It actually helped when administration took the choice to base the outside design of the brand new Q-series e-trons on the corporate’s present vary of ICE-powered Audi SUVs, however there are vital variations beneath the graceful exteriors.
Externally, you’d by no means guess that is an electrical automobile – solely the blanked out grille offers the sport away.
The This fall E-Tron is constructed on a devoted electrical platform (dubbed MEB) which is shared with the Volkswagen ID.4, the Cupra Born/Tavascan and the Skoda Enyaq amongst others.
VW says this platform is designed to “consolidate digital controls and cut back the variety of microprocessors, advance the appliance of latest driver-assistance know-how and… alter the best way automobiles are constructed’. VW led the best way in platform sharing within the late-Nineties and the MEB structure is probably the most versatile basis for passenger automobiles that it has constructed.
The truth is, Ford was so impressed that it has signed a deal to make use of the MEB platform in its electrical automobiles, beginning with the Capri and the Explorer.
The This fall has shortly turn out to be one of many best-selling European premium EVs with greater than 125,000 discovering completely satisfied homeowners by the tip of final 12 months.
The truth is, the This fall is now Audi’s largest promoting SUV and considered one of its hottest fashions. Interval.
The e-tron’s battery vary is class aggressive and it has greater than sufficient efficiency to maintain up with fast paced site visitors, even when its actual strengths lie in consolation and comfort options.
However because the This fall made its debut, this class has seen a number of big-name arrivals, together with the BMW iX1 and iX3, the Mercedes EQA and the Volvo EX40. So, does it should nonetheless be high of the pile, or must you look elsewhere?
Effectively Audi hasn’t been resting on its laurels. The entry-level This fall 35 e-tron, which utilised a small battery that severely hobbled its vary, was given the heave-ho not lengthy after launch. And this 12 months, Audi introduced a sequence of updates for the 2024 mannequin that justified a reputation change from the previous 40 and 50 fashions to the 45 and 55. Seen from the kerbside, the This fall seems the identical nevertheless it’s what’s beneath the pores and skin that issues. The alterations have made a superb automobile even higher with claimed enhancements to energy, charging pace and range-to-empty.
Though the vary now begins with This fall 45 e-tron, which makes use of a single 282bhp electrical motor driving drive the rear wheels, Audi opted to ship us the flagship This fall 55 e-tron quattro which utilises two motors for all-wheel drive and boosts the full energy output to 335bhp. Prime pace is 112mph and it’ll speed up to 62mph in a wise 5.4 seconds.
Audi reckons the 77kWh battery is ample for a variety of 326 miles, however real-world testing reveals that to be nearer to 250 miles in perfect (ie. heat) situations. One of the best I noticed was 3.8 miles per kWh in comparison with 4.5 miles per kWh within the Cupra Born (which shares a number of the This fall’s tech). That’s most likely a results of the Audi’s bigger dimensions and further weight.
Your £64,565 buys loads of goodies. There are projector lights within the exterior mirrors which challenge an e-tron emblem on the bottom once you get out, the rear-view mirror darkens if a automobile is behind, as do the door mirrors, the all-digital Audi digital cockpit will be configured a number of methods and the sat nav supplies real-time updates on street situations. A digital camera scans the street forward for site visitors indicators and sounds an alert in case you are travelling too quick and there’s a helpful rear view digital camera. The premium infotainment (changed by a SONOS arrange on the check automobile which comes as a part of the £1,495 Expertise Pack) is managed by a big 11.6-inch touchscreen show. Even entry-level fashions include 19-inch alloys, rear parking sensors, heated entrance seats, three-zone local weather management and an automated tailgate.
Audi is renown for the standard of its interiors and the This fall doesn’t disappoint. Premium supplies are used for all the main touchpoints, and I favored the chunky flat-bottom steering wheel which has contact/swipe controls.
Fortunately, Audi’s designers have had the great sense to eschew the generic VW touch-control interface which has been roundly panned by customers and critics alike. Which means you get actual buttons for the heating and air flow and easy accessibility to the UI’s residence, music and telephone screens. It’s a disgrace that the corporate has accomplished away with its i-Drive-alike rotary management wheel, which I discovered simpler to make use of on the transfer, within the identify of vogue and/or price however you’ll be able to’t have the whole lot. Usually, the consumer interface is excellent and a quantum leap past the This fall’s different VW Group rivals.
That mentioned, the shiny gloss black plastics used on the drive choose console look nice at first, however you quickly realise they an absolute magnet for mud and finger-prints. I don’t advocate a fish ‘n’ chip supper earlier than utilizing this automobile.
There’s no compromise within the again for taller passengers, both, as a result of Audi’s designers have carved out further area to accommodate anybody underneath six-feet with room to spare. There’s a great deal of knee and leg room too. The 520-litre boot ought to be lots for the common household. In case you fold the rear seats, you’ll profit from a 1,490-litre load area.
Because of the motors’ immediate output, the This fall feels very sprightly certainly for a reasonably large SUV. Decide-up is instantaneous and acceleration to the authorized restrict may be very robust.
It’s tremendous clean and really quiet. On the authorized restrict, all you’ll be able to hear is a faint swoosh from the wind outdoors. Grip is nice in all situations and the automobile feels protected and confidence-inspiring.
The This fall’s 125kW charging skill means the battery can go from ten per cent to 80% in a contact over half-an-hour. By the point you’ve completed that cup of espresso, the This fall shall be good for one more 200 miles.
In case you choose to do your charging from a house wall field then a 7kW charger (the most well-liked home kind within the UK) will do the job in 12 hours.
Reliability ought to be excellent. For peace of thoughts Audi supplies a three-year/60,000-mile guarantee. A separate eight-year/100,000-mile assure covers the This fall e-tron’s battery. Service intervals are each two years or 19,000 miles, whichever comes first.
Handsome, sensible, snug and nice to drive, it isn’t laborious to see why the This fall is so in style. If you wish to go electrical, however don’t need to shout about it, the e-tron must be in your short-list.
