Audi e-tron
WE SAY: AN ELECTRIC SUV FOR FUTUREFRIENDLY FAMILIES
This is a very conventional Audi. That’s probably the first thing to note about the e-tron. It’s an electric car that doesn’t seek to blur boundaries or act radically, but simply persuade regular SUV buyers to make the jump.
It’s Q7-sized (but only seats five) and uses a heavily modified version of that car’s MLB Evo platform. There’s an electric motor on each axle, the rear slightly more powerful than the front, for a total of 402bhp and 490lb ft, and in between a 700kg, 95kWh battery pack.
Surprised it’s not a bespoke electric platform? That’s in the pipeline, a joint project with Porsche known internally as PPE. That will form the base for the VW Group’s larger electric cars (probably including Bentley). But time was of the essence for e-tron, hence the modification solution. Enough industry chat. This e-tron wears another badge: 55 (Audi’s daft designation for cars with 333–408bhp). Others with different power outputs will be along, likely including a detuned, small battery version to bring the entry price down, and a triple e-motor model to take the fight to the fastest Teslas.
As it stands, the e-tron isn’t fast. Our understanding of electric speed has been calibrated by Tesla, so 5.7secs seems sluggish. Blame the adapted platform, which has forced compromises and driven up weight: 2,490kg is beyond Bentayga. As a result, an I-Pace is much zestier to drive; a Model X markedly speedier.
Does that matter? No, because this is a conventional SUV, remember, more relevantly judged against other 4x4s than against other electric cars. The boundaries between internal combustion and electric are blurring. And judged that way, the e-tron feels neither heavy nor slow. It’s substantially quicker than a V6 diesel, and the electric motors are sprightly enough to mask the weight, so the e-tron feels alert off the line and has a reasonable snap of acceleration at motorway speeds.
And even without the clever 48V electronics that underpin the Audi SQ7 and Bentley Bentayga, it doesn’t roll much or heave around corners – the benefits of a low centre of gravity. It controls its weight well; grips and changes direction more tenaciously than expected. More tenaciously than regular diesel SUVs. The ride is gentle, aided by tyres that aren’t too aggressively low-profile (255/50 R20s).
But it’s not a communicator. Nothing through the steering, nothing through the brakes, except a realisation that 2,490kg takes an extra ounce or two of pedal weight when you’re coming to a stop. Below 0.3g of retardation (it’s more than you think), the braking is all done electrically through the motors, the recuperated energy fed back into the battery. Only beyond that point are the hydraulic discs pressed into service. You don’t notice the handover.
And of course there’s the endlessly appealing silence and smoothness. The refinement is uncanny. Not only the lack of road noise thanks to tyres with foam linings, but the silence from the absent door mirrors, here optionally replaced by camera stalks, reducing overall width by 150mm, dropping the drag factor from 0.28Cd to 0.27Cd. You notice a whisper of wind noise from the base of the windscreen and Aand B-pillars. During this test I rode in a Q7. It felt harsh when it started up, I noticed the noise and vibration. For several miles I assumed it was a diesel. It wasn’t. The game has moved on.
It’s super-straightforward to drive. So no strange drive modes or odd graphics, just the regular selectable modes from Off-road to Efficient to Comfort to Dynamic. The only pointers are these: in battery-saving Efficient, initial throttle response pulling out of junctions is way too sluggish, leaving you vulnerable to approaching traffic. In Dynamic, the ride is perhaps a fraction more vivid than you want, while in Off-road, the air suspension rises by 35mm for useful extra clearance. But you leave
“There’s the endlessly appealing smoothness. The refinement is uncanny”
it in default Comfort for 90 per cent of the time, maybe using one of the others if you’re in a field/on a B-road/feeling worthy.
Cabin design has moved on a notch from the Q7; practicality has been knocked back a notch. Maybe two. The boot has a high load sill and the angled D-pillars cut into space. You’ll need an athletic hound to make it up there and it’ll have to watch its snout once loaded.
There’s also a frunk. It’s shallow, but a good place for charging cables so they don’t clutter up the regular boot. Meanwhile the middle seat occupant in the back has little legroom. The floor might be flat, but the centre console that runs between the front seats protrudes back far enough to clout unwary shins. Flanking seats are… fine. Not generous by class standards, merely acceptable.
There are five screens. Two in the centre console, another full-width dash screen for Audi’s peerless Virtual Cockpit, and two more on the doors either side. These are the screens for the side-view cameras. They’re not perfect. You get used to the positioning of the screens, can adjust the brightness, angle of view and become grateful that they cut aero drag and you don’t need to look around bulky mirrors any more, but the angle of view is narrow (think about how much you move your head to alter your mirror view. You can’t do that here), and in strong sun they struggle.
The driving position is great, seat comfort superb and quality irreproachable. It is an Audi – it’s what it does. You will be spending a lot of time interacting with screens. The menu system is logical and at no stage does the e-tron bombard you with electric graphs, charts and data.
£71,495 buys you a base e-tron, featuring adaptive air suspension, 360-degree cameras, keyless and charge points on both front wings. That’s £13,710 more than a Q7 3.0TDI S line. Above that there’s the £82,240 Launch Edition (21-inch wheels, adaptive cruise, panoramic roof and those virtual door mirrors), while the first 30 cars into the UK will be exclusive Edition 1 spec. That’s £89,490.
It’s clearly a car the market wants and believes will do well. There are 1,000 pre-orders for the car in the UK, 20,000 globally. Its natural rival is Merc’s EQC, due next year. It’s a similar size, shape and philosophy.
Audi claims a range of 248 miles from the 95kWh battery. It would go further if it weighed less (the next-generation PPE platform cars will be lighter). Indications from our drive suggest you should expect around 200 miles between charges. OK, but perhaps not good enough for family holidays. Imagine the scene in the car at a service station if the charge points are occupied/faulty.
The e-tron may not be imaginative, or stand out from the crowd, but that’s the point. This is a key part of the electric car tipping point, aimed at drawing in those who want an electric car, but don’t want it to weird them out. It’s an easily understood, well executed and reassuringly well built and developed car. A conventional Audi, in other words.