2019 Audi E-Tron

Although the E-Tron is a fully electric vehicle, it doesn’t go to daring design extremes and rejigger the proportions by shortening the hood (as you can with electric cars because there’s no need to plan for the space of engines and transmissions). The two-box crossover profile land at a halfway point between Audi’s SUVs and its wagons. Depending which vehicle you see it next to, the E-Tron might look more like a somewhat low-set Q7 or a brawny, taller Allroad version of an A6 wagon. Outside of some distinct wheels and a yellow E-Tron badge alongside the front fenders (with the charging door on the left side), this is certainly no outlier for design, but it’s a classy, good-looking luxury vehicle.

Inside, it’s mostly the same story. Audi has created a cabin look and feel that’s technologically advanced and yet also warm, understated, and mature. With every soft-touch, warm-tone surfaces, the cabin has a soft ambience that contrasts well with the dark-toned trim pieces that frame functional hubs, like the two screens at the center. There’s just enough matte-metallic brightwork—around the center console, steering wheel, and across the dash’s midline—to visually lift it a bit, but not so much so as to appear overwrought.

The most gimmicky, perhaps overstyled part of the E-Tron is its shifter, which is different than what’s in Audi’s gasoline models and arguably is as awkward as it looks: a stationary piece on top with the actual shift lever a piece just below that tilts back and forth with fingertips.

The E-Tron has two motors that operate independently at their respective axles. The rear motor makes 224 horsepower and 262 pound-feet, while the front motor makes 184 hp and 228 lb-ft. Since the motors produce nearly all of their torque just past zero revs, and they rev very high compared to gasoline engines, there’s no need for a multi-gear transmission.

Peak power (not yet officially listed for the system) is provided via a Boost Mode that can sustain that for eight seconds at a time, enabled by engaging Sport mode and pushing the accelerator past the floor detent.

Audi quotes a 5.5-second 0-60 mph time for the E-Tron, but its responsiveness and quiet, pin-you-back launches suggest even better—it’s so drama-free. You hear the faint whine of the motors only when you’re accelerating rapidly.

Brakes in the E-Tron are unlike those in any other electric vehicle. Thanks to a complex, electromechanical arrangement, the E-Tron uses the motor/generators when you lightly step on the brake pedal, and use the brake pads only when more you step harder on the pedal..  

Stopping aside, the E-Tron has three settings for regeneration—what happens when you ease/lift off the accelerator but don’t touch the brake. The first mode is essentially coast mode, while the most aggressive mode feels like driving a gasoline car in one lower gear than normal (about 0.18g of deceleration). Separately, an Automatic mode considers following distance, map data, and other factors. In any of these modes, the E-Tron feels intended to mimic the experience in a gasoline vehicle, not provide the “one-pedal driving” experience (where you might be able to avoid touching the brake pedal) of a Tesla, a BMW i3, or a Nissan Leaf (with e-Pedal)—or a golf cart, for that matter.

Otherwise, the behavior of the E-Tron in stop-and-go traffic feels meant to mimic that of gasoline vehicles, with some measure of idle creep (forward movement when you lift off the brake pedal) dialed in.

Governing how the E-Tron reacts is Drive Select, which offers Auto, Comfort, Efficiency, Individual, Offroad, and Allroad modes. Depending on what’s dialed up, the air suspension can raise the E-Tron by 3.0 inches for moderate off-roading or deep snow (we did some churning through sand in an early drive). For those who want to tweak the settings themselves, there are Comfortable, Balanced, and Dynamic drive modes that affect steering and ride.

The E-Tron is easy to maneuver and place in parking lots and within narrower lanes; the low center of mass from the battery pack’s mounting under the floor helps the whole vehicle feel balanced and confident, even though it isn’t tuned to be particularly sharp, firm, or performance-focused.

The E-Tron can also tow up to 4,000 pounds when equipped with the towing package.

Sometime next year, a higher-performance version of the E-Tron will arrive, featuring two motors in back—for a total of three—plus a more aggressive traction and stability control system that should aid performance driving.

Size-wise, the E-Tron lands at about the midpoint between the Audi Q5 and Q7/Q8 crossovers. At about 193 inches long, 76 inches wide, and 66 inches tall, it’s sized most closely with the Mercedes-Benz GLE, the BMW X5, and Jeep Grand Cherokee, but it’s not as tall as any of those vehicles. Or to put it another way, it’s a taller, somewhat rugged version of a mid-size sport wagon.

In following, the driving position also feels like a halfway point between passenger cars and SUVs. You sit closer to the dash relative to where you would be within a passenger car, and yet the low beltline allows a vantage point that’s more like that of an SUV. (The big, 95-kwh battery pack sits mostly under the passenger floor.) Back support is good and the seats feel good for a long day of road-tripping.

