Mirror mirror on the door . . .
But not on this Audi. It has cameras instead. David Linklater asks if this is all just a little bit silly.
Automotive technology advances at an astonishing pace. And yet some things have been exactly the same for more than a century.
When it rains, the windscreen is still cleaned by a flimsy bit of rubber on a stick. Tyres are still air-filled (well, mostly) and also made of rubber. And rearward vision is still provided by large mirrors stuck on various bits of the car.
Except that the Audi e-tron, the brand’s first pure-electric model, is also the first production car to dispense with door mirrors in favour of side-mounted cameras that project an image into the interior of the car.
What’s the point of these exactly?
There are a couple of answers to that. The first is that having much smaller body addenda significantly reduces drag.
For an EV, that means more precious range before you have to plug in again. It depends on the driving conditions, but the virtual mirrors are claimed to give an extra 6 kilometres per full charge.
Every little bit counts. Just ask any EV enthusiast.
The second answer is that they look really cool, they’re a conversation point and an example of world-first technology that puts an extra techy gloss on the e-tron.
But do they work?
The cameras project their images onto small screens in the door trim, just below the window line. As a driver you have to unlearn the habit of looking towards the exterior mirror (or at least where the mirror usually is) . . . and that takes a while.
However, even taking that into account, the screens aren’t in the ideal place – which would be at the base of the A-pillar in line with the dashboard, facing the driver. Presumably they are where they are because they fit into a free space within the standard interior architecture, rather than requiring a costly new design.
Again, you do get used to them and I’m conscious of not wanting to blame personal difficulty in adapting to new technology on the technology itself.
But, ahem, another issue is that in morning or evening light, when the sun is low in the sky, it can be difficult to see the display because it’s virtually facing the opposite window. Even though the screens automatically adjust to ambient light.
But as a technology – rather than the placement of that technology – the virtual mirrors are impressive. The OLED screens are very clear and because the camera lenses are heated, the image won’t mist or freeze.
Parking is a bit of a mental challenge at first, because the high-res image looks surreal and it’s hard to judge distance.
But guidelines magically appear where they are needed. For example, if you are changing lanes you get a line showing where the back of your car is.
The image does dip automatically when you select reverse, but the screens are also touch-sensitive and you can adjust any which way you want. Just tap a small icon and you can move the passenger-side image from the driver’s side as well, just as you would with a conventional mirror remote.
Confidence is further boosted by illuminated rings around the screens: green to show the indicator is active and orange to act as a blind spot warning.
Can I just have regular mirrors?
Yes. In fact, the virtual mirrors aren’t standard even on the flagship e-tron 55 quattro Advanced.
They’re part of a Technology and Comfort Package that also includes Matrix LED headlights, ‘‘comfort’’ stationary air conditioning, ambient lighting, power steering column adjustment, door entrance LED projector lights with the ‘‘e-tron’’ logo and something called a storage package.
German brands are famously stingy with option pricing, but with the Matrix LED lights and virtual cameras alone this looks like pretty good value for a premium SUV.
What’s the rest of the car like?
Soothing. Honestly, we’ve written about e-tron so many times, we won’t get into it again here.
It’s quick but not comedy-fast like some other EVs; instead, the focus is on qualities like linear performance, incredible refinement and outstanding interior design and quality.
It won’t raise your pulse. In fact, it’s possible the e-tron is deliberately designed to lower it.
It’s one of the most luxuriously understated, yet hi-tech SUVs on the market at any price.
Any other cars I should consider?
Cars with virtual mirrors? None at all, although Honda’s adorable ‘‘e’’ city-EV will have them when it goes into production.
EV-SUVs around the e-tron’s size and price? That’s where the plug-in action is. We already have the Jaguar I-Pace and the launch of Mercedes-Benz’s EQC is imminent. Plus you can’t forget Tesla’s groundbreaking Model X (if you do, Tesla fans will remind you in a very loud voice).