Audi e-tron 2022 Long-Term Review

UPDATED 27/09/2022: Nothing says inviting on a cold morning quite like heated car seats. The meticulously warmed front seats of our 2022 Audi e-tron long-termer have proven a winner over the past few months.

Who knew quilted Valcona leather could impart such luxury?

Similarly, the ability to pre-heat the cabin remotely using the myAudi phone app is particularly handy.

And while these traits aren’t particularly ground-breaking, they present newfound ease of use with an electric car because they can be done without starting a combustion engine and waking the neighbourhood.

In this final stanza of our long-term Audi e-tron loan, we’ll go into more detail about its interior, including spatial layout, functionality of technology and safety, and storage.

It’s then time to bid farewell to the Manhattan Grey chariot, and summarise on whether the time is truly ripe for electric vehicle ownership in regional Australia.

Audi has a long-held reputation for interior design. In the past 10 years particularly, the German car-maker has stood ahead of most with Teutonic and functional interior layouts that are replete with excellent surface treatments and integration of technology.

The Audi e-tron is an extension of the trend. The interior of our test car bristles with aluminium highlights, clever touch-screen displays and a level of finish that is befitting of its lofty $150K price tag.

We were interested to see how the e-tron would stand up to several months of family life; the truth is it has passed the test seamlessly, without so much as an interior squeak or rattle.

From the driver’s seat, the e-tron enamours with a low-slung seating position that cultivates a genuine feel and confidence for the vehicle and its spatial proportions. All of the key controls are easily adjusted and accessed, and outward vision is strong (even with those novel virtual mirrors – read on below).

Eager not to kerb our test car’s optional 21-inch alloys in umpteen car park scenarios, we have also appreciated the respective forward-facing, overhead and rear-facing cameras, which have worked a treat – projected on the top centre screen in a clear, legible manner.

Incidental storage is terrific up front, thanks to cavernous door pockets and the huge central storage bin, which accommodates a vertically positioned wireless phone charger, two cup holders and a small open storage space.

Although the e-tron doesn’t completely capitalise on its electric skateboard layout in the same way as the excellent Hyundai IONIQ 5 (which is devoid of a transmission tunnel and has a sliding centre console), the truth is it still feels considered and, importantly, user-friendly in day-to-day proceedings.

The integration of technology here is likewise excellent. It takes little time at all to learn the navigate the respective displays: steering wheel-mounted controls aptly control the virtual instrument cluster, while split screens in the centre fascia control infotainment/car functions and climate control respectively.

Both centre screens offer haptic feedback, too, vibrating softly upon being pressed in the same way a traditional button would click into place. Their native menus are logically laid out, translating to easy navigation on the move, and no needless flicking between pages.

Likewise, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are cleverly adapted, with a flank of five different icons on one side of the screen allowing you to quickly toggle back to the native menu.

The screens themselves are a magnet for fingerprints, though nothing a quite wipe with a microfibre cloth won’t address.

The Audi e-tron provides two USB charging points up front and two in the rear. There’s also a 12-volt outlet in the first and second rows, plus a separate outlet in the boot.

We reckon the spatial proportions of the rear seat are quite strong, considering the e-tron’s 4.9-metre length. Legroom, headroom and shoulder-room are sound; certainly big enough for a couple of adults or forward-facing child seats.

The glasshouse of the e-tron is also accommodating, despite its raked roofline.

Rear seat occupants get access to separate air vents with fan and temperature controls, and mirroring the front, the second row is lined by quality, soft-touch materials and a supportive bench seat with a flip-down arm rest bearing a separate storage compartment and two more cup holders.

The e-tron isn’t quite as accommodating where luggage space is concerned. The ‘frunk’ area features barely enough space for charging cables, while the boot is accessed by a smallish aperture opening and measures a moderate 660 litres in size.

It’s not small, per se, but it isn’t an outright strength of the e-tron either.

With that said, the boot space does accommodate a space-saver spare tyre underneath, together with a storage space that we found perfect for a picnic blanket. Quick-release split-fold seat levers are also a boon if you have your hands full and need to stow the second row in a hurry.

So, then, the big question: Has four months of living with the Audi e-tron convinced your correspondent that regional Australia (and indeed his household) is ready for electric cars?

In a word, yes, it has. Audi’s first EV has proven to be a well-executed, enjoyable family hauler – replete with the quality, luxury and tech that buyers at this price point would naturally expect.

