Seven-day test: Living with the Audi e-tron 55 Sportback

The Audi e-Tron launched in late 2020 with a choice of conventional or Sportback body, primed to battle the Jaguar I-Pace, Mercedes-Benz EQC and Tesla Model X.

A year since its Australian entry, figures show around 160 have sold.

Price starts at $137,100 for a 50 quattro Wagon, while the sleeker Sportback kicks off at $148,100 for a 50 quattro, and $157,100 the more powerful and rangier 55 quattro. All prices are before on-road costs.

A First Edition grade – as seen with our 55 quattro Sportback – is $169,350 before costs, courtesy of being crammed with tasty options such as B&O 3D audio, Valcona leather and cameras instead of side mirrors (really).

While the First Edition is no longer on sale, buyers can tick from Audi’s lengthy options list to add all the fruit seen in our test car.

It offers ‘up to’ 446km range, strong if not scintillating performance with 0-100km/h in 5.7s, and the ability to tow 1800kg.

As a sweetener, Audi offers complimentary servicing and public fast charging (using the Chargefox network) for the first six years of ownership.

We find out what it’s like to live with the 55 Sportback First Edition for seven days.T

Day 1: Getting aquainted

Oh, that blue. It’s like the Whitsundays on a calm summer afternoon.

Eco-credentials aside, we still buy cars for their looks and how they make us feel. Well, except you Toyota Prius purchasers – you’re just virtue signalling or wearing your mask too high.

In short, you and passers-by aren’t short on eye-candy from this big German EV.

As I collect this e-Tron 55 Sportback for a week’s test, its Antigua blue hue is mighty striking over the in-vogue Sportback SUV’s chunky and edgy body. If I want people to notice me, I’ve come to the right Audi.

On show are aero-looking five-arm turbine-design 21-inch alloys, orange brake callipers and Matrix LED headlights.

Then I spot the party pieces. Virtual exterior mirrors! Or more plainly put, little cameras on skinny stalks projecting what’s happening behind onto 7.0-inch OLED screens inside your doors. More on their effectiveness later.

Being the ‘bung every option in’ First Edition, I’m greeted by a loaded, luxury cabin. Audi’s been an interior style benchmark for a number of years now, and this e-Tron’s no different. Yes, this car costs over $170K, but it feels properly wealthy and innovative inside.

Seats are surprisingly firm but of beautiful, diamond-quilted leather. Then there’s ambient lighting, brushed aluminium inlays, more leather for the dash top and lower cabin parts, plus a blizzard of screens.

There’s your superb 12.3-inch virtual cockpit behind the steering wheel, plus a 10.1-inch infotainment screen above an 8.6-inch screen to control the likes of climate and seat heating. Add those two door-mounted screens for your rear vision and it’s a bit like the TV section at Harvey Norman in here.

Touch points are of high quality, not least the angled gear selector and perforated leather steering wheel.

It makes the omission of ventilated front seats and heated rear seats rather perplexing. They’re not even available as cost options. First World problems and all that, but such things are standard in $40,000 Kias and Hyundais.

After a day of driving I note there are plenty of eyeballs on this e-Tron. It’s turning heads everywhere I drive.

Day 2: Head for the hills

Range. Where is it? The car shows 372km remaining with 100 percent battery charge. Audi says the e-Tron’s supposed to manage over 400km, but perhaps it’s because I’m in Normal and not Efficient mode, and that my air conditioning’s surging.

I’m not making concessions here: I need AC (it’s 30C outside) and don’t want to drive in fun-sapping Efficient setting all the time.

Is that range enough? My recent Hyundai Kona Electric test with 484km range offered more reassurance. I’ve already burned 135km getting from Audi Brisbane to my home, so with 240km remaining, a smidge of anxiety sets in.

My hills test route only covers 120km so I won’t be shuddering to a stop anywhere, but I’ll be keen to charge the Audi straight afterwards.

Once range gets into double digits I reckon there’s a psychological trigger similar to the orange warning light coming on in a petrol car.

It’s a smooth, quiet big thing to pilot. Really impressive. Wind and tyre noise are minimal – certainly not often the case in EVs.

Around town I select Efficient mode to save battery power, but this experiment lasts only five minutes. The e-Tron’s throttle feels merely decorative as it doesn’t seem to will the engine to do anything. Response is glacial, so I’d rather sacrifice a bit of range to ensure there’s forward progress when asked.

In Normal mode it’s excellent. Unlike the Porsche Taycan Turbo S I’d tested the week before, a prod on the throttle doesn’t try to rip the skin from your face. It’s more progressive and serene instead.

The e-Tron is zesty enough, but no thriller. It feels more alive in Dynamic mode, but again, outright acceleration (5.7s to 100km/h) doesn’t bring the rapid electric kicks enjoyed in the likes of a Tesla Model 3 Performance.

