Audi’s powerhouse e-tron is the shape of things to come

Published on 24 December, 2021

Overview

This week’s review car is one of contrasts and apparent contradictions – to my way of looking at things. It’s got enormous power, costs more than €117,000 and yet can cover only 357km on one charge.

Yes, it’s an electric car, and if that seems likes a lot of money just to travel that distance, you won’t hear me arguing with you. But there’s a lesson for us (I think), and I’ll come to that in a moment because it’s important as these things go.

The Audi e-tron S is an impressive SUV in many ways, and with leading-edge technology is positioned toward the upper end of the premium market.

With wider air intakes and wheel-arch extensions, 21-inch alloys, retuned air suspension, quattro all-wheel-drive, this is power that’s seriously on show and on tap.

The power output is a substantial 500hp – that’s a lot of push, but the real eye-opener is its torque (pulling power). It’s a massive 717lb/ft.

Now, I have to admit torque is something I overlook in favour of highlighting horsepower, and I take full culpability for the error of my ways in doing so because pulling power is what gets you out of the mid-range doldrums when you put your foot down.

In the case of the e-tron S, it responded massively and never hesitated for a second when asked. All EVs have instant and maximum torque, but this was something else.

It’s a deceptive car in many ways. I think its profile takes a bit from it. But that’s the way of things.

The dark blue colour dulled some lines and contours, I felt. It’s a car that – assuming one can afford to buy it – struck me as a model that slowly morphs into a pleasant, long-term looker.

I won’t say it’s a classic for the future; rather, I think it will be one that will stay the course on styling for a considerable time.

My initial reaction was “dull enough”, but I’ve had it for driving for longer spells and, typically impressionable, I hear you say, it grew on me without me falling in love with it or anything like that.

What I did like was the combination of power drive, rock-solid stability and lock-tight grip on the road. It’s the sort of ensemble you expect from a super-car, but it was all the more a pleasant surprise in the cohesion those attributes bestowed.

I never went remotely close to putting it to the test in any facet of what you might normally call performance. I value my freedom too much; it would get you into serious trouble were you to succumb in any substantive manner to its powerful potential.

But over the years I’ve devised ways and means to, at least, get a flavour of what a car like this might do. It was a matter of accelerating hell-bent to the legal limit on the open road and taking it nice and nippy on more twisty country roads (where the chassis really shone).

The cabin is ultra-modern Audi with the virtual cockpit the visual centrepiece. There was good-enough visibility, although I’ve had better driving positions; rear-seat space was more than acceptable.

There was a sense of sporty comfort about the cabin too, while the seats were excellent. The front had lumbar adjustment, which means a lot to me. After all is said and done, there isn’t much point in enduring rather than enjoying the performance, so I put a lot of store in luxuriating in this while cruising.

And so to the lesson I mentioned that can be derived from an expensive motor that boasts a moderate range.

First is the obvious fact that EVs can be hugely performance-oriented machines as the Audi e-tron, among others, is demonstrating.

They will, as fossil fuel regulations follow the course plotted for the petrol supercars, increasingly take their place as the powerful vehicle of choice for the well-heeled buyer.

I know it isn’t going to ruin your Christmas dinner to read about the demise of petrol supercars, but they have always brought cutting-edge thinking and technology to the fore and, importantly, that percolated down the line to cars driven by families and first-time buyers.

Now they must pass the baton to their electric-car successors which will, one hopes, carry on the legacy of being testing grounds and shop windows for lesser motors.

Therefore, what may seem extravagant – and the Audi’s price borders on that description – will trickle down in time to become the mass-appeal norm. See, there is a point to all this.
Would I buy it? I don’t think so. Too pricey, albeit highly engineered. I think I’ll wait for the percolator effect to kick in.

Fact file

Audi e-tron S, EV, quattro, Navarra Blue, 500bhp, 357km range (WLTP), 95kW battery, 0-80pc charge in 30 minutes, 0-100kmh in 4.5 secs, €120 road tax. Starting price for S range €117,335. As tested €119,563.
Standard spec includes 21ins alloys, 4-corner sports air suspension, smartphone interface, virtual cockpit Plus, heated front seats, cruise control system, dual charging ports, flat-bottomed steering wheel, navigation Plus, huge spread of driver aids and safety elements.

Survey shows frightening litany of abuse on road

I’ve just been reading an interesting survey on road rage and I’m shocked. I shouldn’t be, but I am.

The survey was conducted by the AA some time back, but I passed few remarks until, in an idle moment, I took the time to look at the details.

There are, you’ll agree, some horrible examples of how we treat other road users.

We’re talking about 800 survey respondents and their experiences with raging drivers.

I expected to find, and was shocked to discover, I was skipping over some instances.

I’ve seen examples of the behaviour so many times that I’m almost immune to them.

More than 300 people’s stories involved an impatient driver trying to get them to move faster or get out of the way, despite being at the speed limit. Then there was aggressive tailgating, beeping, flashing lights and shouting while overtaking.

Drivers pulled in sharply in front and then hit the brakes. It’s madness.

Drivers told of having items thrown through their car windows (plastic bottles, lit cigarettes, coins, coffee cups, beer cans and chewing gum).

Several women recounted being followed by angry drivers for several kilometres – or even all the way to their destination.

Some people were confronted by other drivers who stopped the car and got out to threaten them.

Incidents of physical violence, according to the report, included: “A punch thrown, an attempt to pull someone out of a vehicle and a baseball bat, a shovel and a hurley swung at cars”.

Isn’t it pitiful that people show such disregard? What must they be like in everyday situations? Bullies? That’s what road rage is: bullying.