Audi e-tron GT 2024 Review

The 2024 Audi e-tron GT is priced at $181,784 before on-road cost. Although, with the pricing of high-end EVs struggling in the current climate, it’s worth haggling.

If the ‘entry-level’ e-tron GT isn’t spicy enough for you, then the $250,484 RS e-tron GT will blow your socks off. After all, it is the fastest and most powerful production car the Ingolstadt marque has produced.

Rivals for the e-tron GT obviously include the Porsche Taycan. But if you venture away from the Volkswagen Group then a BMW i5 or Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 could capture your interest.

The vehicle on test was a pre-facelift e-tron GT. The refreshed version is expected to land in 2025 with revised styling, upgraded battery tech and tweaks to the dynamics. Performance and overall range are significantly improved, while the line-up grows to three variants, comprising the S e-tron GT, RS e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT Performance.

Head of Design, Marc Lichte, boldly stated that the 2024 Audi e-tron GT is ‘the most beautiful car he has ever designed’. It’s hard to argue with that summation after taking in the hunkered-down silhouette and bulging wheelarches. Aesthetically, the e-tron GT certainly makes a statement.

Adding to the exterior clout are standard Matrix LED headlights (with Audi Laser lights), LED tail-lights with full-length light bar and frameless doors for extra drama. The Ibis White test car features a few exterior options like the 20-inch alloy wheels with a diamond-turned finish ($750) and the Black exterior styling package ($4200).

Inside, the first thing you notice is the ‘Monoposto’ cockpit arrangement that slightly angles the centre console towards the driver, followed by the second highlight of note – the presence of up-market cowhide everywhere.

Other key features include leather-clad, electrically operated and heated front seats (with memory for the driver), three-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, an electric boot with gesture control and auto-dimming headlights.

The stylish Audi EV is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, and the battery warranty lasts eight years or 160,000km.

After the purchase price, e-tron GT ownership becomes decidedly cheaper given you receive six years of roadside assistance and six years or 90,000km of free scheduled servicing (they are required every two years or 30,000km). What’s more, home charger instillation and a six-year Chargefox subscription is thrown in, too.

The 2024 Audi e-tron GT has not been crash tested by ANCAP. However, the Porsche Taycan did gain five stars by European body NCAP in 2019.

The safety package is highlighted by eight airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian protection, rear collision warning, adaptive cruise control with stop/go traffic assist, lane-departure warning, active steering lane assist, 360-degree camera with parking sensors, head-up display and Audi’s pre-sense system.

The head-up display is informative and clear, while the active safety kit delivers a respectable level of calibration, and none of the items are too intrusive on the road.

Audi has been a pioneer in terms of digital instrument clusters, and the 2024 Audi e-tron GT carries the baton forward.

The latest version of Virtual Cockpit uses a 12.3-inch display with e-tron, Sport and Classic themes to choose from via the flat-bottomed multi-function steering wheel. It remains one of the best examples of the genre, too.

Handling the MMI infotainment is the central 10.1-inch touch-screen display. It is intuitive to use and even has haptic feedback as reassurance you’ve hit the right ‘button’.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, DAB+ digital radio and native satellite navigation (with EV route planning) are all presented and accounted for. There’s also wireless smartphone charging and four USB-C ports – two in the centre storage compartment and two in the base of the rear seat.

Standard features also include a 16-speaker, 710 watt Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system, which produces impressively refined acoustics.

The 2024 Audi e-tron GT is no slouch – try 0-100km/h in 4.1 seconds, 0-200km/h in 15.5sec and it’ll top out at 245km/h. And don’t forget, an RS version sits above this, while the mid-life update will provide even more performance.

How does it do it? The e-tron is all-wheel drive with two permanently excited synchronous electric motors. Powering the front axle is a 175kW motor, and a 320kW unit drives the rear axle for overall combined figures of 350kW and 630Nm.

However, to attain the hero numbers, the e-tron GT has launch control and, for short periods, peak power is ‘boosted’ to 390kW. The motors draw from a 93kWh (gross) lithium-ion battery pack.

Aiding both the blistering acceleration and the relatively pacey top speed is the two-speed automatic transmission tied to the rear motor. In a very un-EV sensation, on the odd occasion you can even feel the gearchange after launching hard from a standstill.

Without any traditional sound cues to translate a perception of speed, you really rely on the head-up display to know exactly how fast you’re travelling. Ultimately, the e-tron GT is another ruthlessly effective EV that pins you back in the seat – it’s a sensation that can be rather brutal and fun in varying measures.

Official range claims for the 2024 Audi e-tron GT vary between 540km (NEDC) and 448km (WLTP) calculations.

All you need to know is that the latter is the more stringent figure, and the one closer to the real-world number you’re likely to achieve.

Audi claims a combined consumption of 19.2kWh/100km (NEDC), but after a week of testing, our average came to 21.4kWh/100km. That isn’t bad considering frugal driving wasn’t high on the priority list. However, general use and highway stints accounted for most of the conditions.

