Test: Audi E-Tron GT

At the end of 2019, we will be introduced to the Porsche Taycan for the first time, the established car industry’s first serious response to Tesla, which already set the stakes in EV land in 2012 with the Model S. Based on the technology of that pure electric Porsche, Audi now comes with the E-tron GT. It is Audi’s third battery-electric car in the range and when it comes to pure performance, it is also immediately the best, especially the potent RS variant.

The E-tron GT is a beautiful appearance. Clean lines, sharp folds and the single frame (without grille) make the car a four-door coupé that does not look out of place at Audi between the A5 and A7 or their RS derivatives. The Audi signature is also reflected in the interior. The exciting lines of the E-tron GT create high expectations when it comes to the driving experience.

That experience starts when you get in. Inside the Audi you will still find panels with the necessary physical buttons and switches that make operation easier. So you can operate the air conditioning and radio without taking your eyes off the road. If you are used to a recent Audi, you will effortlessly find your way in the E-tron GT. For a multitude of settings you really need the multimedia system, which leaves nothing to be desired in terms of logic and speed. With an Audi of this caliber you can expect beautiful materials and a neat finish and the E-tron GT does not disappoint. The sports seats in the Audi, which are available at an additional cost, are fine. Even when it comes to space, the front is perfectly fine, in all directions. In the back you prefer to leave only children, who have just enough headroom under the standard glass roof.

catapult

In the specifications of the Audi E-tron GT we read that the electric motors together are good for 476 hp. If you want to let yourself be shot out of a catapult, then there is even 530 hp available in overboost temporarily. There is therefore little to complain about the performance. With the E-tron GT, we hit 100 kilometers per hour from a standstill after 4.1 seconds, exactly what Audi promises. You will feel a slight jolt around 80 km/h as a result of the upshifting of the transmission on the rear axle. Such sprints are of course at the expense of the number of kilometers that you travel on a full 93.4 kWh battery pack. It is also the only battery pack that Audi offers.

In Efficiency mode, the E-tron GT becomes a front-wheel drive, which reacts more languidly to the accelerator to save energy. According to Audi’s statement, you should be able to cover 488 kilometers with the E-tron GT with a full battery. However, we don’t get that far, because when we extrapolate the consumption figure after normal use to an empty battery, you stand still after 389 kilometers. A good value, especially in the knowledge that the 800-volt battery in the car can be charged with 270 kW DC, if you can find a charger that can provide that. If you are dependent on a regular charging station or wallbox, then it stops at 11 kW AC.

Brake pedal

With its four-wheel steering, the Audi E-tron GT has the maneuverability of a compact mid-size car at lower speeds, while at higher speeds the course stability increases. The steering works accurately enough to impose your will on the car, but does so with a clearly present power steering, which hardly seems to be less in Dynamic mode. You have to get used to the brakes. It is true that you can use the flippers behind the wheel to set the degree of recovery, but even then the delay when the throttle is released in the most ‘aggressive’ position is still very tame. In fact, you simply brake with the brake pedal on this car, which initially also involves regenerative braking. If you press the brake pedal more deeply, it seamlessly transitions into mechanical braking.

We have the optional air suspension and rear wheel steering (also an option) under the green Audi. The E-tron GT thus makes a neatly balanced impression. The chassis tuning is comfortable with a (driving mode dependent) firm to very firm undertone. In dynamic driving mode, the rear engine leads the way, on winding courses the car is then tempted to explore the boundary between driving and sliding in a controlled manner. Grip is there to a large extent; on the public road you will not just run into its limits. Although the Audi weighs 2,250 kilos, there is not too much movement in the body, partly thanks to the battery pack hidden in the bottom. When braking abruptly, the E-tron GT dives forward a bit and when you come out of the bend using the full potential of the two electric motors, the body also has a slight tendency to lean.