Hi guys, Today I am going to talk you around the Audi E-tron, The first of many all electric cars to come out of Audi’s plants. I decided to do this today to follow on from my Mercedes-EQC review last month and make like a two-part mini-series, and this is the second part. So settle in and enjoy. I will put an image of all cars mentioned at the bottom of this post.
Like I mentioned above, this car is the first of a few different cars to come out of Audi’s E-tron Range. Just like the Mercedes EQC of last month was based on the GLC, The E-tron is based on the Q5. This means that the E-tron is a mid-size SUV just like the GLC and the Jaguar I-pace. It also costs about the same as the EQC at $75,000-$80,000 pre-options.
At the front, the E-tron has a similar grille to the Q5, despite it being fake because there is no engine to cool. Since it doesn’t have an engine to make noise, Audi has fitted the E-tron with an artificial engine noise played only on the outside when in drive or reverse so people hear it coming and get out of the way. I think this, what I call a safety feature, is a brilliant idea and every new electric SUV should follow suit. There was something similar to this when Mercedes launched the electric version of the SLS to keep their drivers awake but that was on the inside of the car so this is the first car to have this tech installed on the outside of the car. It also has different headlights to the Q5.
As you move to the side of the car, the wing mirrors and doors are the same as on the Q5. The only thing different to the Q5 on the side of the car are different wheels and this bit of metal next to the front wheel arch that says E-tron on it. When you press this metal piece, a metal cut-out pops out and folds down so you can stick in the charging cable and get some juice into your E-tron.
At the back of the E-tron, it looks very similar to the Q5 except for one thing, the whole lighting assembly. This is because at the back there is a huge light-bar connecting the 2 tail-lights just like the Audi Q8.
Moving inside the car, the similarities between this and the Q8 continue as the E-tron has the same infotainment system as the Q8. It also has Audi’s digital instrument/gauge cluster that leads in every single class as well as their ultra responsive infotainment screen. In the gauge/instrument cluster, instead of displaying how far till you need to fill up with petrol, it displays how long it is until your battery runs out and in the infotainment screen, if you put a destination into the sat-nav, and the car doesn’t think you’ll make it on a single charge, it will design your route around available charging stations. As well as re-route you to charging stations if neseccary, the car wil suggest that you turn some things off to save energy and add miles/kilometres to your range. It also has a screen to control everything to do with the climate control like the temperature of the air, your heated and cooled seats (cooled seats might be an option but might also be standard), the fan speed and where the air comes out.
The E-tron has a 660-litre (23.31 cubic feet) boot which is bigger than the EQC’s and the I-pace’s and a 60-litre (2.12 cubic feet) compartment at the front where the engine would normally be. This front compartment is where you store the charging cables and you can also store a bag big enough for a weekend away. If you fold down the rear seats, then the boot becomes 1,725 litres (60.92 cubic feet).
The E-tron has an 84 kWh battery pack producing 365kw (490hp) and 551 Nm (414 lb ft) of torque. That is good for 0-100km/h (0-62 mph) in 6.6 seconds and if you drive sensibly you should be able to cover 358km-417km (222-259 miles). It also comes with an 150 kW DC charger but you can option an 11/22 kW AC charger. In my opinion, you do need the AC charger as you will need to charge your Audi E-tron at home between trips.
This will do it for this post, so I will see you back here next month. Remember, if you want help choosing the right car for you please get in touch on the Contact page.
Also, I’d love your comments or feedback on this or other posts. And please share this with your friends as I would like to get this a bit more well-known. Thanks.
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