Furthermore, the e-tron’s generous aftersales provisions ensure continued incentive for owners, especially in the face of climbing oil prices and internal combustion cost of ownership.

With all of that said, there are some considerable caveats.

One, that you have access to at-home charging plus a decent network of public infrastructure to support the e-tron’s minimal 340km real-world range.

And two, that you’re fully invested in this brave new EV guard and willing to withstand some of the network pitfalls until Australia catches up to speed with other parts of the world.

We would also suggest that in order to fulfil the second part of the brief, you’d want your at-home infrastructure to comprise at least some renewable energy (namely, solar power).

While coal-fired electricity is probably still a better environmental outcome than combustion engines, you could spend all day arguing the toss.

Ultimately, for the e-tron to attract a larger pool of buyers – your correspondent included – we reckon the range probably needs to be closer to 600km to be truly viable.

The time for that will no doubt come, and probably much sooner than we anticipate.

UPDATED 08/08/2022: Perhaps unsurprisingly, spending long amounts of time in a vehicle that creates almost no external noise and no drivetrain vibration leads to lengthy moments of contemplation.

In fact, we’ve unintentionally completed 100km journeys without so much as a peep from the Bang & Olufsen stereo, such is the sereneness of the cabin.

The tranquil driving experience has been one of the more unexpected traits of e-tron ‘ownership’, and living with an EV in general. You come to appreciate hearing the sound of loose gravel scramble beneath Continental tyres during car park manoeuvres, and the circa-2500kg e-tron’s ability to easily amble up to around-town speeds in near silence.

Those character assessments are highlighted when jumping in and out of combustion-powered press vehicles, which feel comparatively chaotic by comparison.

There’s the other side of the coin here as well. In my view, there is still something truly engaging about working a combustion engine through its RPM cycle, using its gearbox to maximum effect and discovering an engine’s sweet spots or idiosyncrasies.'

Electric vehicles tend to lack all that, although for sure it’s one of the lesser challenges in promoting broader EV adoption in Australia.

Our opening two months in the e-tron has also been punctuated by the consistent pursuit of efficiency.

Although the 300kW/644Nm Audi e-tron 55 quattro has a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.7sec, the truth is there’s rarely any temptation to truly exploit it – essentially for fear of draining the battery of its range.

Instead, we’ve taken unusual enjoyment in long coasting sequences, utilising the e-tron’s steering wheel mounted paddle shifts to alter the level of regenerative braking resistance at every opportunity, or seeing how much extra range we can generate on a long mountain descent (the record currently stands at 12km following a particularly well-timed run down Mount Ousley, near Wollongong).

Doing so has allowed us to net a combined energy consumption figure of 25.2kWh/100km across several thousand kilometres of driving, which isn’t great but it is accompanied by a consistent real-world range of 330-340km.

There have been short moments where we looked to comfortably exceed that range, although it turns out the predicted kilometre read-out is based on a relatively short driving sample.

So for instance, if you’re driving from the Southern Highlands to the coast (a 600m fall in elevation), you’ll probably arrive at your destination with the same range you began with.

When it’s time to go back up the hill (so to speak), the car says the amount of range it chews through is roughly double the amount you’ve actually travelled. Go figure.

Helping at least some of the time is some clever green tech working benignly in the background in the e-tron, including 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. There’s also flat underbody contributes to the e-tron’s drag coefficient of just 0.27Cd.

The most obvious green cue – the one that gets everyone’s attention – is the Audi e-tron’s virtual mirrors.

A $3400 option from new, the small side-mounted digital cameras are said to provide an additional 6km worth of range between recharges, because of their extra slipperiness through the air.

The cameras project what’s happening behind you on OLED touch-adjustable screens above the door-handles inside the cabin. The displays can portray the outlook across three views depending on speed.

But while the virtual mirrors are novel and sound great in theory, we have mixed feelings about them in practice.

In regular forward conveyance, they provide a clear picture of what’s happening behind you and provide a sufficient field of adjustment. The biggest thing to get used to is glancing at your door cards rather than the windows to see the rearward view.

Bigger issues tend to arise upon parking and reversing. Unlike traditional convex glass, you aren’t able to shuffle around in your seat to effectively broaden the mirror’s perspective. So it makes keeping an eye on your rear wheels harder than it needs to be, especially in reach of kerbs. Insufficient vertical adjustment only adds to the problem.

