Audi E-tron GT: A Detailed Overview

The new Audi e-tron GT is a four-door electric coupe with powerful motors and seating for five people.

First Impression

Like its sister car, the Porsche Taycan, the new RS etron GT uses two electric motors – one to drive the front wheels and a second to drive the rear wheels. The Audi e-tron GT was designed in collaboration with Porsche and is based on the same platform as the Taycan. As a result, it appears to be just as wide and purposeful, with a similarly sloping roofline. Although it’s a four-door electric car, the rear doors blend into the wide haunches to give a sporty impression.

Handling

When it comes to the ride and handling of the E-Tron GT, both the base and RS models deliver an excellent experience. The E-Tron GTs all have a three-chamber air suspension with Comfort and Dynamic modes. The difference between these modes isn’t huge, the GT strikes a near-perfect balance of voluptuous comfort and stern stability. In Dynamic mode, the electronic power steering becomes faster as well, but the E-Tron GT trails the Taycan in this department. Porsche is known for its quick, communicative steering, and it’s a key feature that distinguishes these German siblings.

It produces 598hp as standard, but when you launch the car, a two-second over-boost function increases this to 646 hp. As a result, you can accelerate the car from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.0 seconds. Perhaps a more relevant acceleration time is that between 30 and 70 mph, which you typically use when overtaking or accelerating down a slip road. The RS e-tron GT completed the course in a staggering 2.7 seconds.

Despite its large wheels and rubber-band tires, the RS e-tron GT is extremely comfortable in Comfort mode, and it remains so even when switched to Dynamic.

Torque vectoring and rear-axle steering are two performance-enhancing technologies that make the E-Tron GT incredibly agile. These features are standard on the RS but can be added to the base E-Tron GT via an option pack.

The RS e-tron GT weighs 2.3 tonnes, which you’d think would make it difficult to drive on a twisty road, but this isn’t the case. The Audi changes direction well, thanks to four-wheel steering, four-wheel drive, and a rear limited-slip differential. Another factor is that the batteries are stored on the floor, which lowers its center of gravity. It grips well.

The Audi RS e-tron GT, like most electric vehicles, is extremely quiet. Although you can pay a premium to have it make a noise. Yes, Audi has included an optional unusual electronic ‘whoom’ noise when accelerating. You can decide whether it’s worthwhile to pay the extra money.

The E-Tron GT, like the Porsche Taycan, doesn’t have much in the way of regenerative braking. You can add regen through the steering wheel paddles, but it makes no difference in how the car drives.

Interior

The GT’s cockpit is a lot busier than the Taycan’s, with far more buttons and knobs and a peculiar little circular pad of audio controls placed to the right of the cup holders. Nonetheless, the overall cabin quality is exactly what you’d expect from an Audi, with impeccable fit and finish and a sense of balance.

The rear seats can easily accommodate average-sized adults, but the E-Tron GT, like the Taycan, is not a hatchback, so be aware of the somewhat small trunk opening.

Audi’s excellent virtual cockpit digital gauge cluster is standard on both E-Tron GT models. It comes with a 10.1-inch central infotainment screen running the company’s simple MIB3 software, complete with wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto. A full suite of driver-assistance features is also included, though lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control are available as options on the base E-Tron GT trim.

Battery and Charging

Because of the E-Tron GT’s 800-volt vehicle architecture, it can accept charging speeds of up to 270 kilowatts, allowing you to charge the battery from zero to 80 percent in about 20 minutes.

The 93 kWh battery in the Audi RS e-tron GT has slightly less capacity than the 95 kWh unit in the Taycan, but it still provides an official range of 283 miles. That will suffice for most people, but it falls short of the 400-mile range provided by a Tesla Model S.

Safety

Even in base trim, the RS E-Tron GT has all of the active safety and convenience features you could want, as well as the excellent on-road presence and cruising capabilities.