When it comes to innovation, we should know better than to question Audi. The German brand, known for its pioneering Quattro all-wheel-drive system, for its bizarre obsession with turbocharged five-cylinder engines and for being responsible for the broader industry’s fascination with LED running lights, is now launching in a new direction: all-electric, high-performance motorsport.
This is by no means Audi’s first foray into the world of zero-emission vehicles. There have been a number of electric vehicles based on the R8, and of course there’s the E-Tron and E-Tron Sportback, but its most recent offering is the one that’s causing the most buzz: the Audi E-Tron GT and E-Tron RS. GT of 2022.
Fast and familiar
It has a 93.4-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, an 800-volt electrical architecture that allows rapid recharging -from five to 80 percent of its capacity in 23 minutes-, an electric motor on each axle and a rear-mounted two-speed automatic transmission. The base models have 469 PS and 630 Newton-meters of torque, while the RS variant thunders quietly down the road with 590 PS and 830 Nm of torque. Like the E-Tron crossover, the GT has an overboost function that temporarily increases power to 522 and 637 hp, respectively.
Audi E-Tron GT PHOTO: Audi E-Tron GT Audi E-Tron GT
With the standard E-Tron GT, available in two versions, 100 km/h is reached in 3.9 seconds and 250 km/h is reached. The RS model does it in 3.1 seconds (possibly conservative) and reaches 250 km/h. Critics will be quick to point out that the E-Tron GT is slower to 100 km/h than all versions of the Porsche Taycan, apart from the new single-engine, rear-wheel-drive model.
The 4S hits 60 in 3.8 seconds, the Turbo does it in 3.0, and the Turbo S promises 2.6 seconds to 60. And on the Tesla side, the RS matches the 3.1-second sprint of the Model S Long Range, but nothing at Audi (or Porsche, for that matter) can match the sub-2.0 second sprint of the new Model S Plaid.
Tesla fans will also criticize the autonomy promised by the E-Tron GT. EPA estimates aren’t yet available, but Audi predicts that the standard models will cover 383 km per charge, while the RS should get 373 km. That said, if Porsche is any indication, these estimates may be much lower than real-world range. The Taycan 4S, after all, has a track record of covering much more than its EPA estimate of 365km.
Like the Taycan, the E-Tron GT relies on an air suspension that Audi claims has 60% more capacity than the configuration of the E-Tron crossover and E-Tron Sportback.
Audi RS E-Tron GT PHOTO: Audi RS E-Tron Audi RS E-Tron
Compensation of the exterior in the interior
Audi’s interior design has been good for decades, but the last few years have seen a major transition for the brand, with dual touchscreens in the center panel and digital instrument clusters joining high-quality materials and nice shapes. However, the E-Tron GT reverses the script, tilting the 12.3-inch touchscreen toward the driver and replacing the lower 8.6-inch touchscreen with a smaller unit and physical buttons to manage the climate controls. .
We don’t yet have interior pictures of the stock E-Tron GT, but the RS has the usual sporty goodies: aggressive sport seats, plenty of carbon-fiber trim, red stitching, and a flat-bottomed Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel. A leather-free interior is standard on all models, though if you really need the cabin of your zero-emissions car upholstered in the skin of methane-producing bovines, Audi will oblige.
In terms of functional design, the start button and gear selector are located in the center console rather than on the dashboard, while the overall layout of the cabin is much more conventional than the Taycan’s with its many screens.
However, Audi has struggled to move away from the Porsche look on the outside. Dramatic (and arguably more attractive) designs, true to concept cars, sit at either end of the E-Tron GT. But in the center is a profile view that smacks of Stuttgart’s version of the electric saloon. Speaking of that design, it’s mounted on 20-inch wheels as standard – RS models are available with 21. Matrix-LED headlights are also optional.
The Audi e-tron GT is available in Spain from 104,500 euros. Its pre-sale phase has started in February 2021. The car is about 10,000 euros cheaper than the Taycan 4S with the equivalent battery. Audi plans estimate that it will officially go on sale in November 2021.
