Audi e-tron Sportback

Audi e-tron upgraded to Sportback

he Audi e-tron has been around for a couple of years now. It was one of the first big, premium electric SUVs – along with models like the Jaguar I-Pace, Tesla Model X and Mercedes EQC – majoring on comfort, quality and the ability to charge in double-quick time. But now, Audi has launched a sleeker, sportier model called the e-tron Sportback. It’s a rakish, coupe-styled version of the standard SUV, with the same mechanical platform, the same electric motor, and the same tech-filled interior. But are the compromises when it comes to space and practicality worth the extra style and higher price? To many, it’ll be the visually more attractive option, but at 4.9 metres nose-to-tail, it’s just as long, if ever so slightly narrower. From the front, the Sportback looks identical to its standard SUV sibling. But at the rear it’s a different story; the roofline dips away sooner, while the revised beltline gives it a small lip spoiler and a taller back end. Inside, the Sportback offers the same hi-tech, classy cabin as the conventional e-tron SUV. There’s no entry-level Technik or Sport trims to choose from, but by stepping up to the well-package S line, you get a raft of standard equipment. The long list includes a pair of central touchscreens – one for the infotainment system and another for the climate control – as well as a set of fully-digital Virtual Cockpit dials and Valcona leather seats. There’s a set of 21-inch wheels, standard-fit 150kW rapid charging and Matrix LED headlights. There’s very little compromise to be made when it comes to practicality, either. The e-tron is a big car, with a huge boot and enough room inside for taller adults to get comfortable – despite that sloping roofline. There’s a neat storage area for the charging cables under the bonnet. But those generous dimensions mean the e-tron feels big on the road. In fact, appears cumbersome on all but the widest motorways, making it a challenge to drive in town. This is a car with a powertrain perfectly suited to urban driving, but its size prevents it from ever being a truly enjoyable car to drive. Still, it rides wonderfully and it’s incredibly refined at high speeds. Overall, the e-tron Sportback’s relatively modest price premium makes it a worthy addition to the range. It’s a stylish, beautifully built and capable family car, with a decent range and the ability to charge faster than any of its main rivals.

Audi e-tron Sportback range

Audi claims its e-tron Sportback will do 390 kilometers on a single charge – providing you avoid the very biggest 22-inch wheels fitted to the flagship Vorsprung version. These models suffer slightly, with predicted range dropping slightly to just 380 kilometers. However, in all likelihood, you can expect a figure closer to 320 kilometers in normal driving – or perhaps 350 kilometers if you make the most of the e-tron’s clever regenerative braking system. Still, that shouldn’t be an issue for most drivers, especially if you plan to utilise the car’s reliable rapid-charge capabilities.

Charge time

As the 55 quattro and e-tron S model have the same 95kWh battery and identical charging speed, their top-up times are indistinguishable: nearly 14 hours to 100% from a 7.4kW power source, or just under nine hours if you’ve access to an 11kW three-phase wallbox. Its maximum charging speed is 150kW, allowing for an 80% top-up in just under half an hour at a public rapid charge point. Audi says every e-tron has 22 litres of coolant, flowing through 40 metres of cooling lines across four coolant circuits. This, the maker claims, makes its charging system more efficient, allowing the car to maintain higher charging speeds than its main competitors. It works, too: we saw the e-tron hold its 150kW maximum from 45-80% when hooked up to a rapid charge point, allowing us to comfortably achieve Audi’s claims of an 80% charge in 30 minutes.

Drive and Performance

Our first taste of the e-tron Sportback was in 55 quattro form, which is the mid-range offering in what will eventually be a three-strong line-up – below it sits the entry-level Sportback 50 quattro, while above is the Sportback S; the company’s first electric 'S' performance model. In the 55, the permanent quattro all-wheel-drive system is enabled by a pair of electric motors – one on each axle – while the S uses a three-motor setup, with two of the 55's front-motor axles at its rear, and an adapted version of the standard car's rear-axle motor at the front. And yet for all this grip and performance, you hear nothing inside. The way Audi insulates its cars’ occupants from the outside world has always been impressive, but the engineers appear to have stepped things up a notch with the e-tron and e-tron Sportback. It’s genuinely one of the quietest cars we’ve ever had the pleasure of travelling in. The ride is excellent, even on 21-inch wheels. Performance isn’t lacking. With 402bhp, the 55 quattro shoots from 0-100 kmh in just 6.6 seconds (or 5.7 seconds in S mode) and will keep going to 200 km/h flat out. That’ll be plenty quick enough for most, despite the fact it falls short of all its main rivals in a straight-line sprint. In an attempt to rectify that, Audi has also launched the 496bhp e-tron S. This model will perform the 0-100 kmh dash in 4.5 seconds, and carry on to a maximum speed of 210 km/h. Spend much time at top speed, however, and your predicted range will drop like a stone.

Handling

The Audi e-tron feels much the same as the standard SUV from behind the wheel. That’s to say it’s comfortable and quiet on the move – and not just because it’s an electric car; there’s very little in the way of road noise and the optional digital door mirrors means there’s next to no wind noise from around the A-pillars, either. Audi has done everything possible to disguise the e-tron's considerable weight, but there’s no avoiding the fact that this is a 2.5 tonne car. It rides wonderfully, but you’d be hard pressed to call it fun to drive. Grip from the quattro system is excellent, but there’s not much feel through the steering and body control could be better. Whether the coupe shape really makes any difference to the way this car handles is hard to call without trying the two back-to-back. But regardless, this really is a very relaxing car to drive. At least until you consider quite how big it is; the e-tron feels cumbersome on anything other than a wide three-lane motorway, and things really aren’t helped by those mirrors. Yes, the OLED screens suit the e-tron’s character and give it a hi-tech feel, but they require complete re-calibration of your brain. It just feels a bit alien, and a bit disconcerting. The triple-motor setup in the Sportback S makes it quite a different prospect to the dual-motor 55. Of course, acceleration feels even stronger, but it's the way the S cleverly distributes all that power across its two axles that's most impressive. Most of the time, just the two motors on the rear axle are at work, but when you press the accelerator hard, the front motor comes into play too, giving you maximum shove. The car can also vary the amount of power being sent to each wheel in order to boost both grip and stability while turning. The end result is an astonishing amount of traction when taking corners at speed, making even the twistiest route a 'point-and-shoot' experience. Extensive suspension improvements and sharper steering compared to the Sportback 55 also contribute to the sense of agility in the S.