Our other complaint with the virtual mirrors is they’re prone to some flare and graininess at night. In short, we’d happily stick with conventional mirrors.

Of course, not every drive in the 2022 Audi e-tron is a laid-back canter. Backed up by all-wheel drive and well-honed air suspension, the S logos inside and out hint at the sportier intent here, much like the step up from, say, Audi A4 to S4.

A well-tuned chassis, plenty of mechanical grip and moderately good front-to-rear weight balance certainly conspire to create a sound driving experience on a winding road. The circa 2.5-tonne e-tron controls its mass admirably during changes in direction, and while it can’t hide its bulk, if you harness the considerable performance available here the big Audi will hustle along at a decent clip.

Unlike most other ‘garden-variety’ Audis, however, the e-tron does without a dedicated ‘Dynamic’ mode in its drive mode selection menu. As such, there’s no real way to dial up the weight of the steering or firm up the suspension in the manner some might desire.

Similarly, there’s no way to digitally ratchet up the soundtrack; the regular e-tron simply gives you a ho-hum whirr.

For that level of performance, Audi steers you in the direction of the sportier e-tron S, with its punchier 370kW/973Nm powertrain.

Nevertheless, the e-tron still offers plenty of surprises where dynamism is concerned. One of our more memorable moments came on a recent mountain climb, where the e-tron was remarkably clinical in the way it dispensed with the ribbon of bitumen underneath.

Free from the typical noise, fuss, gear changes and engine inertia commensurate with a combustion engine, the e-tron is seemingly able to breathe freely, link together corners seamlessly and lay down its power effectively without hesitation. It makes the go-stop-turn-go process much more palatable for others in the vehicle too.

The ease with which the e-tron can cover such challenging ground soon prompts a game: how quickly can you reach the top of the mountain before other occupants in the vehicle notice? Pretty quickly, it turns out. We made it to the top of the pass in rapid time and without a hint of motion sickness or dissension in the ranks.

Now that’s EV tranquillity.

UPDATED 18/07/2022: Real estate agents keenly spruik location as the major influencer in property prices, and after a month living with the 2022 Audi e-tron, we reckon it’s an apt rule for the effectiveness of electric vehicles too.

Proximity to EV infrastructure has quickly become a determining factor in how the e-tron long-termer is used each week – not for fear of range anxiety per se, but simply because it imposes a limitation on how far NBY-03L can travel.

We knowingly stepped into this series without any home charging infrastructure. Throw in the e-tron’s limited range (which we’ll get to), and a dearth of public charging infrastructure in our local area, and that has created some logistical headaches.

First, some background.

A key driving factor behind this long-term series is to study just how suitable an electric car is for a family based in regional Australia.

Your correspondent is based in the NSW Southern Highlands, about an hour south of Sydney. The area itself has become a bit of hotbed for EVs in the past six months, with a well-heeled elderly population increasingly adapting to the technology plus an ever-present Sydney weekend crowd driving down in their new electric metal each weekend (read: you’ll now pass at least one EV on every drive to the shops).

The problem for the Southern Highlands, in particular, is public charging. At the time of writing, there is a solitary 50kW NRMA DC fast-charger located in Mittagong, along with a sprinkling of 7kW outlets in other locations. The next-closest public charger of equivalent output is 30 minutes down the road in Picton. That’s it.

No doubt the dearth of infrastructure will steadily be addressed, but the time to act is now.

The Mittagong NRMA unit itself is a fantastic one, and we laud the company’s electric vision. Furthermore, it is complimentary! While that helps incentivise EV ownership, it makes it increasingly difficult to snag a spot – and when you do, it usually isn’t long before a queue is building behind you.

In our instance, the problem is exacerbated by the fact we have no home charging infrastructure beyond an ordinary household power point, which equates to a circa 48-hour recharge – good for no-one.

This isn’t really representative of an e-tron buyer, as the 55’s $150K starting price includes the home installation of a compact 11kW AC charger.

It doesn’t take long to realise the official claimed EV range of the 2022 Audi e-tron is a tad optimistic.

Against an official ADR figure of 438km, our tester settles into a real-world average of about 330-340km during the opening weeks of our tenure – on a healthy diet of open regional roads, moderate urban passage, some highway trips and minimal congestion.

