LIKE if you think more carmakers should be offering fully electric cars SHARE if you think EVs should be competitively priced. Robert's at the fabulous Caffeine & Machine near Stratford-Upon-Avon for this review of the Audi E-Tron 55 Quattro Sportsback! This spectacularly luxurious, powerful and very big SUV is certainly nice to drive, but it's also heavy and uses a lot of energy meaning you don't get much range for your 95 kWh battery. It offers complex, next generation technology but with a price tag of around £85,000 there's no doubt that this is an expensive car. If you're an Audi driver looking to make the switch to electric this could be the car for you, but it's worth remembering there are cheaper, more powerful EVs on the market worth looking at. Fully Charged is 100% independent thanks to TH-cam Memberships and Patreons. Without you this channel wouldn’t be possible! If you’d like to help support the Fully Charged channel and its mission: Become a Patreon: www.patreon.com/fullychargedshow Become a TH-cam member: use JOIN button above Subscribe to Fully Charged & the Fully Charged PLUS channels Buy the Fully Charged Guide to Electric Vehicles & Clean Energy : buff.ly/2GybGt0 Browse the Fully Charged store: shop.fullycharged.show/ Visit our LIVE exhibitions in the UK, USA & Europe: FullyCharged.Show/events Subscribe for episode alerts and the Fully Charged newsletter: fullycharged.show/zap-sign-up/ Visit: FullyCharged.Show Find us on Twitter: twitter.com/fullychargedshw Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/fullychargedshow Timestamps: 0:00 Caffeine & (a mean) Machine 1:09 Audi E-Tron Sportback 2:19 Power, Charging Speed & Rate 3:01 Hidden Frunk 3:40 Intelligent Lights 4:22 Battery & Range 5:40 Roomy in the Rear 7:08 Big Old Boot 8:41 Impressive Performance in Stratford 10:03 Instrumentation & Efficiency 13:15 Charging at a Stretch 14:42 Wing Cameras 16:17 Touchscreen, Haptic Feedback 17:19 What Does It Compete With? 18:17 Where Are The Cheaper Cars? 19:25 Subscribe & Support
6:00 The reason cars like this are so expensive, big and inefficient is because the Audi customer isn't buying a mode of transport, they are buying a peacocks tail. It's a form of costly signaling where they spend resources on showing off their ability to spend resources on showing off. Audi might see like dinosaurs, but they make cars like this because they understand their customers.
That's the thing...They can't make them competitively priced because they're not making them efficiently in mass numbers and are way behind on EV technology.
Although I would never buy such a large energy thirsty luxury car. I am glad Audi is building one that runs on electricity instead of gasoline or diesel. Each one sold, is one less fossil fuel car on the road.
@@aussie2uGA True - but I think the rant was aimed more at Audi, because there isn't anything inherent in that luxo-barge that justifies the piss-poor economy (especially given it has pretty good aero). Sure, it won't get the level of efficiency of a tiny econo-box, but the fact that e.g. Tesla Model X gets significantly better mileage despite having worse aero (iirc) shows how poor the Audi is.
Some "large" and "luxury" cars are more efficient than some smaller cheaper cars. The whole obsession with small=cheap dates back to the piston age. EVs don't work like that, its more about drivetrain and aerodynamics than size or luxury being evil
@@logicalChimp The e-tron/ e-tron Sportback is the first real BEV from Audi. Hence they started with a big luxury SUV. It's easier to build than a smaller car, so you can gain experience without much risk. But the Audi Q4 e-tron will be released soon, it's much smaller and - hopefully - more efficient. In 5 years almost every ICE Audi will have a BEV equivalent. In my opinion, Audi is ahead of BMW and Mercedes.
Range Rover from the 1980’s has a fuel economy in the range of 20-25 l/100km. Energy equivalent is 200-250kWh/100km. This Audi is 20-25 kWh/100km. This electron guzzling monster still has better mileage than a Prius.
I believe it's good to have these kind of EVs. There are just many wealthy ppl who like to have big, luxurious cars and better they get an electric one than an ICE car.
Thanks for the wellmade video, but guys, what I'm often missing: please show the trunk with seats down, because I want to see, if there is a bump or not !
After test driving this and a model Y which I believe compares more favorably (size) other than price point, the Audi felt too similar to their ICE lineup. The performance paled in comparison to Tesla, less range and I missed the one pedal braking of Tesla. I have a hunch Audi is going to build in some “needed” expensive service visits too. You’re paying a premium for the logo, air suspension, quieter cabin and “fit and finish.” They better hope project Artemis helps them catch up quickly.
I’m really looking forward to the Q4 e-tron. Smaller and more efficient built on the MEB platform. Let’s see what Audi can do with an EV that isn’t based on an ICE platform.
Robert, please, you drive an expensive Tesla and drove an even more expensive Tesla before that. We are all different or we would all drive electric smart cars.
Why do we have these cars? Because people buy them! Blaming carmakers for SUVs like this is like blaming McDonalds there are too many McDonalds around. When there is a demand a company is more than happy to serve it. I really dont get this mindset of people who blame carmakers. If everyone bought small cars carmakers would make more small cars. But people dont. Its you the consumer who commands the market, not the companies that make the products.
@@marcsimmonds5483 But not if they don't sell them. Anyway its a free market, people can buy whatever they want. Even if that for some reason annoys tesla drivers.
