Welsh Motoring Writers
  • Home
  • About us
  • News
  • Car Reviews
  • Blogs
  • Contact
  • Members
  • Blog

Audi E-Tron 55 quattro

7/9/2019

 
Picture
Say hello to the first all-electric car from Audi, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, it is a large SUV.

​The E-Tron rivals other premium EVs such as the Jaguar I-Pace and the Tesla Model X, but does it bring something extra to the all-electric party?

Take away some of the glitzy bits and it is actually a fairly conventional family SUV to look at, with 20in wheels as standard and LED headlights, as well as a charging point on either side of the car, which is useful. Inside you are immediately welcomed by the high build quality we have come to expect from Audi - half a step up from Jaguar and with clear blue water to Tesla - although, strangely, the steering wheel buttons feel a bit cheap. 



The E-Tron has plenty of tech in the cabin to remind you that you are in a cutting edge vehicle, with touches including a 10.1in touchscreen in the middle providing you with haptic feedback, and a secondary 8.6in screen below it. There are loads of other features you can add to your E-Tron, but as usual with Audi you have to pay for most of them - even adaptive cruise control, which comes included on cars much cheaper than this - as well as the side cameras, which are unfortunately also an extra. More about those later. 

​There is plenty of space inside for five passengers, with good headroom and legroom in the back and a generous boot offering 605 litres (expanding to 1,755 up to the roof with the rear seats folded), more than the 1,550 litres offered in the conventionally powered Audi Q5, or the 1,600-litre boot of the Mercedes GLC. There is also some handy space under the bonnet as all the motors and batteries are low down under the car.


Energy is provided by a 95kWh lithium-ion battery that powers two electric motors and delivers 408hp; however, most of the time it only delivers 360hp to minimise the battery discharge. When in 'S' or sport mode, the 0-62 sprint takes 5.7 seconds, not too bad considering the car weighs two and a half tonnes. 

As it is quite heavy, the E-Tron loses a little in terms of excitement and doesn't feel as fast off the mark as the figures suggest, but it is still quite sprightly. The heaviness of the car also shows in the handling and while the adaptive air suspension (which is standard) does a good job of keeping things flat, the front tyres will soon start to protest and run wide in corners if you try and push on a bit. 


It is possible to delete door mirrors in the E-Tron, as cameras can be specified in their place. While the technology is really clever, reducing the E-Tron's drag co-efficient from 0.28 to 0.27 (equivalent to four miles of additional travel) it is only standard on the £82,240 Launch Edition and is a £1,240 option on lower grades - so currently it is quite a pricey piece of kit. 

Unfortunately, range is where the Audi disappoints a little. On the official WLTP combined cycle, it offers a 248-mile range, which sounds low given the size of the battery. The Mercedes EQC has a smaller 80kWh battery but manages 259 miles of range, while the Jaguar I-Pace hits 292 miles. 

It goes without saying that company car tax on the E-Tron is low for such a 
high-end performance SUV, but the Audi is more expensive to buy than the Mercedes EQC and Jaguar I-Pace, with an OTR price starting at £71,520. 

Audi E-Tron 55 quattro 

P11D £71,465
On sale Now
Range 248 miles 
CO2 (BIK band) 0g/km
Boot space 605 litres 
Power output 408hp

By Rachel Boagey 
First published in Business Car ​

Picture
As it is quite heavy, the E-Tron loses a little in terms of excitement and doesn't feel as fast off the mark as the figures suggest, but it is still quite sprightly. The heaviness of the car also shows in the handling and while the adaptive air suspension (which is standard) does a good job of keeping things flat, the front tyres will soon start to protest and run wide in corners if you try and push on a bit. 

It is possible to delete door mirrors in the E-Tron, as cameras can be specified in their place. While the technology is really clever, reducing the E-Tron's drag co-efficient from 0.28 to 0.27 (equivalent to four miles of additional travel) it is only standard on the £82,240 Launch Edition and is a £1,240 option on lower grades - so currently it is quite a pricey piece of kit. 

Unfortunately, range is where the Audi disappoints a little. On the official WLTP combined cycle, it offers a 248-mile range, which sounds low given the size of the battery. The Mercedes EQC has a smaller 80kWh battery but manages 259 miles of range, while the Jaguar I-Pace hits 292 miles. 

It goes without saying that company car tax on the E-Tron is low for such a 
high-end performance SUV, but the Audi is more expensive to buy than the Mercedes EQC and Jaguar I-Pace, with an OTR price starting at £71,520. 

Audi E-Tron 55 quattro 

P11D £71,465
On sale Now
Range 248 miles 
CO2 (BIK band) 0g/km
Boot space 605 litres 
Power output 408hp

By Rachel Boagey 
First published in Business Car 

Comments are closed.

    View by date

    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    December 2020
    August 2020
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    August 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    September 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    March 2014
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    July 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    October 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    May 2010
    December 2009
    October 2009
    August 2009
    November 2001


    View by tags

    All
    Alfa Romeo Giulietta
    Alfa Romeo Mito
    Aston Martin Rapide
    Audi A3
    Audi A6
    Audi A7 Sportback
    Audi Q3
    Bmw 520d
    Bmw 5 Series Touring
    Bugatti Veyron Super Sports
    Fiat 500 Twinair
    Ford Focus
    Honda Civic Type R
    Honda CR-Z
    Hyundai Ix35
    Infiniti Ex37
    Infiniti Fx
    Infiniti G37 Cabrio
    Jaguar Xf
    Jeep Grand Cherokee
    Kia Soul
    Kia Sportage
    Land Rover Discovery 4
    Lexus Ct200h
    Mazda3
    Mazda CX-5
    Mercedes-Benz C-Class
    Mini Countyman
    Mitsubishi Shogun
    Nissan X-Trail
    Peugeot 3008
    Peugeot 508 Rxh
    Peugeot 508 Saloon
    Peugeot Rcz
    Range Rover Evoque
    Renault Mégane
    Renault Mégane Coupe Cabriolet
    Renaultsport Clio Gordini
    Renault Wind
    Seat Leon Cupra R
    Seat Leon Ecomotive
    Skoda Octavia Scout
    Skoda Superb Estate
    Skoda Yeti
    Ssangyong Korando
    Suzuki Alto
    Suzuki Swift
    Toyota Avensis Saloon
    Volkswagen California
    Volkswagen Tiguan
    Volkswagen Touareg
    Volvo S60
    Volvo V60

    RSS Feed

© WELSH MOTORING WRITERS 2023