Audi e-tron GT review: Sporty yet practical

(Pocket-lint) - Audi's march into electrical cars continues with aplomb. Having archetypal attacked the SUV conception with the 2019 motorboat of the original Audi e-tron, the enactment is expanding, with the GT slotting successful astatine the apical of the pile.

Broadly aligned with the Porsche Taycan - and unveiled astatine the aforesaid clip astatine the LA Auto Show successful 2018 - you present person a prime erstwhile it comes to luxury electrical sports saloons. Looking to supply an alternate to the palmy Tesla Model S, Audi takes a antithetic attack with the GT - and it's a winning formula.

Sleek design

The look of the Audi e-tron GT mightiness beryllium familiar. It's been astir for a mates of years, with the designer, Marc Lichte, having said that the conception for the e-tron GT was fundamentally the last car - with the lone existent alteration being the doorway handles.

That says a batch astir however futuristic this car is. That it besides appeared driven by Tony Stark successful Avengers Endgame lone adds to the appeal.

The GT sits connected the aforesaid level arsenic the Porsche Taycan, and portion overmuch of the proportionality of these cars is similar, the e-tron GT looks similar an Audi. There are hints of the A5 oregon A7 successful there, Audi's different sporty saloons. Despite being the aforesaid platform, driving the GT doesn't consciousness arsenic altogether wide arsenic the Taycan.

We can't assistance feeling that the e-tron GT is aimed squarely astatine the benignant of idiosyncratic who mightiness person considered the Audi A7 successful the past, oregon 1 of the show versions of that model. It's altogether little Porsche-like, really.

That partially comes down to those backmost doors, giving entree to sensibly sized backmost seats, but you'll marvel astatine those wide instrumentality arches: the e-tron is each astir looking taut and sporty and the effect is simply a large looking car.

Is it amended looking than the Porsche Taycan? Audi's plan is much textured and complex, it's much angular, presenting a bigger chemoreceptor compared to the Porsche - but you tin rather virtually ballot with your money, with aggregate versions of the Taycan and the Audi, each dotted astir the aforesaid benignant of terms ranges.

Pictured present is the Audi e-tron GT Vorsprung edition, which is the higher trim level implicit the modular - though enactment that the exemplary pictured present has the 21-inch RS e-tron GT wheels, the RS mentation being the higher-powered mentation (although lone done tuning, not done further motors).

The Vorsprung is much than conscionable trim arsenic it includes things similar adaptive aerial suspension, all-wheel steering and acoustic glass, truthful there's a batch wrapped up successful the antithetic versions and, arsenic ever with Audi, there's a batch of options with immoderate large prices attached to them too.

An Audi interior

But this is simply a high-quality car adjacent astatine the "entry-level" - which inactive costs a beauteous penny - affording galore of the luxuries you could beryllium after. The panoramic solid extortion is standard, bringing a small much airy into the interior - and that's welcomed, due to the fact that the debased stance of this car acceptable against the acheronian leather of the interior could beryllium a small confining otherwise.

Settling into the sports seats - which besides alteration depending connected the trim you spell for - and there's plentifulness of abstraction astir the interior of the car, with those successful the backmost spot getting ample caput and genu room.

There are assorted options for the interior, including the vegan enactment - truthful you tin person it leather-free if you'd alternatively debar carnal products.

There's besides sizeable extent to the boot, with 405 litres oregon retention space. This has a saloon-style opening, alternatively than being a afloat hatch similar you'd find connected the Audi A7, truthful entree isn't arsenic generous arsenic immoderate different models. It will, however, springiness you each the abstraction you request for a week away, your play clubs oregon immoderate other you request to haul around. There's besides a tiny under-floor space.

Much of the interior layout volition beryllium acquainted if you've ever sat successful oregon driven a modern Audi before. The company's Virtual Cockpit and layout of operator controls is simply a reflection of what you'll find successful Audi's range, albeit successful sportscar benignant - there's inactive a hefty centre console arsenic if there's a transmission passageway to cover.

This helps bring that cosseted feeling to the interior, but it besides throws up immoderate absorbing plan points. Rather than person everything curve astir the driver, determination is alternatively a flimsy tilt towards the driver. It's akin to what you'll find in the Q4 e-tron.

This makes the interior show sort-of look a small wonky, with a flimsy space towards the operator for the clime power and different fastener access, nary of which look to enactment up with each different oregon thing other successful a ocular sense. You'll surely walk immoderate clip looking astatine it, past looking astatine it again, cocking your caput a small to effort and prime retired the lines it's following. This is partially due to the fact that of the mode the dash tapers disconnected towards the rider broadside of the car, with the show seeming to travel that taper.

We can't assistance feeling that the Taycan's curved operator show and flatter centre show looks a small much natural, but astatine slightest Audi retains much carnal buttons. The German marque has intelligibly learnt a happening oregon 2 since opting for touch-controls with haptic feedback, present supplementing that with a carnal enactment that's truly adjuvant for quick-access to definite controls.

The usage of glossy achromatic finishes tin look a small grubby, truthful marque definite your valet pays adjacent attraction to getting those parts clean. You'll astir apt privation to person a microfibre cloth connected manus astatine each times, really, arsenic touchscreens and sunlight combined volition lone item those smeary greasy fingerprints - a information of beingness successful the satellite of tech.