It's about 200mm longer and 85mm wider than a model 3 Tesla, so not a vast amount bigger. More like the size of a model S. However, judging by the reliability surveys, the Audi will be running like new after 100K miles, but the Tesla will have been in the garage 100 times.
Thank you for this video, it looks stunning. Besides that congratulations on the infographics, the look beautiful and flush and add to the whole experience.
The problem is that the model X is one of the ugliest cars ever made and looks cheap next to the others. All the others are so far behind tesla in their battery technology its depressing though.
Uhm the E Tron charges a lot quicker for a lot longer. The Taycan charges even quicker than that. So where exactly is Tesla ahead? Consumption of the E Tron in real world tests is only ~10% more btw. Check it out. EPA range is misleading.
Petrol Hyndai Kona : 4.3 L/100 km Petrol Audi Q8: 12.1 L/100 km Audi uses 3 times more fuel, that's why it uses 2 times more electricity as well. Audi just can't change physics!
I told my local Audi dealer I won't buy another Audi until they sell cars that do 600 to 1000 klm per charge. I love everything else about their vehicles. I don't want to be charging my vehicle every 3 hours.
that just means you are carrying a huge battery around for no reason most of the time.. I mean 1000km in the uk means driving for 7 hours are you really not going to be taking a 35 minute break in that time?
@@aussie2uGA even then it's still carrying a big fat battery that is pointless 99% of the time... and adds a lot to the cost of the car. and on major roads the charging stations are getting better... saying "i wont buy an audi until teh charging infrastructure is as good as teslas" would at least have some logic.
Switch over, you won't regret it. If you need something to fill the gap until the right car arrives, take a look at the Outlander PHEV. It's possible to do 90%+ of your driving in EV mode (we do almost all our city driving and commuting as an EV), it's not small, it's capable in snow/mud/gravel driving, and comes in at a very reasonable price.
10:30 Would be really nice to have this kind of number converted as an overlay on the video, for viewers in other countries that have no feeling at all for "miles to the kWh". I know I can google it, but doing that several times in each episode is quite disruptive to the viewing experience. And if possible, please do this as a standard for all numbers mentioned and/or appearing in the video, that could possibly have some of your international viewers lost and confused. I.e. km/miles, gallons/liters, pounds/kg, feet/meters, and all the combinations like miles/kWh versus kWh/km (or per 100 km). I know I'm asking a lot, but I just think it's much less effort (and a bit less energy 😉) spent overall if this is done once in video editing rather than several thousand times by every viewer that wants to know what you're on about.
Really? I know they tested BMW hybrids a while back, but didn’t know if they had confirmed which route they were going. Some safety concerns regarding quiet cars in Wellington streets and pedestrians potentially getting hit was the last I read.
@@NDFilmNZ They ordered 3 "55's" so far. Two of these will serve to shuttle ministers between Wellington Airport and the government’s parliament, while the third with baby seat will be placed in service in Ardern’s home town of Auckland 🍼😂.
If you can have electronic wing "mirrors", I don't get why they aren't positioned in front of you in your main field of vision, so you don't have to move your head or take your eyes off the road.
For the same reason that Bobby complained about the positioning of the driver size monitor - too many people are used to looking in the direction of the old fashioned mirrors (as muscle-memory etc) - so putting the images somewhere else is confusing. From what I could tell, the main issue with the Audi positioning was that they were too low (unlike the Honda ones which were at the same level as the mirrors would have been). The passenger side one is probably not so bad because the distance from the driver means even if you look at the mirror, you can see the monitor - but this is not the case for the driver side (you have to look down, instead of looking out).
I’ve watched a few TH-cams from a guy who owns the suv e-tron. He hates the mirror cameras. Clearly rushed, not enough r&d. Especially when you see how well Honda executed on theirs.
Fully agree with your assessment on private car ownership and usage. We've all been marketed into having our own vehicles. In urban areas car sharing schemes like ZipCar need to become commonplace. Parking issues in urban areas aren't because there are too many vehicles, it's because there are too many not being used.
True. Your owned car is literally sitting there costing you in money and depreciation. Car sharing is a novel way of paying for what you use and not having the costs of the car sitting idle. In these environmental times it makes sense to share ownership of small cars. Like now, if you have a small car you hire a van for the one day you move a lot of stuff. You don't buy a van for the once in a blue moon time you need to move lots of stuff. This is where electric cars come into their own. You buy a small city one, and hire a vehicle for your annual trip to Devon.
You have to understand that there are two groups of people when we talk about cars. The ones that love driving, love their card, and want to OWN them. It is about passion. A hobby. Even identity. And there are the ones that see them as just another utility service for transport from point A to point B. To each group it's own. We should understand and respect each other.
About the wing cameras: They simply have put the monitors in the completely wrong spot. It should be somewhere in the A-pillar, basically. The Honda-e does it right. That still has the problem of a flat 2D picture not feeling the same as a real mirror, of course. Thankfully, if you truly want the much too heavy and inefficient E-Tron, you can get it with real mirrors, too.
I'm curious to see how those side mirrors perform at night. Is there an ISO boost that would let you see stuff you wouldn't have been able to pick up on with a normal mirror? Also how well do they handle the headlights of the car behind?