For the record, your correspondent’s weekly commute in the e-tron comprises about 300km, give or take. It’s a great representative figure to land on, aligning neatly with the average Australian commute of about 15,000km per annum.

Those figures dictate a visit to our local NRMA recharging station at least once a week. And honestly, the process is a pretty straight-forward one. Pick a time of day, make the circa 10-minute journey to the station and see what awaits you.

Sometimes you get lucky and can be first in line. Other times there’s one car in front of you. If you pick a busy time of day (usually early, early morning or late afternoon) you might have to join the queue behind as many as two or three cars. It’s just the luck of the draw.

The etiquette is generally strong. Savvy users will confirm their charging status or waiting status via the excellent PlugShare app, and will generally gather whatever charge they need to get to their destination. Nothing more.

The unspoken rule is that if someone is waiting in line behind you, you do not charge beyond 80 per cent. And this makes sense, since the final 20 per cent of charging takes the longest amount of time, and generally is advised against by car-makers as it can affect battery life.

For what it’s worth, there’s also great chat at charging stations. As a collective, we reckon most EV buyers are progressive, forward-thinkers and don’t mind getting in on new technology at the ground level.

It isn’t uncommon to strike up a 30-minute chat with another owner – and the discussion often quickly moves beyond electric cars to renewables, solar, politics, you name it.

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, and EV charging etiquette is no different. We’ve seen our share of ugly situations, from owners leaving their vehicles unmanned sitting on 100 per cent charge for over half an hour, to others sitting in their vehicle extracting every last per cent of charge completely oblivious despite a growing queue of frustrated people around them.

More often than not, the less courteous crowd is new to the EV scene and drives a vehicle that rhymes with Bruce Lee… We’ll leave it at that.

Thankfully, during those tenser moments, or long waits for charging in general, the Audi e-tron is a comfortable place to be.

The Valcona-upholstered seats on our tester are soft and comfortable, as are the key contact points. Incidental storage is also excellent. We particularly appreciate the open centre console, which offers a handy vertically-positioned wireless charging spot for your smartphone, together with two cup holders and another small open cubby.

The door pockets are similarly cavernous, and there have been plenty of opportune moments to either recline the driver’s seat for a snooze or slide it all the way back (and the steering wheel reach all the way forward) and whip out the work laptop.

Likewise, heated seating in the e-tron has been particularly handy venturing into the colder months and the e-tron’s Bang & Olufsen sound system is a treat to the ears for music and podcasts alike.

When it is time to recharge, the e-tron neatly conveys its charging status and predicted finish time on its excellent virtual instrument cluster.

On the NRMA 50kW DC fast-charger, we generally average 10-90 per cent charge in 100 minutes – equating to about 310km range.

The predicted finish time is pretty close to the money, too. It means you can plan your charge time and log your duration on the PlugShare app appropriately.

Yep, welcome to the brave new EV guard.

ORIGINAL REVIEW PUBLISHED 18/06/2022:
The EV revolution has taken off in earnest in Australia in 2022. As car-makers collectively broaden their electrified portfolios, discerning buyers are voting with their feet.

Sales of full-electric and hybrid cars have been strong, pedalled by increasing fuel costs and big delays on some of the more popular combustion-engined models.

And that brings us to the 2022 Audi e-tron.

Audi’s inaugural EV, the e-tron has dutifully flown the flag for the car-maker since late 2020. The e-tron was joined by a sportier e-tron S in April this year, and will soon be flanked additional electrified models including the e-tron GT.

We’ve driven the e-tron in isolation before and compared it against rivals like the Mercedes-Benz EQC.

But your correspondent has never actually lived with one, or any electric vehicle for that matter, beyond a short-term loan for testing.

Can the e-tron meet the demands of regional Australian family life?

The regular 2022 Audi e-tron range is currently priced between $139,900 and $159,900 (plus on-road costs), having kicked off in Australia with two model grades – 50 and 55 – and two body shapes (wagon and Sportback).

The higher-tiered triple-motor Audi e-tron S introduced in April adds a further two options to the mix, priced at $168,400 and $175,400 plus ORCs respectively for the wagon and Sportback.

Our long-termer is the Audi e-tron 55 quattro wagon, priced at $148,900 plus on-road costs and featuring an all-wheel quattro drivetrain that develops 300kW/664Nm. It’s $11,000 more affordable than the equivalent coupe-like Sportback version.

