Audi e-tron EV 2021 review: 50

The e-tron comes in two forms – the regular SUV shape and the Sportback version, which is what I tested. Sportback is Audi-speak for 'coupe styling' and that means a sloping roof line which pinches in at the rear creating a sporty…um… back.

The e-tron Sportback has a similar coupe-SUV look as the BMW X6 or Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe and it's about the size as those, too, at 4901mm long, 2043mm wide and 1616mm tall. The closest EV equivalent to the e-tron would be the Mercedes-Benz EQC, although that's shorter at 4774mm end to end and not as 'coupey'.

While it has similar looks to those petrol-powered rivals there are a couple of small details which hint that this isn't just an ordinary coupe SUV. There are the charge flaps in the front wheel guards which open with such satisfying smoothness that I found myself doing it over and over again.

Sportback is Audi-speak for ‘coupe styling’ and that means a sloping roof line which pinches in at the rear creating a sporty…um… back. (image: Richard Berry)

There's also the grille which looks a lot like the ones on every other Audi, but peer closer at the images and you'll see that only the centre slats are open. That's because while the e-tron doesn't have an engine and a radiator, it still has electrical components which need to be cooled. Those slats open automatically depending on when cool air is needed and close to increase aerodynamics.

I'm a fan of the taillights with the LED strips which extend the entire way across the rear of the car. Essentially, however, the e-tron Sportback looks like a normal Audi SUV, which is good and the way it should be, because if the future is electric then it will also be normal.

That 'normalness' goes for the interior, too with its dual screens for media and climate control as you'd find in a Q7, along with the virtual instrument cluster.

The S-line exterior package is also included as standard along with the 21-inch Audi Sport alloy wheels. (image: Richard Berry)

Again, the only hints that this SUV is different are small things such as the gear shifter which operates with just your thumb and index finger. There's also the circuit-board pattern stitched into the seats.

Our test car had the standard Valcona leather upholstery.

Also, standard is the S line exterior package, which includes the sporty front and rear bumper.

The privacy glass and Catalunya Red metallic paint are optional.

The Audi e-tron 50 quattro Sportback has a prestigious interior with leather upholstery, and its dual screens for media and climate control as you’d find on a Q7. (image: Richard Berry)

In 10 years of testing cars, I've driven few as effortless as the e-tron 50 quattro Sportback. The ride on its air suspension was comfortable, the steering felt superb in its smoothness, weight and accuracy, but it was that powertrain which made the experience a pleasure – always, even in traffic with a cranky child sometimes in the back.

The e-tron's electric motors were quiet and provided instant acceleration for changing lanes, out of car spaces into traffic and providing extra reassurance when crossing intersections with poor visibility thanks to being able to move quickly when needed. An added bonus is also impressive handling, thanks to a lower centre of mass provided by the e-ton's batteries laid out under the floor.

Whenever I drive an electric car, I'm reminded that for urban driving, nothing beats their smooth, serene and quick nature.

The e-tron 50 Sportback may not be as fast-accelerating as the e-tron 55 nor any Tesla, but the experience is still superb with all the prestige refinement in comfort we'd expect from Audi.

The only aspect of the e-tron 50 Sportback which didn't lend itself well to urban duties was the size of it. At just under five metres long and more than two metres wide I found myself holding my breath a lot as we squeezed down lanes so tight people park half on the footpath. I'm lucky enough to have off-street parking at my block of flats, but even then, it was tricky piloting the e-tron in and out of my parking space.

On the upside I had access to a power point in the driveway and that meant I could charge it up. Read on to find out how far you can go on a full battery and how to charge up.

You'll need somewhere to plug your e-tron in, ok? Your best bet for fast charging is a wall unit for your home, which but if you have a power point like I did, then you can top it up slowly through that.

When I picked up the e-tron I took it home and plugged it into the power point in our driveway to bring the battery from 98 percent back up to full so that I could start my testing knowing the battery was really at 100 per cent. That was at about 9.30am and my plan was to leave it on the charger the whole day. But at 11.50am I noticed out the window my neighbour was having trouble getting her own car around the e-tron and so I offered to move it back a bit. When I opened the e-tron's door my cat leapt out of the car. She'd snuck in when I was out there plugging the car in and had been locked in the car the whole time, on a 32-degree day.

The cat was hot, but fine although I don't want to think about what would have happened if I hadn't gone back to the car until maybe that night.

So, off to a good start, right? Anyway, with a full battery the e-tron's instrument display told me I had a range of 283km.

The e-tron 50 has the smaller battery in the line-up – it's 71kWh in gross capacity, although only 64kWh is usable, according to Audi. The e-tron -55 has the larger 95kWh battery and a range of about 400km.

Audi says the e-tron 50 Sportback should be getting 22.7kWh/100km. (image: Richard Berry)

Well, 283km was going to be fine for me as this was an urban test. Besides I live 8km from the CBD and during the week my trips are generally less than 20km each day.

As expected, the range was more than enough for me. After a week I'd covered 109.6km with a mileage of 30.4kWh/100km, according to the trip computer. My 'fuel gauge' told me the battery was at 48 per cent with 121km of range left based on my driving.

When I said you can use a power point to charge the e-tron slowly, I mean slooooowly.  Plugging the e-tron into a regular power point using the charging cable that comes with the car the display told me it would take 27 hours and 2 minutes to get from 48 per cent to a full charge. Three and a half hours later I came back to the car and it was at 53 per cent charge.

For the week my driving had been confined to city streets only, but on the last day with the e-tron I took it for a run on the motorway. High speeds for long periods without braking much normally saps power quickly in electric vehicles, but the trip computer was reporting that the e-tron was using 23.9kmh/100km while at 110km/h.

Audi says the e-tron 50 Sportback should be getting 22.7kWh/100km.

You can increase how much energy the regenerative braking can send back to the batteries, too, by digging into the charging menu and opting to manually adjust that setting using the steering paddles. My own experience found that this really didn't make a great deal of difference to my range.

The e-tron 50 quattro Sportback lists for $148,100. Coming standard is the 10.1-inch media display, 8.6-inch climate screen, the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sat nav, 10-speaker stereo, digital radio, wireless charger, sports seats, leather upholstery, adaptive air suspension, heated front seats, head-up display, and a power tailgate with gesture control.

As mentioned in the Design section, the S-line exterior package is also included as standard along with the 21-inch Audi Sport alloy wheels.

The only hints that this SUV is different are small things such as the gear shifter which operates with just your thumb and index finger. (image: Richard Berry)

Standard, too, are the two charging ports either side of the car and a charging cable.

The Catalunya Red metallic paint my test car wore is a $2300 option while the privacy glass costs $1050.

That's pretty great value.

The e-tron was given a five-star ANCAP rating when it was tested in 2019. Coming standard is an armoury of city-focussed advanced safety tech, such as AEB which can brake to avoid an impact with cyclists and pedestrians between 5km/h and 85km/h (and up to 250km/h for vehicles); there's also rear cross traffic alert and cross traffic assist, plus an exit warning system on the door which detects cyclists and vehicles.

On top of that there's blind spot warning, lane keeping assistance, collision avoidance assist with evasive steering, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go function for traffic jams.

Four wide-angle cameras provide a 360-degree camera including a kerb view, front and rear parking sensors and Audi pre-sense which tensions the seat belts and closes the windows when a collision is anticipated.

For child seats there are three top-tether points and two ISOFIX mounts across the second row.