Electric elegance by Audi
The Audi E-Tron Sportback is by far our favourite SUV coupe, normally not a huge fan of such cars, we tought the Sportback looks great. Its 15 spoke rims and the deep black paint, paired with orange accents on the exterior made the car appear very understated yet elegant and luxurios.
In the interior the elegantlooks continued. The whole cabin seems like a luxurious lounge where you want to spend a lot of time in. The materials used are exquisit and chosen very wisely. Through out the cabin the orange details continue, appearing for example on the seats or the ambiente lighting.
The whole dash describes an elegant curve that goes through the entire front and nicely integrates the five screens you get with this car.
Yes you read this right, this car has five screens in its interior! One in front of the driver which is super configurable, two in the center console for the infotainment and AC controls as well as one on each side for the virtual side mirrors.
Speaking of the virtual side mirrors, they look really really cool, on the outside as well as in the interior. We're not sure how much they help to reduce drag since they stand out quite a lot but at least they're a lot slimer than conventional mirrors. You also dont really need to adapt to them because the position of the image is still in the same area as a normal mirror would be.
It has many drive modes to choose from, but we just left it in comfort and let to massaging seats do it‘s thing. In Sport Mode, it has an overboost feature, to put all of it‘s power on the road. It has a 400 Horsepower Engine with over 650 NM of torque. It has a claimed range of about 370 km, but we got around 320, so 200 miles. The range could be improved, but of course you have to consider the weight, 2600 kg! So it‘s understandable that the range is average. While driving, you feel that it‘s heavy, but the steering feel is great and it still goes like a rocket. With boost, it goes from 0 - 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds. It feels much faster though, the 0 - 60 km/h goes in 3 seconds. So the curve flattens after 60 km/h.
Of course, the etron gets Audi‘s brilliant Quattro, which is excellent in all conditions. It even has adjustable suspension that can raise and lower, depending on the drive-modes. Space in the back is very good, even though it has a coupé sloping roofline. All around, it‘s a very good car for commuting, but not ideal for longer Roadtrips. It‘s possible if you plan your trip accordingly, because it has 150 kw fast-charging.
Our verdict is that the etron itself is more of a statement, than a mass-selling electric vehicle. It sets a promising tone for the future of electric mobility for Audi and we were very impressed by the technology and the driving experience overall.
