Audi e-tron

The all-new Audi e-tron is a sophisticated car from the outside and step inside its cabin, you can see that the premiumness continues on the inside too. Once you are inside the Audi e-tron, you can immediately feel that it’s a nice place to be in. The Audi e-tron gets a neat layout and there are very few buttons on the dashboard of the car. It features an all-black cabin with some silver accents. The e-tron gets a four-spoke steering wheel that feels very nice to hold and there is Audi’s virtual cockpit system too that displays a ton of information in a crystal clear manner. Moreover, this electric SUV even gets HUD or a heads-up display. 

Taking the centre stage of the e-tron’s dashboard are two massive touchscreens. The first one is the infotainment system that runs Audi’s MMI or multimedia interface and it offers a host of connectivity features. The second screen is for controlling the climate control system. The new Audi e-tron gets a four-zone climate control system. The touchscreens of the Audi e-tron are of very high quality and they are very responsive too. Some other features of the new Audi e-tron include a 16-speaker sound system from Bang & Olufsen, ambient light, and much more.

The Audi e-tron is an electric SUV and so it doesn’t get any internal combustion engine. This electric SUV is propelled by powerful electric motors. The Audi e-tron is available in the Indian market in both 50 as well as 55 versions. Both the versions get two electric motors, one on each axle. The e-tron 50 churns out 313 PS of maximum power and 540 Nm of peak torque. Audi claims that it can do 0-100 kmph run in 6.8 seconds. The more powerful e-tron 55 and even its Sportback version churns out 402 PS of maximum power and 664 Nm of peak torque. It can sprint from 0-100 kmph in just 5.7 seconds and it even gets Audi’s popular Quattro system.

Driving an electric vehicle is a completely different experience than driving an ICE car and the experience becomes even more surreal if you are driving a powerful luxury EV like the Audi e-tron. The Audi e-tron offers an instant punch and it accelerates quickly as the power and torque are delivered in a flash. Since it’s an EV, one must be worried about its driving range too. So, the e-tron 50 gets a 71 kW battery that offers a claimed range of 264 - 379 kms on a single charge. However, Audi claims a driving range of 359 - 484 kms on a single charge for the Audi e-tron that gets a 95 kW Li-ion battery pack. This electric SUV even gets driving modes.

Electric vehicles are heavy, thanks to their massive battery packs and the same is the case with the Audi e-tron too. The all-new Audi e-tron luxury electric SUV weighs around 2.6 tonnes. But despite its heavy-weight, the e-tron is one of those very few electric cars which is fun to drive. The Audi e-tron handles supremely well and though it is an SUV, it drives like a regular sports car, such a capable machine it is. The steering wheel of the Audi e-tron offers a very good feel and feedback which is generally not the case with most other modern-day Audi cars.

The steering wheel of the Audi e-tron feels very direct and connected. It is pretty light at city speeds, which is a good city as it helps in manoeuvering the car at tight parking spots and it weighs up brilliantly on highways, thereby providing confidence to the rider to push it hard. Talking about the ride quality of this electric car, so it glides over Indian roads and feels very comfortable. In fact, the Audi e-tron gets air suspension and it is one of its biggest USPs. The ride height of the car can be lowered or raised with the touch of a button, which is great for our Indian roads. In a nutshell, the Audi e-tron has the best ride quality in the luxury EV segment. 

The Audi e-tron is loaded with hi-tech safety features. This luxury electric SUV gets up to eight airbags, disc brakes on all four wheels, ABS (anti-lock braking system) with EBD (electronic brakeforce distribution) and Brake Assist. The electric SUV also gets adaptive air suspension, progressive steering, a high-speed alert system, seat-belt reminders, front and rear parking sensor along with a 360-degree parking camera that also features adaptive guidelines. Also, there are headlamp washers too that help to clean the headlights without getting out of the car.

The safety ratings of the India-spec Audi e-tron isn’t out as it has not been crash-tested by the Global NCAP yet. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded the international-spec Audi e-tron a 5-star overall safety rating and thus it became the first electric car to achieve this highest designation. In a nutshell, the Audi e-tron is packed with all the latest active and passive safety equipment and it is a very safe luxury electric SUV.