@@Shiftarrr AFAIK, there's no real ISO boost, but there's auto-brightness. But that doesn't make them better than auto-darkening real mirrors when you're blinded by someone behind you.
I suddenly understood that why this video has such a focus on consumption, which is in real life only 10% higher than on an egg shaped Model X, or the smaller, narrow tired ECQ and I-Pace, without mentioning that e-tron can charge twice as fast as all of these; The story is an *ongoing collaboration between Fully Charged and Electrek* It's like getting the truth about American politics from Fox News. I'm disappointed. Another thing is that we can't all drive around in small, sensible cars. If EV's shall have a future, they must be able to do it all.
@@hkad6252 Yes given the average mileage people will do on a trip being within 200 miles, who cares if you use up a bit more of the sun light you captured and stored earlier on your way from A to B, plenty more where that came from
You’re right. This was not a “review”. It was a stitched up bashing because this loquacious Brit didn’t really want to like this car because it didn’t fit his need/want. He didn’t like the camera mirrors, but didn’t mention that Audi says they give 4+ miles of range and less noise so there a purpose! Also, don’t like it don’t option it! Seriously though I thought he’d downed a few too many pints after stumbling around to plug the charge cable in and then not even realising the cables were twisted up on the charger.
Great review as always. But to complain about the efficiency is not fair. Of course the model 3 is more efficient. It’s like comparing a Audi Q7 to an Audi A4.
Watching from America...thinking that this is a tiny suv, not big. My model Y with 100kw does 280 realistically but displays up to 317. My model Y does 0-60 in 4.8s, and I can buy the over the air upgrade to 4.2. This audi is overall lackluster in performance and design for the price.
@@alanmay7929 Y has double glass insulation as of last week. Has as much storage as well. Y will leave it for dust at lights and on the Autobahn. And before you go on about build quality. All the previous generation e-trons were recalled if i remember correctly
@@colinpalmer9070 talking build quality, tesla comes right from the factory with issues already, so many people are disappointed and in china teslas are been recalled
@James Harris definitely. Skoda always provide great room and storage space! Would also love to see fully electric Volvo s60 or mercedes c class break....
@@aussie2uGA yeah but audi main market is Europe not US. But yes they are pushing for SUV everywhere as margin are better. Buy they will be slowly ban form cities in europe as they are counter productive. More dangerous and less efficient. France already tax weight since last month to counter that trend of always bigger heavier vehicule
Not your best review Robert. Light on features and details, yet kept repeating (I found myself wanting to shout at the screen, saying "how many more times are you going to tell me that?!!") how inefficient it is and how other cars can go further on the same battery! And as for comparing the Audi to a Kona and very helpfully pointing out that they can both get you from A to B...really?! Are they even remotely in the same market segments? It's like the American Tesla fan boys who compare a model 3 with a Jag iPace! Expected better from you.
@@colinpalmer9070 I don't disagree that in terms of range or acceleration, its not as good as a model X, but I think any Audi will beat any Tesla in terms of build quality. That being said, I'm not convinced by this car and IF I was going to buy one of these, I would just opt for the standard, non-fast back option. The fast back is more expensive, yet is neither as good a sedan as the Actual e-tron sedan, nor as roomy as a regular SUV e tron. So based on the info presented so far, I struggle to see who its aimed at.
I'm going to have to disagree with you on your statements around large vehicles and homes not making sense. Different people have different needs and assuming what you think is reasonable should apply to everyone...is how you end up with nosy people in other peoples business...where they don't belong. What other people buy or want to own is nobody's business but their own...who's to say the person buying that E-Tron didn't put in their own solar system just to charge it ? or that they buy only from renewable energy sources ?
Too bad you didn't find a HPC charger because apparently the etron is a charge monster, going at 90kW even way above 80% and of course even faster before that soc.
@@arthurrobey4945 True story - anyway the etron buyer was going to buy a Q5 or 7 anyway - so it's only a £15-20k premium spec for spec -- and will be worth a lot more than £15k more in 5 years.
Try parking it next to a Ford Sierra, Vauxhall Cavalier or Volvo 244, which all were criticized at the time for having "high loading lips" and this will probably be even higher.
Cars have just become massive now. I had a walk around a Kona and it seemed very big on the outside but not exactly big on the inside. I'm impressed by the technology but SUV design does nothing for me. I saw an 80's estate car at a dealers recently, think it was a Astra the very square shaped one. Damn it was actually a really small car considering it was an estate.
SUV design???? its called a crossover.... or an estate raised a few centimeters.... And all the bitching, since you hate to be followers of trends from the USA... SMH....
This is the Hummer of Electric cars.. especially in the UK. It's amazing how he thinks this thing is huge. What would he think of a Ford F-350?!? You can almost part the Audi in it's bed!
street sizes are different between European cities and American ones, Top Gear or The Grand Tour (or both) have done a bit with driving your average American Pickup truck driving through UK village streets and it was in some places quite a hassle. not only that, a Ford F-350 is useless in most places on the European continent since the thing is too large for most parking spaces, probably can't stay in its lane while making 90 degree turns (if it can make the turn in the first place), fuel inefficient (fuel prices are a bit higher than in the US), road tax would probably be huge due to weight.
I saw Doug DeMuro's review of this car..he reckoned the sportback was a little more aerodynamic than the non-sportback equivalent,so had a little more range..
