Audi e-tron 2020 Review

It’s early days, but the new Audi e-tron arrives in Australia this month as the EV version of the little black dress.

Years in the making, the first pure-electric offering from Audi beckons as a vehicle for all occasions – irrespective of its EV internals.

The e-tron is available in a choice of SUV wagon and Sportback body styles, is underpinned by a clever all-wheel drive system and is fit with the wares, technology and safety befitting of the four-ringed luxury brand.

Audi clearly sees the e-tron’s do-it-all potential, and is pedalling competitive aftersales and ownership credentials to support it.

It means the four-model e-tron range, though not exactly cheap, carries a lot of merit on paper.

Let’s see how Audi’s first EV translates in the real world.

Pricing starts from $137,700 plus on-road costs for the Audi e-tron 50 quattro – as little as $200 less than the most affordable Mercedes-Benz EQC.

Trimmed to the same level but offering longer range and improved performance, the Audi e-tron 55 quattro is pegged at $146,700 plus ORCs.

Put another way, the e-tron measures up roughly on price with a well-specced turbo-diesel Audi Q7 50 TDI ($119,900 plus ORCs), a vehicle that it closely aligns with on measurement as well.

Standard features for the two respective e-tron variants include 20-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry/start, powered tailgate with gesture control, heated/fold-in electric mirrors and LED headlights.

Inside, both models come with Audi’s Virtual Cockpit, Milano leather upholstery, two-zone climate control and electrically-adjustable heated front seats with position memory for the driver’s.

The MMI infotainment system incorporates a 12.3-inch screen, ‘Audi connect plus’ telematics services, Apple CarPlay (wireless), Android Auto and a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system featuring DAB+ digital radio.

Among the host of driver assist and active safety functions standard across the range are 360-degree monitoring, adaptive cruise control with stop & go, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, autonomous emergency braking (with pedestrian and cyclist detection up to 85km/h), rear AEB, rear cross traffic alert, front intersection cross assist, exit warning, auto-activating headlights/wipers and turn assist.

Then there’s the style-oriented e-tron Sportback variants, which kick off at $148,700 for the Audi e-tron Sportback 50 quattro, rising to $157,700 for the e-tron Sportback 55 quattro. Added features fitted as standard to these variants include 21-inch alloy wheels, a head-up display and sports front seats trimmed in Valcona leather.

Across the e-tron range, Audi is offering the option of virtual exterior mirrors – small cameras in housings that are more aerodynamic than conventional mirrors. Inside the cabin, the virtual mirrors display OLED touch-adjustable screens above the door handles and portray the outlook across three views depending on speed.

The price for this option is $3400, or buyers may elect to order the virtual mirrors as part of an optional Premium Plus Package for $9700 (e-tron 50) or $6700 (e-tron 55). There are more details of that package and other specification intricacies in our separate pricing story.

In terms of ownership, Audi has gone to considerable lengths to make the e-tron a game changer in the market. A special thermal management system promises buyers the opportunity to recharge even the 95kWh battery from five per cent to full capacity in 45 minutes at an ultra-fast public charger capable of supplying power at the maximum 150kW rate for the e-tron.

The company provides an eight-year warranty for the battery, which covers outright failure of the separate battery modules as well as gradual degradation. Each module (27 for the e-tron 50 quattro and 36 for the e-tron 55 quattro) can be replaced separately, at significantly lower cost than replacing the whole pack, but Audi has yet to provide us with details on the cost of replacement.

Audi supplies the e-tron with a compact AC charger which can provide up to 11kW of power for battery replenishment at home, provided the household garage has been upgraded for the power increase.

Officially, it takes six hours to fully replenish the 50 quattro’s battery from the 11kW household outlet, or 8.5 hours in the case of the more powerful 55 quattro.

The home installation work is carried out by Jet Charge, and Audi has also entered into an agreement with public EV charging service supplier Chargefox for six years of complimentary renewable power from public stations, subject only to a fair use policy.

Audi is also rolling out a guaranteed future value scheme for the e-tron, underwritten by Volkswagen Financial Services. Officials claim the residual value of the e-tron will be comparable to the Q7 or Q8 SUVs – about 50 per cent after 36 months/45,000km worth of ownership.

Otherwise, the e-tron is backed by Audi’s three-year/unlimited-kilometre factory warranty, and offers a 1.8-tonne braked towing capacity. Service intervals are spaced every 24 months, including things like pollen and air filters for the air-conditioning system, brake fluid, tyre wear and other consumables – much less exhaustive than an internal combustion vehicle.

All Audi e-tron variants are all-wheel drive models, powered by an electric motor for each axle. By default the e-tron drives through the rear motor only, until the driver demands extra performance and traction.

Braking energy can be recovered from just the rear wheels, in a straight line, or from all four wheels when the vehicle is cornering. Drivers can elect to recover braking energy manually, using the vehicle’s shift paddles.

The Audi e-tron 50 quattro (and its low-roofed Sportback equivalent) runs a 71kWh battery and two electric motors for combined power and torque of 230kW and 540Nm respectively. Audi claims the lower-powered models will knock over the 0-100km/h sprint in 6.8 seconds and travel up to 336km in accordance with WLTP between full charges.

With power supplied by a 95kWh battery, the electric motors of the Audi e-tron 55 quattro and Sportback can generate 300kW/664Nm for a 5.7-second 0-100km/h time. The range for these variants is 446km from full battery to depleted.

