Bosch European Motors
The Audi e-tron SUV that goes on sale next spring in the U.S. 鈥檛 just Audi鈥檚 first fully electric vehicle. It鈥檚 the luxury brand鈥檚 way of showing how an increasingly inevitable part of the future can fit right in and be a part of four-ring identity. In our first drive this week, we found the e-tron to be exactly that鈥攕imultaneously flaunting some daring, different engineering decisions under the surface but looking and feeling, at face value, to be a familiar, mainstream-luxury Audi. The e-tron appears, inside and out, as if it were a larger member of the allroad family, taller than Audi鈥檚 sedans but somewhat lower than its SUVs. It rides on a wheelbase that鈥檚 about halfway between the Q5 and Q7, and while it鈥檚 shorter than the Tesla Model X it鈥檚 about nine inches longer than the Jaguar I-Pace. Inside, the cabin borrows attributes from the brand鈥檚 latest A8 and A6 sedans, as well as the Q7 and Q8 SUVs.
The seating position is rather high, but a beltline of distinctive trim鈥攐pen-pore ash wood in the vehicle we spent the most time with鈥攕eparates the dash and gives the front an airier feel and better vantage point. Audi鈥檚 widescreen virtual cockpit gauge cluster and the new MMI touch response system, with dual screens and tactile confirmation, give it the same familiar look and interface that the brand鈥檚 other swankier models have. As for those different engineering decisions, Audi opted for two current-excited (wound) motors for the e-tron, for their higher-speed efficiency and because they鈥檙e not dependent on rare-earth materials. It also completely re-engineered the brake system around a goal of recovering as much energy as possible. The Boost mode time isn鈥檛 quite as quick as the Jaguar I-Pace or Tesla Model X, but about the same as the Q7 with its larger 3.0T gasoline engine, and significantly quicker than with the 2.0T base engine.
There鈥檚 very little motor whine, so the quietness makes the e-tron鈥檚 launch from a standing start feel especially quick. Audi Drive Select is also nearly identical to gasoline Audi models, allowing modes that work with the standard air suspension and include modes ranging from Offroad and Allroad to Dynamic. The ride is on the firm side but well-damped, and the cabin is tight and supremely hushed, without active noise cancellation. The e-tron wears the quattro badge. All-wheel drive with an electric vehicle is faster-responding, Audi reminded us, because it doesn鈥檛 require any clutch engagement to send torque where it鈥檚 needed. The electric motors can react in as little as 30 milliseconds to a change in traction or for stability needs. Dynamically, the e-tron feels a lot like a Q7 on the road鈥攋ust one that鈥檚 many hundreds of pounds heavier. The e-tron's curb weight is around 5,500 pounds, but the approximately 1,500-pound battery pack is mounted very low in the vehicle鈥攗nder the floor, with an upper deck below the rear seat aimed at fitting in a few more modules.
It鈥檚 likely that Audi will reserve a more rear-wheel-biased system for the Audi Sport three-motor version of the e-tron that鈥檚 due in about a year. The brakes go about their business in a way that鈥檚 different than most other electric vehicles. Actual regeneration from the motors is used to brake at 0.3g or less, and an electrohydraulic system kicks in only when needed to provide braking force from the discs and pads. In all but emergencies it鈥檚 a brake-by-wire system, with a 鈥渄ummy鈥?piston pushing back to maintain the right pedal feel. With a coast mode plus two levels of regenerative braking, up to just 0.18g, this isn鈥檛 a car that aims for one-pedal driving. Instead it鈥檚 a vehicle that Audi has tuned for driving with two pedals, dabbing the brakes to get the most regeneration. The e-tron will be the first vehicle in the U.S. DC fast charging at 150 kw, which can bring it from zero to 80 percent in just a half-hour, Audi says.