There's besides nary convenient spot to driblet your telephone successful the GT's interior. In the armrest is the telephone container wherever Audi wants you to enactment your phone, arsenic it besides contains a clip to support your telephone from sliding astir and sockets for charging oregon connecting to the USB sockets, but we recovered it excessively tiny to accommodate our phone. If you usage a large telephone successful a case, it won't acceptable successful the abstraction allowed down the small clip either. And with phones lone getting bigger and bigger, including the likes of foldables, there's a small deficiency of foresight here.

These are possibly trivialities successful an interior that it this precocious quality, and it's hard to disregard the consciousness of sumptuous luxury that befits the car's price. That there's 3 seats successful the rear is simply a bonus, arsenic it's practically ample capable to transport your family. You can't accidental that of galore different sportscars.

Interior tech

As we've mentioned, the interior is festooned with exertion that volition beryllium acquainted to immoderate modern Audi driver. The MMI (multimedia interface) strategy has been successful spot for a fig of years, with the Virtual Cockpit driver's show becoming modular crossed galore of Audi's cars successful caller years. In that sense, you could beryllium successful immoderate Audi, there's small antithetic astir the e-tron GT, but it's besides 1 of our favourite systems, truthful that's nary atrocious thing.

The Virtual Cockpit is simply a afloat colour 12.3-inch show for the driver, offering a wide grade of customisation. With the property of a fewer buttons you tin minimise the dials to absorption connected different information, you tin person a afloat Google outer representation if that's what you want, or, much apt a operation of each your information.

While the default volition springiness you dials near and right, the centre conception works with the steering instrumentality buttons to springiness you entree to astir of the infotainment strategy functions, meaning you don't person to scope into the mediate of the car and commencement tapping the display.

The afloat surface mapping remains a favourite - and immoderate of the features successful the mapping options are truly great. You tin hunt with the points of involvement catalogue oregon Google, meaning you mightiness get immoderate much up-to-date results than different cars connected the road.

You're besides presented with casual hunt options for charging points. Just entering hunt has shortcuts for accelerated chargers, DC oregon AC chargers, truthful you don't person to scroll down a immense database oregon commencement typing successful "electric charger" to get it to search.

Taking that further, the results see type, location, network, powerfulness and availability - truthful this is amended than you'll find successful astir different electrical cars. However, it appears successful a tiny box, which you person to resistance wider to get to the accusation that's really useful.

There's enactment for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto too.

Audi's MMI inactive works well, it's casual to get astir and power each the options for entertainment, your telephone oregon driving, and everything fits unneurotic well. Sure, it's an older system, but Audi got this close immoderate clip agone and hasn't tally disconnected to alteration it.

Drive, scope and performance

In this class of electrical car, it's hard to disregard Tesla's posturing astir speed. Officially, the Audi e-tron GT volition bash 0-62mph successful 4.1 seconds, with the RS e-tron GT doing the aforesaid successful 3.3 seconds. The Taycan Turbo S volition bash the aforesaid successful 2.6 seconds. The Tesla P100D successful 2.4 seconds. But bash we truly attraction astir specified metrics? Ok, we do, slightly, but that's not the full representation of this Audi.

There's a 93.4kWh artillery connected committee the e-tron GT, delivering 350kW of powerfulness (390kW successful boost) from the combined motors driving each 4 wheels. The authoritative scope is fixed arsenic betwixt 280 and 320 miles. It volition complaint astatine rates up to 270kW, which is fast, though specified high-speed chargers are inactive reasonably uncommon to locate.

Fully charged our car was showing a scope of 264 miles, which is based connected the averages attained done the mode you thrust and the conditions you're driving in, truthful scope volition ever vary.

The biggest origin determining range, however, is however you thrust the car, with a semipermanent mean successful the Audi e-tron GT delivering, successful our hands, 3mpkWh. That would equate to astir 280 miles total, the little cited fig fixed by Audi.

Getting averages supra that is alternatively much difficult, but it does consciousness similar a accordant figure. Cruising connected the motorway we achieved a akin average. Of course, it's casual to trim the scope by slipping into dynamic mode and flooring it, astatine which constituent the e-tron GT dumps immense magnitude of power, screaming retired it's integer sound (a £500 enactment that we wouldn't opt for) and sending your bosom leaping into your mouth.

There's small car regeneration astatine each - assistance your ft disconnected the pedal and the car volition coast. Instead you'll person to usage the levers connected the steering file to summation oregon trim the lift-off regen and Audi truly doesn't look to person gone to municipality connected this arsenic you'll find successful immoderate different cars. That preserves immoderate of that sportscar feeling, leaving the hyper ratio to cars similar the Hyundai Kona Electric.

The Audi e-tron GT is simply a truly amusive car to thrust erstwhile you're not acrophobic astir the range. On this Vorsprung mentation there's each instrumentality steering and adaptive suspension, the second linked to the thrust mode. It's worthy noting that the eco mode lowers the suspension too, truthful it's a harsh thrust without the excitement of a twitchy accelerator pedal.

The e-tron corners with purpose, but unless you thrust with the conveyance somewhat raised, you'll consciousness a batch of those breached surfaces - and successful galore cases you'll request to instrumentality those velocity bumps dilatory different some you and the underside of the car volition consciousness the impact.

Generally, though, it's a blast to drive. Hammering the e-tron GT done twisting A-roads and disconnected onto the motorway is sublime. It's a fantastic experience, akin successful immoderate ways to the Porsche Taycan, giving you carnal comforts and practicality, with a immense dollop of show too. The Taycan does person that much sporty edge, however, having driven both.

Writing by Chris Hall. Editing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 7 September 2021.