Audi e-tron 55 Quattro review
The Audi e-Tron is a large premium electric SUV with space for five adults, a big boot, all-wheel drive, and a 249-mile driving range. DriveElectric offers a range of options for those looking for an Audi e-Tron lease with alternative leasing choices for those interested in an Audi e-Tron business lease.
This is a review for the Audi Q8 e-Tron
Audi e-tron 55 Quattro summary
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Very competent all-round
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Extremely refined
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Specious and practical
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The usual premium Audi interior
Audi e-tron design & powertrain
The e-Tron looks like an Audi SUV but it also has differentiation from other models in the range in terms of its styling. The interior is the normal Audi mix of premium design, high-quality materials and the latest technology. There’s lots of space in the cabin, and a huge (660 litre) boot, with additional space below the boot floor, and there’s also a compartment under the bonnet for the charging leads.
The powertrain is comprised of a 95 kWh lithium-ion battery and two electric motors – one at the front and one at the rear – which deliver 306 PS (408 PS with boost) and 561 Nm of torque (664 Nm with boost). The e-Tron can even tow a trailer up to 1,800kg.
Audi E-Tron Driving Experience
When you climb into the Audi e-Tron it feels like a normal Audi SUV. The dashboard looks similar to that in other petrol and diesel models, and the overall interior is a very upmarket environment. You can even get a good driving position.
The gear selector is a slightly unusual arrangement; you rest your hand on the top of a leather pad and pull the selector on the right towards you to select Drive. Pull it twice and you select Sport. It can seem a slightly strange system at first but it actually works well. You can also increase or decrease the amount of brake regeneration using the steering wheel-mounted paddles, which aids the driving experience, especially on twisty, hilly roads. There are also a number of drive modes to choose from: Efficiency, Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, Individual, Off-Road and All Road.
Progress is extremely refined, and aside from the electric powertrain, it seems that all other aspects of the car have been engineered highly effectively with the help of Audi’s noise, vibration and harshness department. As well as being smooth and quiet, the e-Tron also has an extremely comfortable ride, helped no doubt by the air suspension. The e-Tron is a very pleasant, refined and comfortable place to be on the motorway at 70mph.
You can’t really describe the e-Tron as agile, as it weighs 2,490kg, but the handling is impressive for such a heavy car; the battery sitting in the floor helps with a low centre of gravity. Performance is good, but again, at two and a half tonnes, this is no sports SUV. Grip from the all-wheel-drive Quattro system is excellent, especially in the wet.
The e-Tron has a ground clearance of 172mm but you can raise the suspension by 76mm if venturing off-road.
The Infomedia system is very good overall. There’s a high definition touchscreen in the centre console, with a home screen to help you find your way around, and when you click on buttons on the screen you actually feel a physical click to give you confirmation that the screen has actioned your request. You can enter an address in the satnav using a keyboard, or by writing the address by hand on the screen.
There’s also a digital instrument display in front of the driver, the appearance of which can be changed to display a number of different things including the satnav. There’s also a head-up display, and there’s a further high definition screen under the main touchscreen for the climate controls.
Audi E-Tron Range & Charging
The official combined WLTP driving range of the e-Tron is 249 miles, but this typically varies between 200 and 220 miles in real-world driving.
Combined electric power consumption is 24.2 kWh/100 km (62 miles). The e-Tron comes with an 11kW onboard charger, with the option to upgrade this to 22kW. There are charge ports on both sides of the car – for a Type 2 connector for home AC charging on the passenger side, and the same port together with a CCS connector for DC public rapid charging on the driver’s side. The e-Tron has the ability to charge from 0 to 80% capacity in around 30 minutes at a 150kW charge point.
There’s a button next to the charging socket to open it, and you press the same button to unlock the cable after charging. A neat touch is that the charge socket cover then automatically moves back into place by itself. And there’s a light inside the charge socket, which is very helpful when charging in the dark.
You can specify ‘virtual mirrors’ with digital cameras rather than conventional door mirrors, the idea being that these improve the aerodynamics sufficiently to deliver a few extra miles of range.
Conclusion
The Audi e-Tron is a spacious all electric SUV. It's practical, very refined to drive, and has a high-quality interior. It’s a very desirable car, which is impressive as it’s the first all-electric offering from the brand. If you’d prefer a more sporty look rather than a practical estate body style, there’s also the Audi e-Tron Sportback.