The world is really going to change when the manufactures figure out that if they just made AN car with 200 miles of range for under $20k, without all the bells and whistles, so they can use a smaller battery, they'd sell them faster than they can print the receipts.
This is to get people out of their diesel SUV. It may not be economical, but much better than all those diesels on the road. I would always go for the Tesla, but there are plenty of people that will only buy German cars
The fun part is that it will be beaten in so many key characteristics by the ID4 for half the price. But I bet it worked very well as a test bed for Audi before they head off properly with the PPE platform. If I had do pick an SUV I would always go for the Hyundai atm. Probably Skoda soon.
all depends on how far you need to go for your daily commute, if it is less than half of the tank, and you can plug it in at the place you work, then the range is good enough.
@@DarkDutch007 Thing is, a large and expensive car like this is clearly marketed towards people that expect to use it for weekend/vacation trips as well as commuting. Many of them will be disappointed with the range.
@@nc3826 Note that the infographic Bobby showed was 'Real world' ranges, not manufacturer stated ranges.... and yet the Model X still got ~50 miles more than the Audi. Separately, it's worth noting that Bobby has - apparently - been mostly using it for own and slow-country driving (averaging ~30mph), and EVs are usually far more efficient at those speeds than they are at highways speeds... For now, even if the marketing numbers are a bit inflated, Tesla still has far better 'real world' range than most other cars (not all, but most - including this one)
Note the word 'competitive'... and objetive 'Real world' testing shows a delta far less than 50 miles (btw infographic without showing how figures were obtained is pointless)... While its nice to know some ppl want to think "Tesla still has far better 'real world' range than most other" BEVs.... except Hyundai ofc....
MPG of ICE cars vary a lot from say a VW Golf to an Audi Q7. People with too much money are seemingly happy to pay the extra for fuel for the size and luxury of the vehicle. No reason why it should not be the same for EV's.
You are getting better at being more organized and technicall in the review. I also liked the overlayed data! Cheers from an Electronic Engineer in Argentina!
I heard on the Inside EVs podcast that the advantage of the e-tron during charging is that is will a high rate of charge almost all the way to full. So yes, its inefficient, but it will recharge quickly. They recommend that journalists should not only mention the peak recharge rate, but how long the car can charge at that high rate. Most cars will only take their peak charge when the battery is almost empty, then quickly lower their charge rate, resulting in a long wait to get to, say, 80%. But I think Audi built the e-tron to charge as quickly as possible, which make explain their weirdly low range from such a big battery. Good review though!
We have the '19 SUV, as long as 150KW chargers are on the route stops are fast enough and it's nice to get out of the car a little more frequently than when driving a long range ICE car. I need a stop after 300 miles even in a premium ICE car. Bjorn called the e-tron a tie with his early Model X on the 1000 Km challenge.
It's an amazing car... but is it? It's too much for sure. Technology is at least one step below Tesla, so not exactly next gen. Robert puts it nicely: "Cursed by the legacy automakers' mindset." lol.
Please don’t review cars for an hour, a day or two - it just doesn’t do good to both the journalist’s credibility and the car you’re driving. My average for 7000 km is 24kW/h per 100km. Lastly, the virtual mirrors are far more advanced than the classical ones: if you can’t adapt quickly to them, than it can be frustrating: once you throw away preconceptions and habits of driving for 20 years cars with old fashioned rear mirrors, you will open your eyes to something that actually saves your life in pouring rain (and image is crystal clear and not obscured by rain drops) or when sun is directly behind you (and reflection usually eliminates usability of a mirror) and you need to change lanes.
Great review. I also don't get why cars have to get bigger and bigger. The Hummer EV is the latest example of that trend. Small feedback @17:51 "km" is more common, not "kms". "kms" looks more like km * s (kilometer multiplied by seconds) :)
Actually, it’s not that “km” is more common it’s just that “kms” is completely technically incorrect in this context! There is no pluralisation of units of measure in the metric system and “kms” would actually mean “kilometre seconds”.
I like large boxy cars, but this doesn't tick those boxes for me really. The external looks are very unexciting. I like the level of tech though I agree with Robert that the wing-cameras need more work. Those are ripe for being ripped off. I don't have as much of an issue with the efficiency as I do with the fact they didn't compensate with a larger battery. Range is only just ok if 200 miles is to be believed. And of course the price is rather high.
At the beginning of your presentation you used the charge port on the near side. Then when charging you used one on the off side so I assume it has two charge ports? So, why use on on the off side ??
Another very good video and I share your view that it's a very, very big and energy inefficient car - which defeats the object for me. I'm sure those people with enough money to buy one will find it easy to justify having one though. I think the really sad thing is that most of them will only ever have one person in them ....... 😕
Looks really nice but I honestly see ZERO point in virtual wing mirrors if they're going to have those stupid stalks sticking out instead. Just gives the car more points of failure and makes the repairs more expensive.
You may have been complaining about it Robert but you still had a massive smile on your face. People still want massive 4x4's , better they buy one of these than a Range Rover or Q8
thank you for calling it a 'fastback' that's a better term for this new class of SUV. coupe just makes no sense for vehicle with 4 doors (whether they're frameless or not)
What always irks me is this giant Bluetooth "NOT CONNECTED" message that is just obnoxious. Had that in a rental VW Golf as well. It just screams "Our infotainment sucks! Connect a phone to make it suck less! Please!!"
