sure I get it back to Dublin, stopping at the fast charger at Gorey services, because I fancy a croissant and a coffee to start my day.

One constant gripe I hear from friends who won’t consider going electric is that you have to hang around service stations while they charge, but you get very used to that and build it into your day. Once you’re not in a hurry, it can be a very nice pause, the chance to relax and read the paper, or catch up on emails. It’s all about your attitude, really.

If you do have to sit in the car, this is a very comfortable one, with heated front seats in a cloth and leatherette upholstery mix, and with four-way lumbar support. The infotainment screen is nicely angled to the driver, and there is ambient lighting in the cabin at night, which is very soothing indeed, and well worth the €128 premium.

Another worthy optional extra are the digital matrix headlights, which offer extraordinary night driving clarity, and come with automatic high beam that dims them when another car approaches, or as you enter an area with proper street lighting.

I also really liked the feel of the flat top and bottom steering wheel, which brings a nice sense of urgency to the drive, and the distinct impression of added responsiveness when you need it on back roads in icy conditions.

Best of all, though, really are those looks. My test car came in a rich Navarra blue metallic, not a colour I would normally go for, but one that really works here.

Unlike a lot of EVs, this has a really nice grille, classy rather than showy, and lots of exterior chrome detailing that floats away from the depth of the blue. Twentyinch five-spoke graphite wheels compete the look.

The Q4 e-tron is Audi’s smallest EV, so the price tag might put many potential buyers off — and its Volkswagen Group sister models built on the same platform, the VW ID.5 and Skoda Enyaq Coupé, are cheaper (though best of luck getting your hands on the latter – the website still only requests expressions of interest).

Of the three, though, this Audi Q4 definitely would be the one for me.