On my favourite set of twisties the e-Tron’s grip and ability to change direction with reasonable agility is impressively bemusing. Bemusing because this beast is 2555kg without people on board. That’s 700kg more than an Audi Q5.

It hides its obesity very well, and offers huge comfort and confidence in turns thanks to its quattro all-wheel-drive. Although I’ll stop short of calling it fun.

The steering needs better feedback and although there’s more power going through the rear end’s larger motor (the front uses a smaller motor), there’s little in the way of playfulness. I suppose over 2.5 tonnes and playfulness aren’t happy bedfellows.

Day 3 – Charging

After a morning doing the school run and getting ever-more anxious about remaining range, I decide Australia needs more ultra rapid chargers. I’m afraid 50kW ‘fast’ chargers just don’t cut it when you need to charge on the road.

With an e-Tron you score six years of free charging at Chargefox points, meaning you feel a bit like a money-burner paying to use any not on this ‘free’ network.

My closest Chargefox is a 30-minute drive from my home – not ideal – but at least it’s on the way into the city where I’ll be at least twice a week.

After dropping the kids at school – other children stop and stare at the big Audi as it silently cruises the car park – I head for the charge point.

I arrive with 30km range showing (a bit close for comfort) and note consumption so far is 23.9kWh, which is a bit over Audi’s claim.

I plug in to the 50kW DC charger with the CCS plug, swipe my Chargefox token on the charging unit and the refill begins. A simple process you can monitor through Chargefox’s smartphone app. So far so good.

After nipping over the road for a coffee and comfort break, I’m back at the e-Tron 20 minutes later. 100km range still isn’t showing. I give it ten more minutes and get the range up to 133km. Half an hour to add 100km of range isn’t ideal.

Battery life started at 8 percent, the charger gave me 21.4kWh in the 30 minutes, and I unplugged with 36 percent battery life showing.

My e-Tron 55 can take up to a maximum 150kW of charge, while the 50 models are limited to 120kW. In theory, at a 350kW ultra-rapid charger I could score that 100km range in ten minutes rather than 30.

My closest Chargefox 350kW charger is in Brisbane, about 90 minutes from my home. There’s an Evie network one just off the Bruce Highway into Brisbane (an hour from my home), but Audi owners don’t score the free charging here.

I managed to put 74kWh into a Porsche Taycan’s battery here – which would almost fill the e-Tron’s 95kWh – but it cost $44.50. I’ll fill the e-Tron here if I get desperate, but it’s tough paying for this knowing you can get it free with Chargefox.

Day 4 – The family wagon

The weekend means the e-Tron has to serve its family sporting duties. It’s triathlon weekend in Noosa and my son’s event is on Saturday and mine is Sunday.

It means the Audi has to haul bicycles around, plus endure lots of traffic as thousands of athletes descend on the holiday town.

Good news is the e-Tron wins on practicality. With its rather complex parcel shelf removed and rear seats down the SUV swallows a road bike with ease once its front wheel is removed. For those considering a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo as an e-Tron alternative, a single bike barely fits into the Porsche’s wagon-esque rear. No such issue with the Audi.

That said, if the e-Tron’s rear seats reclined or slid on runners – as many medium SUVs do these days – that’d increase its practicality.

The electric tailgate pops up with a swipe of the foot under the bumper. Very handy when you’ve an armful of wet gear in one hand and holding a bike in the other.

Post-race I open the doors and look at that beautiful Valcona leather. Great if you’re heading off to the theatre in your finest… not so good if you’re covered in sunscreen, sweat, wet sports kit and a bit of mud.

We throw towels down everywhere to protect the seats and agree an old Commodore wagon would serve better as the family beach/sport car.

Day 5 – Technology wins

OK, those mirrors. Of all the aspects of this e-Tron, these are what the kids have found the biggest novelty. In fact, I reckon they killed about 20 minutes pulling stupid faces at the camera so the other could watch on the inside screens.

Said mirrors came with First Edition models, but for an e-Tron 50 they’re part of a $9700 Premium Plus pack, or in the e-Tron 55 (like our Sportback) it’s $6700. The pack also brings different style 21-inch wheels, Bang & Olufsen 3D audio (it’s tremendous), 4-zone climate control, Matrix LED headlights, ambient lighting and more.

While the mirrors offer a superb talking point, I wouldn’t buy the pack just to get them. Sure, they’ll add a few more kilometres to your range with their more aerodynamic nature than conventional side mirrors, but after many days of using them I’m not convinced they’re better for safety.

You look at the screen in the door rather than a higher side mirror, so you lose a bit of peripheral vision.

And I’m afraid I just don’t trust a screen as much as a ‘true’ image seen in glass. I also don’t want to think about the cost of replacing one of these side camera should it be knocked off by a bus or the fist of a drunk idiot.

The virtual cockpit behind the steering wheel is superb, as is the central screen which offers a 3D and birds-eye view of the e-Tron while you park. You can move the 3D picture to the exact point of the car you want to see – ideal for tight carparks.