That's paper-range, not 'real world' range... Tesla know how to game the efficiency tests to get higher 'official' range, but rarely hit those numbers in actual use. Hence the infographic showing 270 mile range for the Model X - which is still ~25% better than the Audi.
@@azera55555 Hence saying 'rarely hit' - they're not completely wrong, but it's easy enough (from what I've read - don't have one myself) to drive in a way that gets worse numbers - just like with most ICE vehicles.
@@logicalChimp Yes of course, it all depends on how you drive. I'd definitely get lower numbers. Test drove a Model 3 Performance and it was so easy to just punch it and get around all the traffic, feel like I'd do that a lot if I got one :)
"This drinks like a drunk at a Pub" he says, Me: i wonder why, could it be the "mirror" screens? Later in the vid-- 5 Screens on all over, 2 with live feed, climate control, ?heated seats? and who knows what more. Yahh that is gonna suck up alot of power.
Did you try to imagine how much relevance that has? All that tech might _maybe_ use 500W or 0.5kWh per hour of usage (excluding climate, that depends on the situation and is necessary in every car). In normal driving the Etron needs _roughly_ 25kW per hour (e.g. at 100kph avg. on the highway, should be more or less realistic). So the tech doesn't exactly seem like a major contributor to its excrementy efficiency, especially since the much more efficient competition has bigger screens and more advanced computers...
A screen that size will use no more than 20W, generally anything mechanical is where the power goes. Dragging 2000kg+ is by far the biggest use of electricity.
mate, if you think like that, then China made EVs would be right up your alley. You know why things need to be infinitely more expensive? It's not legacy auto. It's society's debt burden left by your generation and all those before. Everybody enjoyed a social net and now we all have to pay for it through inflation. No Western car company can afford to make cheap EVs because they have to fund pensions and pay union wages, that's why
The likes of Google maps now need the option to add your ev into to it so that when you need to drive further than your EV's take it adds the charge time to the total travel distance time. Yeah those wing cameras seem pointless, I see no benefit to them other than Audi makes a lot of money from them.
The biggest flaw in this vehicle for me (beside the price) is unfortunately the Public network, if an EV is going to be your main car then contemplating charging this 95KW capacity car on our Uk Public Network just brings me out in a cold sweat, having owned a Model S and driven it from Chester to Switzerland via France and Germany with absolutely no anxiety whatsoever using the Supercharger network I imagine doing the same journey in this vehicle would be a nightmare... And I speak from experience as my new EV is the Peugeot e208. And I find most channels doing these EV videos seem to not mention this aspect of an EV, almost as if the manufacturers have said.....’yes you can have the car for a few days....but don’t mention how bad the UK charging network is please.....’. I am lucky, my e208 is a weekend car and when sunny is being charged all week by my solar panels so I very rarely use the public network... fortunately.
My old Audi A3 TDI easily did 62mpg £0.08/mile at £119/litre current thirsty BMW V6 £0.17/mile? Is Robert say the etron costs £0.10/mile? Either confused or disappointed as part of the £119/litre includes a lot of tax
Robert - why do people need to spend £500 million on a yacht??!! Products are made to sell to people who have the money to spend on them! Twas ever thus.......! NOBODY NEEDS to spend £40,000+ on a Tesla, but...........
You compared this Audi E-tron to the Tesla Model X. Why not the Model Y, which is significantly less expensive than the X? The Y is still in the same class as the Audi, with 10% more cargo space, and the Y is even more efficient than the X (and the Audi) in terms of miles per Watt hour. Probably fair you can't compare to the Y because it isn't available in Europe yet, but I'm driving one in the US, and it is an Audi AND a model X killer. It doesn't have the traditional distracting "luxurious" push buttons and fiddly things you might find in the Audi or the X. But all the functionality is there, like automatic tailgate, superb navigation, all heated seats, autopilot lane keeping functions, etc. In any case, nice review, and I look forward to you someday reviewing a Y....when it's no longer vaporware in Europe!
So it's slower, more expensive, and has less range, than a Model S? 220 miles of real-world range in a big Audi is embarrassing: these things are motorway cruisers, not city cars - and it would be less than 220 miles at motorway speeds. I liked my Audi, and certainly I don't think my Tesla hasn't quite got the same build quality... but I'm not paying more money for less practicality (range) AND less performance
Clickable touch screens. But I'd be interested in a review of how easy it is to use these assorted new touch-based controls WHILST DRIVING. They're fab for accessing complex ranges of menus and settings whilst sat in the showroom or the driveway. I tried to choose an album to play from the USB card I put in my Model 3 the other day...Nightmare! Too much on the screen, too small to see easily, impossible to tap the right location without looking at the screen for too long... I do think they need to think carefully about what things are on a touch screen and what things are still on clickable feel-able knobs and buttons you can actuate without looking!
So what are you telling us Robert, before you told us range wasn't important as we only drive small distances, now your say 220 not enough? Who cares about 0-60 mph accept it seems tesla boys. Surely rather have quality of build, comfort seats, ride and most important reliability which this beats tesla. Even in reliability, tesla x and s came bottom in reliability "which" guide and that's survey from tesla drivers. So I don't know what you want out of a car?