Ultimately, you can expect around 440km from a single charge. The predicted range to empty displayed in the car proves to be very accurate and dependable.

The e-tron GT’s 800-volt lithium-ion battery has the capacity for 270kW DC rapid charging (AC is also available). If you’re able to find a working station with enough capacity to ‘refuel’ at faster rates, going from 5 to 80 per cent charge can be achieved in 22.5 minutes.

Audi claims that at full speed the e-tron GT can replenish its battery by 100km for every five minutes of charging time.

The Porsche Taycan rewrote the rulebook for EV dynamics, and given the four-ringed version is on the same J1 platform, it’s no surprise that the 2024 Audi e-tron GT is adept on-road.

And unlike many electrified performance cars, it isn’t just in a straight line, either. Despite weighing the wrong side of 2.3 tonnes, the e-tron places most of its mass deep in the chassis for a low centre of gravity and 50:50 weight distribution.

The impact it has behind the wheel is grin-inducing. It’s remarkable how well the e-tron GT disguises its weight through corners as it remains flat and agile, with changes of direction never fussing it, either.

With its innovative e-quattro system, the Audi’s traction is impeccable. The 285-section rear tyres bite hard, allowing for early throttle applications on corner exit. The front-axle also hangs on vehemently, too, with the steering tactile and nicely weighted.

The e-tron uses regenerative braking to help recharge the battery pack, yet it hasn’t ruined the feel. There’s Porsche to thank for that as it wanted the Taycan to return a normal sensation through the pedal. You can tailor the amount of regeneration via the steering wheel-mounted paddles, but none of the selectable levels are intrusive.

Drive modes also play a key part of the dynamics, with Eco, Comfort, Dynamic and Individual on offer. You can significantly manipulate the character from cruisy to racy, with Dynamic offering the brief boost in power to 390kW.

Yes, the overall experience isn’t the final word in emotive driver appeal – the lack of acoustics doesn’t help. However, the competency and the rate at which you can cover ground of all types is astounding. When you dial back the tempo in Comfort mode, furthermore, the e-tron lives up to its nomenclature by being a great Grand Tourer.

With dual chamber adaptive air suspension, it has an effortless, yet controlled, waft to its ride quality that is impressive. It breathes with the road at speed in a profoundly pleasing way. Conversely, you’ll hardly notice lumps and bumps around the city, either.

How easy the e-tron GT is to get along with (charging aside) on a day-to-day basis is almost more impressive than the sheer pace and dynamic competence it delivers. The sleek four-door coupe is a proper indulgence that invokes all the sensations a luxurious performance car should.

Elegance, sophistication and quality combine in the tech-heavy cabin. There’s no mistaking the fact the 2024 Audi e-tron GT is a premium product befitting the price tag.

The all-black interior matches well with the white exterior hue of the test car and the panoramic (fixed) glass roof liberates valuable light. The low-slung driving position is appreciated, and the cabin is bathed in moody ambient lighting at night.

However, while the four-door coupe design is captivating from the outside or the front seats, it translates to a rather hemmed-in cabin for those passengers in the rear. Headroom is compromised and legroom is classed as adequate rather than palatial, despite the e-tron being almost five metres in length. You can really sink into the sculpted outer rear pews, but seating three abreast is a bit of a no-go.

The other invoice to be paid by that sloping roofline and reduced glasshouse is the field of vision – especially the rear and rear three-quarter views. Some more in-cabin storage solutions would be appreciated, too, given there are no bottle holders in the door cards and the central cubby is only useful for small items.

Not that this cool, slinky performance EV is going to be a family hack, but cargo capacity isn’t as flexible as you’d expect. The boot is 405 litres, which expands to 1171 litres with the 60/40-split folding rear seats stowed. However, the aperture itself is tight and the front boot, or ‘froot’ (a local alternative for ‘frunk’), is only really for charging cables or light shopping bags, given its 85-litre capacity.

Performance-orientated and luxurious EVs are going through a bit of a rough patch in terms of demand, and second-hand values are struggling, too.

However, this shouldn’t detract from the fact that the 2024 Audi e-tron GT is a rewarding ownership proposition for those wanting to step away from internal combustion. What’s more, the entry-level variant is endowed with enough pace and cornering prowess that you won’t miss not having an RS badge on the boot. Plus, it comes with an added layer of comfort that renders it an automotive chameleon.

The Audi e-tron GT is a stylish, sumptuous four-door performance coupe first and foremost – it just happens to be electrified.

2024 Audi e-tron GT at a glance:
Price:?$181,784 (plus on-road costs)
Available:?Now
Powertrain:?Two permanently excited (synchronous) motors
Output:?350kW/640Nm
Transmission:?Two-speed transmission
Battery:?93kWh lithium-ion
Range:?540km (NEDC)
Energy consumption:?19.2kWh/100km (NEDC)
Safety rating:?Not tested

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