Standard features for all (non-S) e-tron variants include keyless entry and start, a powered tailgate with gesture control, heated/fold-in electric mirrors and LED headlights.

Inside, they 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.

The e-tron’s 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.

Standard driver assist and active safety functions include 360-degree monitoring, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go function, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) 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.

Optional extras are de rigueur even when spending upwards of $150K.

Our tester wears a striking Manhattan Grey paint hue ($2300) and features all the trimmings of the Premium Plus Package ($6700): 21-inch alloy wheels, orange brake callipers, a black styling package, puddle lights, ‘S line’ interior fixtures and leather trim for the upper dashboard, centre console and door arm rests.

The cabin also features Valcona leather seats with embossed ‘S’ logos, illuminated front and rear aluminium door sill panels, black cloth headlining, multi-function steering wheel bound in leather and floor mats with contrast stitching.

Also fitted are Audi’s $3400 virtual exterior mirrors – small cameras in housings that are more aerodynamic than conventional mirrors. Inside, the virtual mirrors display OLED touch-adjustable screens above the door handles and portray the outlook across three views depending on speed.

In terms of ownership, Audi has gone to considerable lengths to make the e-tron experience as appealing as possible.

Over and above the car-maker’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre factory warranty, the e-tron boasts an eight-year battery warranty which covers outright failure of the separate battery modules as well as gradual degradation.

Each module (36 for the e-tron 55 quattro) can be replaced separately, at “significantly lower cost” than replacing the whole pack.

The first six years’ worth of servicing is included in the purchase price, the car-maker says, with intervals spaced every 24 months/30,000km.

Also inclusive in the e-tron purchase price is 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.

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 has also rolled out a guaranteed future value scheme for the e-tron, underwritten by Volkswagen Financial Services. A quick browse on carsales reveals two-year-old e-trons are still fetching close to their new vehicle price.

Extending Audi’s long-held all-wheel drive lineage, the e-tron 50 and 55 models are strictly an all-paw affair, employing an electric motor on 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.

With power supplied by a 95kWh battery, the electric motors of the Audi e-tron 55 quattro generate 300kW/664Nm for a 5.7-second 0-100km/h time.

The range for these variants is a claimed 438km from full battery to depleted. However, a solitary full-to-empty cycle in our test car reveals that figure is an ambitious one at best.

Audi claims owners can recharge 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.

Officially, it takes 8.5 hours to fully replenish the 55 quattro’s battery from the 11kW household outlet supplied by the car-maker. If you don’t have access to the 11kW outlet, a regular 240V household charge is north of 40 hours.

According to Audi, it is possible to charge 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.

But as future long-term updates will attest, these claimed figures and the outright range of the e-tron is largely academic.

We’ve written about the strong on-road wares of the 2022 Audi e-tron many times before, but it’s worth reiterating them again.

Rolling out of Audi Centre Sydney and embarking on a circa-100km journey south for the commencement of our three-month loan, the e-tron enamours with its level of poise, refinement and comfort on mixed surfaces.

Throttle control is superbly linear, the brakes clamp on with predictable bite and consistency and there’s a light, slightly-digital veneer to the key controls.

All told, those elements conspire to create a driving experience that is both tranquil and enjoyable.

But perhaps more impressive – and unique in the growing EV fold – is the e-tron’s ability to simply breathe on the road.

We’ve driven numerous EVs in recent months afflicted by a tendency to feel like a tightly-wound, under-suspended ball of energy on the road – traits highlighted by a stabby throttle action, overly enthusiastic regenerative brakes and a bouncy ride.

By contrast, the Audi e-tron glides on mixed surfaces and shows impressive control over drawn-out suppressions.

Highway passage is a cinch, with an active safety suite that feels suitably well-tuned with its parameters and interventions, and an electric drivetrain that makes light work of open speed limits.

Similarly, pockmarked country roads – many bearing signs of a wet and wild Australian summer – reveal a capable and composed side of the e-tron.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks and months as we run the rule over the e-tron’s interior, long-journey amenity and general ease of use in regional Australia, where charging infrastructure is sadly lacking.

How much does the 2022 Audi e-tron 55 quattro cost?
Price: $148,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Two asynchronous electric motors
Output: 300kW/664Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 95kWh lithium-ion
Range: 438km (ADR)
Energy consumption: 24.2kWh/100km (ADR), 25.2kWh/100km (on test)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2019)

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