Q8 e-Tron offers
Audi Q8 e-Tron 250kW 50 Quattro 95kWh Black Edition 5dr Auto
- £7,216.47 Initial rental (ex. VAT)
- £8,659.77 Initial rental (inc. VAT)
- 48 Month term
- 5000 Annual mileage
- Offer expiry Thursday 28 November 2024
- Subject to status and conditions + arrangement fee
Choose your Q8 e-Tron car lease
Audi Q8 e-Tron 250kW 50 Quattro 95kWh Black Edition 5dr Auto
- £8,437.18 Initial rental (ex. VAT)
- £10,124.61 Initial rental (inc. VAT)
- 48 Month term
- 5000 Annual mileage
- Subject to status and conditions + arrangement fee
Audi Q8 e-Tron 250kW 50 Quattro 95kWh Sport 5dr Auto [Tech Pack]
- £8,345.57 Initial rental (ex. VAT)
- £10,014.69 Initial rental (inc. VAT)
- 48 Month term
- 5000 Annual mileage
- Subject to status and conditions + arrangement fee
Audi Q8 e-Tron 250kW 50 Quattro 95kWh S Line 5dr Auto
- £8,444.25 Initial rental (ex. VAT)
- £10,133.10 Initial rental (inc. VAT)
- 48 Month term
- 5000 Annual mileage
- Subject to status and conditions + arrangement fee
Audi Q8 e-Tron 250kW 50 Quattro 95kWh Black Ed 5dr Auto [Tech]
- £8,796.46 Initial rental (ex. VAT)
- £10,555.75 Initial rental (inc. VAT)
- 48 Month term
- 5000 Annual mileage
- Subject to status and conditions + arrangement fee
Audi Q8 e-Tron 250kW 50 Quattro 95kWh S Line 5dr Auto [Tech Pro]
- £9,131.95 Initial rental (ex. VAT)
- £10,958.34 Initial rental (inc. VAT)
- 48 Month term
- 5000 Annual mileage
- Subject to status and conditions + arrangement fee
Audi Q8 e-Tron 300kW 55 Quattro 114kWh Sport 5dr Auto [Tech Pack]
- £9,340.39 Initial rental (ex. VAT)
- £11,208.47 Initial rental (inc. VAT)
- 48 Month term
- 5000 Annual mileage
- Subject to status and conditions + arrangement fee
Audi Q8 e-Tron 300kW 55 Quattro 114kWh S Line 5dr Auto
- £9,438.91 Initial rental (ex. VAT)
- £11,326.69 Initial rental (inc. VAT)
- 48 Month term
- 5000 Annual mileage
- Subject to status and conditions + arrangement fee
Audi Q8 e-Tron 300kW 55 Quattro 114kWh Sport 5dr Auto [Tech Pro]
- £9,668.73 Initial rental (ex. VAT)
- £11,602.48 Initial rental (inc. VAT)
- 48 Month term
- 5000 Annual mileage
- Subject to status and conditions + arrangement fee
Audi Q8 e-Tron 300kW 55 Quattro 114kWh Black Ed 5dr Auto [Tech]
- £9,791.12 Initial rental (ex. VAT)
- £11,749.34 Initial rental (inc. VAT)
- 48 Month term
- 5000 Annual mileage
- Subject to status and conditions + arrangement fee
Audi Q8 e-Tron 300kW 55 Quattro 114kWh S Line 5dr Auto [Tech]
- £9,798.19 Initial rental (ex. VAT)
- £11,757.82 Initial rental (inc. VAT)
- 48 Month term
- 5000 Annual mileage
- Subject to status and conditions + arrangement fee
Audi Q8 e-Tron 300kW 55 Quattro 114kWh Black Ed 5dr At [Tech Pro]
- £10,119.62 Initial rental (ex. VAT)
- £12,143.54 Initial rental (inc. VAT)
- 48 Month term
- 5000 Annual mileage
- Subject to status and conditions + arrangement fee
Audi Q8 e-Tron 300kW 55 Quattro 114kWh S Line 5dr Auto [Tech Pro]
- £10,126.69 Initial rental (ex. VAT)
- £12,152.03 Initial rental (inc. VAT)
- 48 Month term
- 5000 Annual mileage
- Subject to status and conditions + arrangement fee
Audi Q8 e-Tron 370kW SQ8 Quattro 114kWh Black Edition 5dr Auto
- £10,950.99 Initial rental (ex. VAT)
- £13,141.19 Initial rental (inc. VAT)
- 48 Month term
- 5000 Annual mileage
- Subject to status and conditions + arrangement fee
Audi Q8 e-Tron 300kW 55 Quattro 114kWh Vorsprung 5dr Auto
- £11,009.01 Initial rental (ex. VAT)
- £13,210.81 Initial rental (inc. VAT)
- 48 Month term
- 5000 Annual mileage
- Subject to status and conditions + arrangement fee
Audi Q8 e-Tron 370kW SQ8 Quattro 114kWh Vorsprung 5dr Auto
- £12,884.46 Initial rental (ex. VAT)
- £15,461.36 Initial rental (inc. VAT)
- 48 Month term
- 5000 Annual mileage
- Subject to status and conditions + arrangement fee