The Kona may be cheaper and more efficient but the Audi is also more than 10 times as cool, it's better looking, it's way more comfortable, it performs better, it's Audi so the quality is way higher etc. The idea that we all *must* accept the cheapest shit possible these days is just plain silly honestly, that's how you make sure that plenty of people will resist "going green" for as long as humanly possible. People don't want to all drive around the same dull looking roller skate sized cars, just like they didn't when they all had petrol engines. It's no more stupid to care about cars, luxury in cars etc. than it is to care about computers, solar panels, phones, clothes, shoes or whatever. Just because some people don't "get it" doesn't mean that their inane talking about sneakers or whatever is any less dumb, most people don't get that shit either. We can do "green power" today so what difference does it really make if you "only" get 230 km of range? The vast majority of people don't go anywhere near that far on a daily basis anyway, and the ones regularly doing long road trips or whatever likely won't buy this Audi anyway, so what's the point of that complaint? "Oh, I need to go really far so I'll buy this Audi that doesn't go very far and then moan about it instead of just buying a car with longer range!" ??? Is that the type of person that the complaint is for? "A Tesla can go further!" so what? Then buy a Tesla. I wouldn't be seen dead in one but if that's what rocks your boat, more power to you. Some people care about quality though. Saying that people use the car for 3% of the time or whatever is also just sort of irrelevant. You could likely say the same thing about your couch at home, your swimming pool, your oven etc. and if you're really "into" clothes you likely use any given "set" of clothes *far* less than 3% of the time as well. Does that mean that you shouldn't care about the quality of those things either? It's honestly like testing one of those stupid small cars, and constantly complaining about it being unable to pull a caravan, it not being as roomy as this Audi etc. It's ridiculous. Don't buy a car made for one thing and whine about it not doing something else, just get a car that's made for what you want your car to do.
Would you have any recommendation for an electric 6/7 seat SUV? We will be moving to Portugal next year and will need a replacement and would prefer electric. We saw the Model X but its just a little expensive. I know the Model Y claims to be bringing 6/7 seat configuration next year but there is no indication exactly when. Do you have any other options?
Luxury used to mean superior build quality and materials, now it = more tech/gadgets. It doesn't matter whether it's an EV or an ICE vehicle, that's my problem with a lot of modern vehicles in general. It's alright when everything's working but when they go wrong they cost a fortune. Fast forward a few years, I can see many cars being uneconomical to repair because some electronic gadget is so costly to repair relative to the value of the car. That's not green or efficient in any way. Seems more about bragging rights than any real need no matter how well the auto manufacturers convince you that you should want them. What's with these door cameras and screens! Catch a 'old-fashioned' mirror on a narrow country lane and it's fixed relatively inexpensively. A malfunctioning camera or screen would cost how much??! I hope that's a trend that dies soon.
It's not cursed by the big automakers' legacy, it's cursed by capitalism... like everything else. They make these big luxury EVs because Tesla showed how much money you can make with those and how you attract wealthy buyers if you make your EVs "desirable". The thing is, that wealthy people are pretty much the exclusive buyers in the first place, because the tech behind EVs is still so new that their prices can't compete with the classic combustion engine cars, especially not used ones. All this dictates that those who are less well off can't afford an EV and those who can want their big luxury prestige object. It's dumb. Everything about the system we live in is dumb. Also very well clarified by the current pandemic, where a virus disrupts our lives and on top of this situation that's already threatening the misery of job losses and financial ruin is added, making things more catastrophic than they need to be.
I disagree with Robert's point about why have such a big car. Even with the less-than-stellar range, if you can afford a zero emission vehicle in that range and don't live in central London or some other tight space urban area, why not have a bigger car? They are so much more comfortable. But maybe it's just my SUV sized American brain.
Rob, in theory we should all be driving a VW e-up. The same argument over size - weight can be said for the most fuel efficient Range Rover, 7 series, Sclass, Q7 even the Model X and model S. Size means more weight unless you can afford a carbon fibre mclaren/ferrari
the Car looses my interest by the word SUV! there to much EV-SUVs and to less EV-Limousins EV_Sedans or EV-Hatchbacks (Not the small Cityhatchbacks like Corsa or 208e)
Yeah another completely decadent and useless SUV-truck for the upper 1%! Great technology-innovations, design and quality - we are missing last one on our the Tesla's. But the only thing it really serves well is the oversized egos of its sowneship. We're still waiting for an affordable car that is not waisiting space outside but has actually space inside! It clearly shows that VW's strategy is to extend the fossile fule era as long as possible!
This is basically a city range posh SUV. You can go maybe 100km to someplace for a weekend and come back. That is your radius. Especially as charging stations are still exceptions and not a rule. When you think about how many engineers Audi has, this is a poor job.
My model Y gets 3.5 - 4 miles per kWhr, 200 litres more storage, much quicker, 1300 lbs less, handles great, a lot less money. Know you can't get them there yet of course but you'll love it... and they'll be better than mine with the new battery.
Depressingly expensive this Audi. A waste of money and steel. Still a culture of waste we are. Regarding EVs, Dacia Spring is my pick. A small SUV under £20k.
65k starting for a vehicle with 175 miles of range? And then wait 1 hour to supercharge it? They are just selling these as novelty vehicles. Unfortunately there has yet to be an honest EV manufacturer willing to sell practical EVs to the masses. That is, the same specifications at a similar price point. Now with gas prices at $2 a gallon, in some cases driving a conventional ICE vehicle will save money on fuel over an EV. There is little justification for a massive premium to the consumer.