Back-seat space in the E-Tron feels normally apportioned—not mashed into an elevated floor, to make room for batteries, like in some electric vehicles. Two adults can be comfortable here for hours in the outboard spots—three would fit just fine on the way out to dinner or across town.

The E-Tron still follows some very traditional proportions, and there’s no engine up front, so that leaves some extra space. There, a front trunk—”frunk” is the increasingly common term—serves as a place where charging cables can be stored, or a couple of small carry-ons or backpacks.

In back, the cargo capacity is every bit what you’d expect in a gasoline SUV: 28.5 cubic feet with the rear seat back up and 57 cubic feet with it folded forward.

You tend to notice road noise much more in electric vehicles, where there’s no engine noise or accompanying driveline vibrations. To keep the cabin quiet, Audi uses a long list of measures—including underbody shielding, acoustic side glass, and foam-filled structural members—without the need for active noise cancellation technology.

Federal and IIHS crash-test results for the E-Tron both give it the highest ratings possible, with a Top Safety Pick+ award and five stars. (Read more about how we rate cars.)

Standard equipment is good, and right in line with what’s expected in a luxury vehicle today. The E-Tron includes an active lane control system, forward-collision warnings with automatic emergency braking, and a full suite of airbags.

Adaptive cruise control with Traffic Jam assist is optional, and it can control the brakes, steering, and accelerator for short distances to assist drivers. That, plus traffic sign recognition, are all part of the Premium Plus, as part of a $2,850 Driver Assistance Plus package, which is included on the upper Prestige model.  

All of these models include a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and Audi’s latest infotainment and vehicle controls that have done away with the old rotary selector and touch pad and is now entirely touchscreen (and voice) based.

The top of the system’s two haptic-feedback touchscreens is 10.1 inches and is where you go for audio, navigation, information services, and charging, while the lower screen is 8.6 inches and is the home of climate control and other vehicle functions. The lower screen also recognizes handwriting, and there are expanded voice commands. Our time with this system has been limited and we’re still not convinced that purging most physical controls (and putting the climate controls so far down from the line of sight) is a good solution.

A head-up display is a useful no-fuss convenience that could help parents stay focused, as is the adaptive cruise control with Traffic Jam assist and traffic sign recognition.

Standard features at the “base” Premium Plus level include heated and cooled front seats, Bang & Olufsen premium sound, and a surround-view camera system with virtual 3D view. The Prestige model, for about $7,000 more, adds a head-up display, an air quality package with ionizer and fragrance, power door closers, and individual contour seats with Valcona leather and a massage function for the front seats.

A Driver Assistance package is also included in the Prestige or a $2,850 option on the Premium Plus. It brings an enhanced adaptive cruise control system with turn assist, maneuver assist, and efficiency assistant—a set of predictive functions governing the behavior of the powertrain and chassis systems—plus lane departure prevention, an intersection assistant, and traffic-sign recognition.

A $900 Cold Weather package adds adaptive wipers with heated washer jets, heated outboard rear seats, and a higher-output heater with enhanced cabin and battery pre-conditioning. Rear side airbags are a standalone $400 option. And if you plan to tow, the $650 tow package is mandatory, and it brings a 4,000-pound towing capacity.

That’s not as efficient in terms of miles per kwh as Tesla vehicles. The Tesla Model X, for instance, goes 238 miles from a 75-kwh battery pack (75D) and up to 295 miles from a 100-kwh battery pack (100D). The E-Tron’s range puts it in close company with the Jaguar I-Pace, which gets an EPA-rated 234 miles out of an official 90 kwh.  

The E-Tron also has a number of clever features that should help prevent the dramatic loss of driving range (and efficiency) in winter driving. Its heat-pump system can take up to 3 kw of actual power loss from the electrical components and use them for cabin heating.

The E-Tron’s charge port is located on the driver’s side right front fender. It will be one of the fastest-charging electric vehicles when it reaches the market. It can charge to 80 percent on a 150-kw CCS (Combo) DC fast charger in just 30 minutes. Those chargers are becoming increasingly common and are part of Electrify America’s charging-infrastructure push. With a Level 2 AC charger—the kind that you might have installed at home or in the garage, or find at some hotels—the E-Tron can be fully charged in as little as 9 hours.  

It’s worth mentioning, with any plug-in vehicle, that while the E-Tron doesn’t emit anything from a tailpipe, it’s only as green as the electric grid it sources energy from—wind, solar, coal, nuclear, hydro, or natural gas, for instance.