16 NEW CARS CR.ORG/CARS
rollout. That’s appropriate for
a luxury vehicle, but drivers
should be aware of it if they try
to jump into a line of traffic
or merge from a stop.
The gear selector is a fairly
large toggle switch that drivers
must move forward or back
to select Reverse or Drive. It’s
not intuitive at first, and the
button to place the SUV in
Park sits like a trigger on the
side of the toggle. A small rear
window and wide front pillars
hurt visibility.THE BOTTOM LINE
The E-Tron has an air of
maturity that exudes quality—
probably because it comes
from an established luxury
automaker.
On the other hand, its
appearance doesn’t scream
“I’m electric!” That may appeal
to buyers who want batteries
with a side of understatement,
but it could also fail to draw
in EV enthusiasts.
It’s early yet, but so far our
testers have liked what they’ve
experienced with the E-Tron.
The combination of luxury
touches, a smooth powertrain,
intuitive controls, and a quiet,
comfortable ride makes this a
strong competitor.AUDI’S NEW ELECTRIC SUV, the
E-Tron, has arrived, and early
indications are that it could be
a strong competitor in the small
but growing luxury electric
SUV category.
As such, it joins the Jaguar
I-Pace (p. 33) and Tesla Model
X, and it will soon get new
competition from BMW,
Mercedes-Benz and Porsche,
among others.
This Audi seats five adults
and gets an Environmental
Protection Agency-estimated
204 miles of range from a fully
charged battery. We’re just
putting in its break-in miles
before we subject it to our
usual regimen of tests. These
are our first impressions.
WHAT WE LIKE ... SO FAR
A high-quality interior is
to be expected at the E-Tron’s
hefty price, but our testers
particularly appreciate how
luxurious this electric Audi is.
Once the E-Tron is moving,
drivers get smooth and effort-
less power on demand, at any
speed. The ride absorbs bumps
well. In combination with
the incredibly quiet cabin and
supportive front seats, our
testers revelled in the comfort-
able driving experience.
The controls are very similar
to those in the Audi A8 sedanwe recently bought and
tested. It took some practice,
but we got comfortable with
the two-screen interface and
its dedicated screen for the
climate system. In addition,
the haptic feedback—the soft
pulse on a driver’s fingertip
when pressing a button, which
mimics the feel of a physical
button—helps drivers feel
confident that they’ve actually
completed a task.
EVs have a lot of power and
deliver it right away, so their
tires often spin too fast to gain
traction. But standard all-
wheel drive does a lot to tame
the E-Tron’s electric torque.
FCW, AEB, and BSW come
standard, too.
WHAT WE DON’T
The E-Tron’s biggest draw-
back is its 204-mile range,
which pales in comparison
to similarly priced models
from Tesla (p. 31)—and even
affordable EVs from Chevrolet,
Hyundai, Kia, and Nissan.
It’s fine for daily commuting,
but a longer road trip will
require multiple stops at public
charging stations.
As is the case with other
EVs that have large batteries,
charging times are very
long. When the 95-kilowatt-
hour battery is down toabout 15 percent, it has taken
about 12 hours to replenish on
a 240-volt connector.
The powered charging door
is needlessly complicated.
Drivers must hit an unmarked
button next to the cover to
open it. They have to hit
the button again to unlock
the hose once charging is
complete. It’s kind of cool that
it’s powered, but it doesn’t
need to be, and it may wind
up breaking over time.
Unlike certain other EVs
we’ve recently tested, the
E-Tron doesn’t lunge off from
a stop; it has a more leisurelyAudi E-Tron
This new luxury EV is ready to take charge.
Model 2019 Audi E-Tron Premium Plus
Price $80,450 Engine 355-hp dual electric motors
Transmission Direct drive Drive wheels AllWHAT WE
BOUGHTOn the Road At Our Test Track