I agree about the cost of vehicles and also about efficiency… Cars are really crazy things when you think about it… So much so though, that I think it’s a quandary between compact size and the benefits of larger size. I think a happy medium might be to make cars longer, but perhaps relatively less tall and wide. This isn’t much good in the city, but on the road doesn’t effect efficiency as much and brings the benefits of roominess and potentially comfort. Larger cars are generally safer for occupants in collisions. That’s one good argument for larger cars. Larger vehicles are generally also more comfortable, both in terms of interior space and ride quality, than smaller cars. This is in itself also a safety factor, as a quieter and more comfortable driving experience is less fatiguing on the driver. Smaller cars could be made more comfortable in terms of NVH refinement, but generally aren’t, because they are usually made cheaply with refinement a middling priority, and are generally made for a market that currently focuses on sporty handling rather than comfort. Active safety features are also a good argument for more expensive cars, although in my opinion the best available and technologically possible of these should be made standard and mandatory for all vehicles.
That is a nice looking EV. The more manufacturers that produce EVs the better. After owning EVs for 7 years we, have never looked back at ICE dinosaurs. Regards Donald Balanecki
LIKE if you think more carmakers should be offering fully electric cars SHARE if you think EVs should be competitively priced.
Robert's at the fabulous Caffeine & Machine near Stratford-Upon-Avon for this review of the Audi E-Tron 55 Quattro Sportsback! This spectacularly luxurious, powerful and very big SUV is certainly nice to drive, but it's also heavy and uses a lot of energy meaning you don't get much range for your 95 kWh battery. It offers complex, next generation technology but with a price tag of around £85,000 there's no doubt that this is an expensive car. If you're an Audi driver looking to make the switch to electric this could be the car for you, but it's worth remembering there are cheaper, more powerful EVs on the market worth looking at.
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Timestamps:
0:00 Caffeine & (a mean) Machine
1:09 Audi E-Tron Sportback
2:19 Power, Charging Speed & Rate
3:01 Hidden Frunk
3:40 Intelligent Lights
4:22 Battery & Range
5:40 Roomy in the Rear
7:08 Big Old Boot
8:41 Impressive Performance in Stratford
10:03 Instrumentation & Efficiency
13:15 Charging at a Stretch
14:42 Wing Cameras
16:17 Touchscreen, Haptic Feedback
17:19 What Does It Compete With?
18:17 Where Are The Cheaper Cars?
19:25 Subscribe & Support
Just came here for the sound effects... jolly good...
Enjoyed the review.... but blaming its size on a "legacy mindset" and then comparing it to a model X was comical :)
6:00 The reason cars like this are so expensive, big and inefficient is because the Audi customer isn't buying a mode of transport, they are buying a peacocks tail. It's a form of costly signaling where they spend resources on showing off their ability to spend resources on showing off.
Audi might see like dinosaurs, but they make cars like this because they understand their customers.
That's the thing...They can't make them competitively priced because they're not making them efficiently in mass numbers and are way behind on EV technology.
That's the thing... Is most ppl just repeat the same pointless memes... SMH...
So, who’s gonna tell Robert that the ChargePoint station he was at has a swinging arm, that extends the cable reach further. 😜
Nah I'm good, you tell him. 😉
I think you just did :)
I think that was the point. 😆
Quite surprised that Robert doesn't know about the swinging arm. Probably lot's of people are unaware of this function.
He opened a charge port on the passenger side at the beginning of the review.
Although I would never buy such a large energy thirsty luxury car. I am glad Audi is building one that runs on electricity instead of gasoline or diesel. Each one sold, is one less fossil fuel car on the road.
People should buy what they like and not be forced into tiny “econoboxes” just because something smaller can get better mileage.
@@aussie2uGA True - but I think the rant was aimed more at Audi, because there isn't anything inherent in that luxo-barge that justifies the piss-poor economy (especially given it has pretty good aero). Sure, it won't get the level of efficiency of a tiny econo-box, but the fact that e.g. Tesla Model X gets significantly better mileage despite having worse aero (iirc) shows how poor the Audi is.
The equation changes when you have a fuel guzzling SUV but you can make your own fuel at home
Some "large" and "luxury" cars are more efficient than some smaller cheaper cars. The whole obsession with small=cheap dates back to the piston age. EVs don't work like that, its more about drivetrain and aerodynamics than size or luxury being evil
@@logicalChimp The e-tron/ e-tron Sportback is the first real BEV from Audi. Hence they started with a big luxury SUV. It's easier to build than a smaller car, so you can gain experience without much risk.
But the Audi Q4 e-tron will be released soon, it's much smaller and - hopefully - more efficient. In 5 years almost every ICE Audi will have a BEV equivalent.
In my opinion, Audi is ahead of BMW and Mercedes.
SHOUT-OUT to the SPIDER that was crawling on Bob's right shoulder when he got in the back seat (5 min 54 seconds in) :) !!!
I spotted that, funny :)
Great spot Wotjek! 👏👏👏
Gotta fend off the Biden fly somehow ;)
Range Rover from the 1980’s has a fuel economy in the range of 20-25 l/100km. Energy equivalent is 200-250kWh/100km. This Audi is 20-25 kWh/100km. This electron guzzling monster still has better mileage than a Prius.
