It may be hard to believe, but Audi was once an underdog in the luxury car space. They were somewhat similar to brands like Saab or Acura; they had some cool cars, and they were a little bit desirable, but they weren't quite up to snuff when compared to their German rivals. Things changed dramatically, though.
Today, Audi trades punches with Mercedes and BMW all day and all night, and they're among the top dogs in the luxury car industry. Like with so many of their rivals, Audi is slowly moving towards their electrified future, and the e-tron was their first big attack on the EV scene.
10 Range Is Now Improved
It goes without saying, but one of the key factors when it comes to buying a new electric car is the range. How far the car can go could be a make-or-break situation, and unfortunately, the e-tron always felt like it was lagging behind.
When it debuted back in 2018, the top model e-tron had an estimated 204-mile range, but there's a pretty big improvement for the 2021 model year. The range now jumps from 204 to 222 miles on a single charge for the biggest battery pack available. While not quite the estimated 292 miles of the Jaguar I-Pace, it bests the Mercedes-Benz EQC by just two miles.
9 There's A Suave Sportback Version
The sudden arrival of coupe crossovers has definitely proven to be controversial in the world of cars, but at least in the case of electric SUVs, it's completely justified; the teardrop shape is much more aerodynamic, and it helps increase the electric range.
Audi, following on with the tradition of offering a Sportback version of pretty much all their SUVs, has also added it to the e-tron family. It looks mostly the same, but the roofline slopes off, giving a more fastback look. While it definitely won't be for everyone, it should give you at least a couple more miles of range due to the aerodynamics.
8 Power And Speed Isn't Everything
It seems like every new electric car that comes along is all about the horsepower and the 0-60 time. Some of them really are screaming fast, and while it does give you bragging rights, and the instant torque delivery from the motor or motors is very addicting, Audi has taken a different approach to this idea.
That's why the most powerful e-tron 55 Quattro has "only" 355 hp and "only" 414 lb/ft of torque. While that's way down when compared to the Tesla Model X Plaid's 1000+ hp, Audi reckons that the e-tron should be fast enough, and not blisteringly fast. After all, 0-60 in 5.5 seconds isn't exactly slow, especially for an SUV. If power and speed do concern you, however...
7 Don't Worry, There Is An S Version
Once again, like almost all their other SUVs, Audi is offering a souped-up S version of both the regular e-tron and the Sportback. The S versions both sit slightly lower to the ground and feature some surprisingly subtle ground effects, as well as some unique alloy wheel designs.
The power, meanwhile, jumps from 355 hp to a much meatier 496 hp and 596 lb/ft of torque, which can jump to an Earth-moving 718 lb/ft when necessary. The air suspension is also slightly firmer, to allow the S models to handle a little bit better. With all that, even with the e-tron's relatively porky weight figure, the 0-60 time drops a whole second to a pretty brisk 4.5 seconds.
6 Impressive Charging Capabilities
Like most other EVs, the e-tron offers a variety of battery pack sizes, with the biggest one boasting a pretty insane capacity of 95 kWh. The pack itself has some really cool features, like even distribution of heat and cooling to keep it running as well as possible, but the most impressive thing is the charging.
Although the e-tron can take just about any commercially available EV charger, it's purposely designed to charge at 150 kW rapid chargers. Plug it into one of those, and you'll have 80% juice in just 30 minutes. With tens of thousands of chargers spread throughout the country, it shouldn't be difficult to charge the e-tron rapidly.
5 Best-In-Class Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics are absolutely crucial when making an electric car, as making it breeze through the air effortlessly can have a great effect on the range. Audi took this very seriously, which is why the e-tron is one of the most aerodynamic SUVs ever made.
Admittedly, the Tesla Model X is just a tiny bit better, but the e-tron's drag coefficient figure of just 0.30 Cd is seriously impressive. Opt for the e-tron Sportback, and this figure drops even more to just 0.28 Cd. That means that the e-tron is more aerodynamic than a Koenigsegg Agera.
4 Cameras Instead Of Mirrors, But There's A Catch...
They are a pretty costly option, but this is amazing forward-thinking tech; the e-tron is one of the first production cars in the world that offers cameras in place of the rear-view mirrors. Not only are they high-tech, but they improve the drag coefficient as well.
So what's the catch? Unfortunately, you can't have the camera mirrors in North America, because such items are not yet federally legal. The cameras are available in overseas markets though, and instead of actual mirrors, there are little displays in the driver and passenger door panels that show a live feed of everything the camera sees. Really impressive stuff.
3 It Looks And Feels Like A Regular Audi
So many EVs are trying to show potential buyers how cool and futuristic they are, whether that would be the exterior or interior styling, or simply by some crazy feature that they offer, which can sometimes lead to catastrophic results. Ingolstadt didn't want to go this route with the e-tron, or indeed, their range of EVs.
To the untrained eye, the e-tron just looks like a regular Audi SUV, and even more so when you step inside. It's safe to assume that Audi did this so as to not intimidate customers who have never had experience with an EV before, to make the transition a little bit easier, and to keep everything familiar. The e-tron seems all the better for it.
2 It's RWD Most Of The Time
A RWD Audi? That might sound ridiculous, but that's exactly what the e-tron is most of the time. Every e-tron has dual asynchronous electric motors, one at each axle to drive the front or rear wheels.
For most driving duties, only the rear electric motor provides propulsion, meaning that the e-tron is RWD for most of the time. In case something goes wrong, or the front end detects a loss of grip, the front motor kicks in and provides some assistance, giving you temporary electric AWD. The rest of the time, however, it remains RWD. It's probably not possible to pull skids in it, though.
1 Tech Everywhere
It doesn't just apply to electric cars; every new car has to be crammed full of the latest tech, especially luxury cars like the e-tron. No need to worry, as Audi has thrown just about everything they can into this big electric SUV.
Step inside the e-tron, and you find two large displays replacing most of your center stack controls, as well as the usual Audi Virtual Cockpit behind the steering wheel. The screen houses Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, as well as a WiFi hotspot. There's also a full suite of safety systems, including the usual adaptive cruise, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, auto emergency braking, and many more.