GOLLY GT (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_audietrongt_2022

By Jonathan Crouch

The Audi e-tron GT looks a much stronger proposition in this revised form. Jonathan Crouch looks at the most accessible S e-tron GT variant.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 80

The Audi e-tron GT, Ingolstadt's Porsche Taycan-based four-door Grand Touring flagship EV model, used to be quite hard to justify. But things have changed. The heavily revised version of this car gets longer range, faster charging and much more power. If you were about to sign for a Taycan, a Mercedes EQS or a Tesla Model S, don't ignore this Audi. Even in the base S e-tron GT form we look at here, it now has that 'want one' factor.

Backgroundword count: 174

The earliest full-EVs from Audi tended to be of the expensive and luxurious kind. First in 2018, we had the modestly appealing e-tron big SUV. Then, the rather more desirable e-tron Sportback. Those two closely-related models were followed in 2020 by the original version of the car we look at here, the rather more appealing e-tron GT quattro, a four-door Grand Turismo sports saloon which also came in faster RS form. The e-tron GT shared almost all of its engineering with its VW Group cousin, the Porsche Taycan; the wheelbase and motor positioning were the same. So was the 93.4kWh battery. And so was the 800V-based J1 platform that everything sat on. Like the Taycan, that Audi was somewhat hobbled in that early form by restricted EV driving range, but the engineers have been working on that and the improved e-tron GT, launched in Summer 2024, had a bigger 105 kWh battery and was lighter, rangier and more powerfiul. That's the car we look at here in its most accessible S e-tron GT form.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 365

It wasn't hard to identify the biggest issue with the original version of this car - it's relatively restricted drive range; in standard e-tron GT quattro form, it was supposed to go 298 miles on a charge, but we've never come across an owner who got anywhere near that. Well forget about that now because in place of the old 93kWh battery pack, Audi's installed a lighter, more energy-dense battery with 105kWh supposedly offering up to 375 miles in the S e-tron GT. Despite that, power's been substantially increased too - the two electric motors of the S delivering up to 680PS, enough to sprint this heavy car to 62mph in only 3.4s. You can go faster than that in pricier versions of this Audi - the RS e-tron GT has 856PS and the top RS e-tron GT performance has an astonishing 925PS - but we're not sure why you would want to. The other key change is the adoption of a redesigned two-chamber air suspension system featuring dual-chamber springs and dual-valve dampers, said to widen the band-width between soft and sporty ride settings. With the priciest 'Vorsprung' level of trim, there's now an Active Ride version of this system, which is supposed to be able to keep the car almost horizontal during cornering (by raising the corner of the car on which the G-Forces are acting). Plus it has a 'comfort entry' feature that raises the car's ride height to 77mm when parked (55mm higher than normal). Otherwise, things are much as before, all the basic engineering shared with this car's VW Group cousin, the Porsche Taycan (which you can't really blame Audi for because it's extremely complex). As referenced previously, there's 4WD, courtesy of motors at front and rear, the back one connected to a 2-speed gearbox that's used only for launch control and some dynamic modes. One of the few dynamic areas in which Ingolstadt could distance this car from its Porsche cousin was the steering, making it lighter than a Taycan and more familiar to customers graduating to this car from another Audi. Various drive modes adjust steering weight - and of course ride comfort too, via the adaptive damping system.

To see the full road test text contact us on 0330 0020 227