The Audi e-tron is our Top Luxury SUV of 2019

   2019-11-12 02:11

DAMIEN O’CARROLL/IMAGES AND FOOTAGE SUPPLIED

Audi e-tron: Top Luxury SUV



AUDI E-TRON
Prices: $148,500 (55 quattro) to $157,000 (55 quattro Advanced).
Powertrain: 95kWh lithium-ion battery, 300kW/664Nm, AWD.
Performance: Range 417km (source: WLTP), 0-100kmh 5.7 seconds.

What do you look for in a luxury SUV? It’ll probably be something from a prestige brand with recognised status.

It’ll be understated and yet still full of surprise-and-delight detail. It’ll have effortless but not-too-obvious performance and smooth, stable handling.

The e-tron is Audi's first pure-electric vehicle. It's been polished to an incredibly high degree.

SUPPLIED

The e-tron is Audi’s first pure-electric vehicle. It’s been polished to an incredibly high degree.

Most of all, it’ll offer extreme refinement and outstanding cabin quality and equipment.

READ MORE:
* Through Central Otago in the e-tron
* Sunday Drive: Audi e-tron
* Audi NZ goes left of centre with its electric SUV
* The antidote to Audi’s EV-SUV is Audi’s monster diesel SUV

The Audi e-tron, the German brand’s first pure-electric production model, is our Top Luxury SUV for 2019. Electric power is going to be a big motivating force for Audi in the near future, and the e-tron is a showcase for what the brand can achieve with the technology in a familiar genre – and one in which it already excels with petrol and diesel power.

You wouldn't necessarily glance at this Audi SUV and guess it's an EV. That's the idea.

SUPPLIED

You wouldn’t necessarily glance at this Audi SUV and guess it’s an EV. That’s the idea.

Yes, there are plenty of luxurious, high-riding Audis on the market already. But you don’t have to be an EV enthusiast to recognise that the e-tron is the most impressive of them all.

Electric power is an integral part of this bespoke model, yet it’s still very much an Audi SUV: you could move across from any of the brand’s combustion-engined models to the e-tron and you’ll get the same ownership experience, just with the halo of zero-emissions driving and the extreme level of refinement that you only get with an EV.

There’s a truly regal feel to the e-tron. It feels effortless and you’re never really aware of the clever technology that’s working underneath.

The e-tron electric powertrain runs a 95kWh battery that's good for 417kW. And so very quiet.

SUPPLIED

The e-tron electric powertrain runs a 95kWh battery that’s good for 417kW. And so very quiet.

The battery’s thermal management system employs a conductive gel to ensure optimum operating in all temperatures, while the braking system is especially innovative. Press the pedal and it’s not just the discs that are slowing you down: regenerative braking also plays a big part, even though you’re unaware of its workings.

Electric power also means a faster response from the e-tron’s quattro all-wheel drive system, which makes for an incredibly composed driving experience on any kind of New Zealand road.

There are many more Audi EVs to come, so expect the brand to explore some more extreme applications of the technology. The e-tron is a smooth-talking showcase, a plug-in machine where everything is beautifully balanced. It’s a true luxury SUV.

Stuff


Original Source