Parking brings with it an orchestra of beeps as it warns – in different tones – where potential hazards are. Safe, but not great for peace in your head.

Day 6 – Home charging

Into the garage we go. With no solar at my home I really don’t like charging EVs here knowing mostly coal has created my electricity. Defeats the purpose of using an EV for eco reasons. But I need to home charge: I’m already sick of waiting around at public charge points.

The e-Tron has charge doors on both sides – AC and DC on the driver’s side and AC only on the passenger side, accepting up to 11kW.

With the car you get a portable 11kW AC home-charging kit – a handy alternative to a home wallbox.

For it to work you need three-phase power. Bugger. My rickety old abode has only single-phase power, so I miss out on getting the promised zero-to-full charge in 8.5 hours when using it.

To upgrade my house to three-phase would cost roughly $4000 I’ve been told, which seems a reasonable investment if you’re going to have an e-Tron in your life.

Plugged into my garage’s domestic socket (and its single-phase), the full charge will happen in roughly three days. It means my current circumstances are good only for topping up. That said, plugging it in at home at 6pm after work, then unplugging it to take the kids to school the next morning (7.30am) saw range increase over 100km.

As a typical “around town” day registers only 40km it’s manageable as long as there are no sudden unplanned-for journeys.

Day 7 – Suspension trick and goodbye

As if the e-Tron’s visual hit wasn’t enough in the school car park, I’ve discovered the kids are also entertained by the adaptive air suspension.

At the touch of a button it can raise 35mm. Ideal, I tell the kids, for negotiating those speed humps. And for showing off.

It actually helps the e-Tron come across as a bit of lifestyle all-rounder. It’ll tow 1800kg, and with quattro all-paw drive and that extra ground clearance offered by the air suspension lift, would no doubt negotiate some undulating unsealed tracks.

But as it’s on 265/45 21-inch Continental road rubber – plus the risk of harming the underside or the striking blue body – I keep it as 99.9 percent of owners would – on the hard stuff.

The kids and dear wife don’t want me to return the e-Tron. Always a good sign this would work as a family car. There’s ample space out back and as we have only two offspring, and a giant central armrest makes this a luxurious, spacious four-seater.

With armrest folded the middle seat’s usable, but as a six-foot adult it’s firm and your head’s near the ceiling. There’s two USB ports for rear passengers, plus a little touchscreen to control rear climate. Fine if your kids are older, but our young ‘uns and their less-than-delicate touch had me fearing for that expensive-looking little screen.

In an effort to score as low energy consumption as I can, I make sure the energy recuperation is at its most effective on my return journey to Audi.

There are three levels – selected through steering wheel paddles – ranging from off to reasonably aggressive. The latter I used most of all, as slowing down using regenerative braking is part of EV driving enjoyment in my eyes.

Results are in. After over 600km of driving I returned 23.2kWh/100km; practically matching Audi’s claim of 22.7kWh/100km. Not bad as I refused to use dull Efficiency mode for more than a few kilometres.

Reflecting on the e-Tron week, it’s as polished as I’d expected from the German brand. There’s not the rapid, scintillating electric performance of a Porsche Taycan or Tesla Model 3 Performance, but I don’t miss it here. This is the family SUV and behaves as such.

Dynamically impressive, agile enough despite its weight and eminently practical, the transition into it from an ICE car is simple indeed.

If I’m picking I’d love a dash more personality to help me enjoy the drive, and although it’d add even more weight, I feel a range closer to 500km would attract more buyers to the big Audi. It’s an expensive unit after all, and for over $150k, buyers like the luxury of range.

While the Mercedes EQC is an obvious rival, in the style, practicality and technology stakes, it’s the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo (from $176,600 before charges) that challenges a high-spec e-Tron Sportback for my affections.

But I come away deeply impressed with Audi’s first electric SUV. It looks stunning and the quality and comfort of drive exceeded expectations, even for the high standards I place on the German brand.

It bodes very well indeed for Audi’s future range of electric offerings.

EV 7-day logbook: Audi e-Tron Sportback

The car: Audi e-Tron 55 quattro Sportback First Edition

Price: $169,350, plus on-road costs

Price as tested: $171,650, plus on-road costs

Options fitted: Metallic paint (Antigua Blue $2300)

Claimed EV consumption: 22.7kWh/100km

Actual EV consumption: 23.2kWh/100km

Kilometres travelled: 568km

Audi e-Tron 55 Sportback specifications

Basics: EV, 5 seats, 5 doors, SUV, quattro AWD

Power/torque: 265kW/561Nm (300kW/664Nm for up to 8 seconds in ‘Boost’ mode)

Acceleration: 0-100km/h in 5.7s

Range: Up to 446km (WLTP)

Battery capacity: 95kWh

Battery warranty: 8 years/160,000km

Motors: 1 front and 1 rear

AC charging: 11kW, Type 2 plug

DC charging: 150kW, CCS plug