Audi e-tron 55 quattro First Drive Review

• Instantaneous performance
• Comfy ride quality

Its Audi’s first ever crack at the all-important all-electric production car. It’s a bespoke model from scratch that promises a reliable driving range similar to a powerful petrol engine car. It’s also designed to seat four adults and carry their luggage and if need be, take them places where the roads cease to exist. The e-tron, then, is Audi’s way of announcing that the future has arrived, but as far as we are concerned the future is looking remarkably ‘current’ and everything about the e-tron, including the driving experience, is unmistakably Audi and that’s a great thing.

• Lazy handling
• Charging durations

Engine? There’s no such thing here. The e-tron’s lifeblood comes in the form of a 95kWh battery that’s mounted beneath the passenger shell. It feeds two electric motors (one per axle) which jointly deliver up to 300kw of power which translates to 408bhp/664Nm. Now, logic dictates that Audi would have better off using a single large motor but this dual-motor setup not only helps achieve a better weight distribution but more importantly, allows the brand to facilitate its quattro all-wheel drive system into this electric SUV. Under normal conditions, the e-tron uses its rear electric motor to drive itself and it’s only when the driver’s right foot demands more power than it can supply, the all-wheel drive redistributes torque to the front axle.

The e-tron has a theoretical range of up to 400km on a full charge. Of course that depends on several factors such as driving style and traffic conditions. According to Audi, the car’s regeneration system accounts for up to 30 percent of the total range. Basically, every time the driver hits the brakes or gets off the accelerator, the e-tron regenerates power back into the battery. In both cases, the electric motors function as a generator and convert the kinetic energy of the e-tron into electric energy to leverage more charge into the battery. What’s interesting here is that the driver can adjust the extent of re-gen using the paddle shifters on the steering wheel. In the highest re-gen setting, the e-tron will decelerate and come to a stop rapidly as soon as you get off the accelerator. Ideally, then, one can drive the e-tron in traffic using just the accelerator pedal which is a little bizarre.

Our brief stint with the e-tron took us from the heart of Mumbai West i.e. Andheri through traffic to the outskirts of Navi Mumbai and back. It was almost the ideal scenario to test the performance and range capabilities of the car under varied traffic conditions. Speaking of the driving experience, you begin by pushing the start/stop button and that’s it. No engine to crank nothing. It takes some getting used to the fact that there is zero noise and vibration before you slot the gearlever in Drive and set off. This is also where the fun part begins because in typical EV fashion, the e-tron reacts like a resolute athlete as soon as you push the throttle pedal, accelerating strongly compared to all other vehicles around you. With over 400bhp and 664Nm of instantaneous torque under your right foot, the e-tron is rapid and is easily capable of pinning you back in your seat under full-bore acceleration. Speaking of which, we managed to strap our timing gear during the drive and the results were quite impressive. 0-60kmph takes just 2.88 seconds and you will need all of 5.35 seconds to hit 100kmph from standstill. The e-tron is phenomenally quick in-gear, too, taking just 3.53 seconds for the 40-100kmph run.

As for the range, we covered nearly 200km during the test wherein we subjected the e-tron to both sedate and hard driving. By the end of it we had around 130km of range left, however, our conclusion on the actual range will have to wait until we carry out proper tests with some highway driving.

The e-tron’s start-up and get-go process might be alien to some but there is nothing outlandish about the way this electric SUV rides and handles. Dynamically the e-tron feels quintessential Audi – everything from the steering feel to the body control is akin to that of a Q7. Sure, it cannot shift its mass around quite as fluidly as other full-size SUVs but for everyday driving, it’s not bad at all. This is largely down to the e-tron’s adaptive air suspension which does a great job of delivering an appropriately cushy ride in Comfort and safe, planted handling in Dynamic.

The adaptive suspension also allows the driver to raise the ride height on the move. This not only reduces the chances of underbody scraping but more crucially, also keeps the battery pack safe. As for the ride quality, the e-tron is just like any petrol/diesel luxury SUV when it comes to smothering the harshness in bumps and pot holes. There is no underlying stiffness to its ride and for something that weighs over 2.5 tonne, there isn’t much side to side movement over undulations either.

Like most new flagship Audi models, the interior look and appeal is headlined by the two large touchscreen displays - one for the infotainment system and the lower secondary unit houses the climate controls. Admittedly, the screens look brilliant, especially at night, but they are also big-time fingerprint magnets. The rest of the cabin is typically Audi which means everything you touch or operate has a quality feel to it, right down to the wiper/indicator stalks and controls for the wing mirrors.

The e-tron sits between the Q5 and the Q7 so it’s not like you are going to feel shortchanged for space. The car’s dimensions, in fact, are quite large which translates to an airy, comfortable cabin. The front seats are big and supportive and because the e-tron is so wide the seats are set at a good distance apart. Again, legroom and shoulder room at the back are plentiful and the rear bench is also equally supportive with good cushioning all around. What’s not so good are the relatively small windows which might make three abreast seating a little claustrophobic. Thankfully, the lack of a transmission tunnel liberates more legroom for the middle passenger but the knee room is still compromised thanks to the intruding climate control panel for the rear.

The India-spec e-tron 55 quattro gets panoramic sunroof, Matrix LED headlamps, soft-closing doors, Audi’s virtual cockpit (digital instrument cluster), ambient lighting, wireless charging, 16-speaker Bang and Olufsen sound system, four-zone climate control and a heads-up display. In some markets the e-tron also gets virtual mirrors which are basically cameras instead of door mirrors projecting the visuals across dedicated screens on the front doors.

The e-tron also comes with a 22kW AC charger though what’s really handy is that Audi has put charging points on both sides of the e-tron. There’s an AC/DC port on the driver’s side and an AC port on the other side to make charging that much easier when you simply want to plug it either way to your household AC provision. When connected to the compact mobile charging system that comes standard with the car, the battery can be charged to 80 per cent in four and a half hours. Meanwhile, an 11kW AC home charger can fully charge the e-tron in eight and a half hours.

Audi’s first-ever production EV makes for a convincing buy, whether you are looking for a luxury SUV or a straight up electric vehicle. It’s quicker than most SUVs in its class and it feels and drives like a conventional luxury vehicle which is probably the most impressive thing about it. Add in the comfortable road manners, solid build quality and a theoretical range of over 350km and it makes for a compelling electric car to live with. Now it’s up to Audi India and how well they price the e-tron. As things stand, the Mercedes EQC and the Jaguar I-Pace are priced around Rs 1.30 crore on-road and if Audi can undercut both then the e-tron definitely deserves a spot near the top of your luxury EV consideration list.

Audi India has announced that the e-tron will be launched on July 22, 2021 so stay tuned.

Photos by Kaustubh Gandhi