Both battery packs are supported by a liquid cooling system that includes about 20 litres of coolant, making it suitable to run in extreme hot or cold conditions.

All told, the e-tron’s battery measures just over two metres long, 1.5m wide and about 300mm high, tipping the scales at about 700kg.

Elsewhere, the e-tron’s green properties are promoted by an active grille shutter that opens and closes louvres for improved aerodynamic efficiency at speed or to enhance airflow to cool the battery at lower speeds. A flat underbody contributes to the e-tron’s drag coefficient of just 0.27Cd.

Settling into the Audi e-tron’s Nappa leather-lined driver’s chair is remarkably… familiar.

The switchgear bears Audi’s typical tactility and layout, there are dual centre screens conveying either infotainment, navigation or climate control functions, and, naturally, the car-maker’s much-vaunted digital Virtual Cockpit display bristles within the instrument cluster.

Similarly, vision front and rear is commensurate with other high-riding Audi models, complemented by side mirrors or, in the case of cars optional with those $3400 digital mirrors, a neat OLED display conveying the rear vista.

The bonnet drops away sharply for those who like their driving position low-set, but the brace of external cameras mitigates this in tight spaces.

Storage is well thought-out and plentiful. A big reason for this is the absence of a traditional transmission tunnel, which liberates space for a huge open bin and separate console up front, and frees up legroom for second row occupants. Deep door pockets and an assortment of 12-volt and USB ports are well received, too.

All told, there is enough rear seat space for two adults on long journeys, or three if you don’t mind rubbing shoulders – excellent legroom and ample headroom (that latter less so in the Sportback versions).

Two ISOFIX attachment points, three top tether strap points and decent rear seat visibility promise strong child-carrying amenity as well.

We would need to back-to-back the e-tron with the Mercedes-Benz EQC and Jaguar I-PACE to gauge just how well Audi has packaged its first EV. In isolation, it feels as though the Ingolstadt marque has trumped both competitors.

Further back the e-tron offers a 660-litre boot with good though not excelling proportions, plus a relatively high 803mm loading height. Under the bonnet there is a separate 60-litre storage space designed to accommodate the car’s electric cables.

Our initial test of the new Audi e-tron takes in a circa 300km journey from Canberra to Sydney, via towns including Bungendore, Tarago and Goulburn.

Ambling through Canberra’s peak-hour traffic, the e-tron bears the accelerative traits of a large-capacity ICE drivetrain, with accessible torque and a linear, effortless power band.

Pulling out into the capital’s many roundabouts is a seamless process devoid of hesitation, thanks to honed pedal modulation.

The car’s air suspension is also compliant at low speed over road joins, working with light steering to cultivate a relaxed, user-friendly demeanour.

Working out of town, the Audi e-tron upholds its competent on-road character with suspension that breathes over broken bitumen yet feels controlled over drawn-out suppressions, resisting the temptation to continue rebounding metres down the road. This is no mean feat given the 2.5-tonne kerb mass.

Overtaking manoeuvres or climbing to highway speeds are, again, a simple and effortless process, and are met with a faint whirr as the electric drivetrain goes about its business, along with good but benchmark road and wind noise suppression.

In the context of other EVs driven by your correspondent, the Audi e-tron feels strangely liberated on the road.

Whereas some rivals can feel like a tightly-wound ball of energy, constricted by overly sensitive engine braking, excess kerb weight and poorly modulated controls, the e-tron simply breathes.

In its natural coast setting, the e-tron is able to waft organically down the road, and when you do choose to active the regenerative braking (cleverly via steering wheel-mounted shifters), the sudden loss of rolling resistance isn’t such that you feel car sick – unlike some rivals.

The e-tron feels its weight more during faster changes in direction, with a degree of lethargy as it transfers its 2.5-tonne mass from one side of the car to the other. With that said, weight transfer is controlled and linear, and underwritten by a convincing electronics and all-wheel drive suite, meaning the e-tron always feels controlled and poised.

The electric drivetrain peters out with speed, but there is no shortage of grunt for Australian road conditions. Officially, Audi claims a top governed speed of 190km/h – we don’t doubt it.

Acceleration is brisk, meanwhile, without the otherworldly pull of Tesla’s ‘ludicrous’ mode. We reckon the drivetrain execution is more convincing in this application regardless.

For many prospective buyers, the Audi e-tron will be judged by how far it can theoretically travel on a full charge, and more pertinently, whether that figure is achievable in the real world.

We reckon the 50 quattro’s claimed 336km range is mildly achievable, based on our 300km drive (with a charge top-up halfway).

In a mix of conditions and with regen braking taken into account, we rolled into Audi’s dealership having completed 193km on our second portion of the drive, with 123km worth of range remaining.

Granted, that’s a lot less driving range than a diesel-powered Audi Q7.

The sweetener here is Audi’s aftersales provisions, including six years’ free servicing and six years’ free charging, which go a long way in finally normalising the EV.

As one of 30 electrified models coming internationally from Audi by 2025, the e-tron sets a strong precedent.

An electric all-rounder if there ever was one.

How much does the 2020 Audi e-tron 50 quattro cost?
Price: $137,700 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Drivetrain: Two asynchronous AC motors
Output: 230kW/540Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gears
Range: 336km (WLTP)
Battery: 71kWh lithium-ion
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2019)