Audi’s e-tron GT sedan follows a similar path as the e-tron mid-size SUV. The four-ring brand set out to make this EV look and feel just like the Audi sports sedans we know and love, in the same way the e-tron apes Audi’s conventional gas-powered crossovers. But a sports sedan is a whole lot more exciting than a luxury SUV, and the 522-hp e-tron GT is easily as satisfying as the best V-8-powered Audi four-doors, like the RS7 and RS6, both in terms of performance and driving feel.
This time around, we tested the base model, which is hardly plebian. Lining up neatly with the Porsche Taycan’s 4S configuration, the e-tron GT starts at $103,895 and comes standard with front and rear electric motors producing a total of 522 horsepower. It shares its platform, two-speed gearbox, and battery pack with the Porsche, although its low-slung body and more traditional interior are both uniquely Audi.
You can spend an extra $40,000 for the even more powerful RS version of the e-tron GT, which has 637 horsepower and some chassis tweaks. But we probably wouldn’t. Though the RS e-tron GT impressively broke the 3.0-second barrier to 60 mph in our testing, the non-RS is still plenty quick and achieved a 3.6-second result in the same test. A sub-12.0-second quarter-mile run can’t be considered slow in any universe, and the e-tron GT managed 11.9 seconds at a trap speed of 119 mph.
Even better is the way the e-tron GT rewards the driver. The steering is light, accurate, and progressive, and the damping is expertly tuned. It has quite a different driving character than the Taycan, which has heavier steering and a firmer suspension. Many of us preferred the e-tron’s more delicate demeanor and compliant ride, but the Audi’s results in our handling and braking tests did trail the Porsche’s. Wearing less aggressive Pirelli Cinturato tires compared with the Taycan 4S’s Pirelli P Zero rubber, the Audi gripped to the tune of 0.90 g around the skidpad and stopped from 70 mph in 159 feet. Those are perfectly respectable numbers but trail the Taycan’s 1.03 g’s and 147 feet.
EPA ratings only show a small difference in estimated range between the e-tron GT RS and non-RS models, as both have the same battery pack. That played out in our testing, where the e-tron GT achieved 240 miles of range, the same result as the RS on our 75-mph real-world highway test. That makes the Audi the rare EV that beats its EPA-estimated range, which is 238 miles for the base car and 232 miles for the RS.
While Porsche packs the Taycan’s cockpit full of screens to create a futuristic ambience, the e-tron GT actually has fewer screens assaulting your eyeballs than many of Audi’s non-electric models do. A digital gauge cluster and 10.1-inch touchscreen are familiar from the A6 and A7, but instead of the haptic screen lower down on the dash that controls HVAC functions, the e-tron GT has a simple array of toggle switches and hard buttons. We appreciate Audi’s restraint here, and the only mark of weirdness is the bar-shaped shifter that slides back and forth to activate reverse, neutral, and drive.
Otherwise, the e-tron GT is refreshingly single-minded in its pursuit of sports-sedan greatness without overemphasizing its differences from a conventional gas car. It is at least as compelling as the Porsche Taycan with which it shares its platform, powertrain, and electrical architecture. And it had better be, because it’s nearly as expensive, too, which may surprise many buyers who assume that Porsches reside in a higher echelon than Audis. Then again, Audi’s available options are far less numerous than Porsche’s, meaning that our nearly fully loaded e-tron GT with Prestige and Performance packages stickered for $121,690, while the Taycan 4S we previously tested rang in at $143,690 with a longer list of extras.
Either way, there’s no denying that e-tron GT is a costly proposition. But it is also one of our favorite EVs to drive—and perhaps one of our favorite sports sedans, period.
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Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com