And if you have been, thank you for presenting
I believe it's good to have these kind of EVs. There are just many wealthy ppl who like to have big, luxurious cars and better they get an electric one than an ICE car.
Thanks for the wellmade video, but guys, what I'm often missing: please show the trunk with seats down, because I want to see, if there is a bump or not !
Spider Alarm at 5:52 :O
Oh damn, good spot!
Another bland looking silver Audi with black interior, I think Audi owners will love it ;-).
Looks too sporty and edgy for my taste.
After test driving this and a model Y which I believe compares more favorably (size) other than price point, the Audi felt too similar to their ICE lineup. The performance paled in comparison to Tesla, less range and I missed the one pedal braking of Tesla. I have a hunch Audi is going to build in some “needed” expensive service visits too. You’re paying a premium for the logo, air suspension, quieter cabin and “fit and finish.” They better hope project Artemis helps them catch up quickly.
I’m really looking forward to the Q4 e-tron. Smaller and more efficient built on the MEB platform. Let’s see what Audi can do with an EV that isn’t based on an ICE platform.
got one here in Norway and I cant stress enough how nice this car drives! hope everyone can test drive it
Not enough oil here for me to afford it...
@@bugsygoo lol :D touché
What car did you had before this one?
@@DS-pk4eh I had a Tesla S, and before that a Audi Q5 ( the Q5 was an older model but still a amazing Audi IMO)
Robert, please, you drive an expensive Tesla and drove an even more expensive Tesla before that. We are all different or we would all drive electric smart cars.
Because some of us
like big luxurious cars and I am one of them, impressive vehicle
Boomer attitude ruining this planet for everyone else
Why do we have these cars? Because people buy them!
Blaming carmakers for SUVs like this is like blaming McDonalds there are too many McDonalds around. When there is a demand a company is more than happy to serve it.
I really dont get this mindset of people who blame carmakers. If everyone bought small cars carmakers would make more small cars. But people dont.
Its you the consumer who commands the market, not the companies that make the products.
Carmakers make more money out of big cars.
@@marcsimmonds5483 But not if they don't sell them. Anyway its a free market, people can buy whatever they want. Even if that for some reason annoys tesla drivers.
Why is there no overview from the interior in the beginning. And in the whole video only small pieces of the interior are showed now and then....
My Renault Zoe ZE50 does a minimum of 4.3miles KWh. Which I am very pleased with and a range of 220 miles,
£85K??? Definitely not worth it
It's about 200mm longer and 85mm wider than a model 3 Tesla, so not a vast amount bigger. More like the size of a model S.
However, judging by the reliability surveys, the Audi will be running like new after 100K miles, but the Tesla will have been in the garage 100 times.
Thank you for this video, it looks stunning. Besides that congratulations on the infographics, the look beautiful and flush and add to the whole experience.
Thank you so much!
The problem is that the model X is one of the ugliest cars ever made and looks cheap next to the others. All the others are so far behind tesla in their battery technology its depressing though.
Uhm the E Tron charges a lot quicker for a lot longer. The Taycan charges even quicker than that. So where exactly is Tesla ahead?
Consumption of the E Tron in real world tests is only ~10% more btw. Check it out. EPA range is misleading.
Petrol Hyndai Kona : 4.3 L/100 km
Petrol Audi Q8: 12.1 L/100 km
Audi uses 3 times more fuel, that's why it uses 2 times more electricity as well. Audi just can't change physics!
.. and if you fold the back seats of the Audi as well as the mirrors of the kona, the Kona fits inside the Audi!
I told my local Audi dealer I won't buy another Audi until they sell cars that do 600 to 1000 klm per charge. I love everything else about their vehicles. I don't want to be charging my vehicle every 3 hours.
May be next 5-7 years that might be a possibility. Legacy automakers need to work on battery tech first or buy tesla's
that just means you are carrying a huge battery around for no reason most of the time.. I mean 1000km in the uk means driving for 7 hours are you really not going to be taking a 35 minute break in that time?
You'll be waiting a while then
@@mralistair737 He may not be in the UK. In the US or Australia, you definitely need the range unless the charging stations can be expanded quickly.
@@aussie2uGA even then it's still carrying a big fat battery that is pointless 99% of the time... and adds a lot to the cost of the car. and on major roads the charging stations are getting better... saying "i wont buy an audi until teh charging infrastructure is as good as teslas" would at least have some logic.
As a person who drives a discovery 4 which eats so much fuel, i can understand this car.
I love my car but the guilt is killing me
Until the capabilities can rival a Disco 4 and the prices remain unrealistic to the masses, guilt is your friend for a while longer 😂
@@willwonka1325 about six months.
Thanks guy that really helps. lol
Switch over, you won't regret it. If you need something to fill the gap until the right car arrives, take a look at the Outlander PHEV. It's possible to do 90%+ of your driving in EV mode (we do almost all our city driving and commuting as an EV), it's not small, it's capable in snow/mud/gravel driving, and comes in at a very reasonable price.
10:30 Would be really nice to have this kind of number converted as an overlay on the video, for viewers in other countries that have no feeling at all for "miles to the kWh". I know I can google it, but doing that several times in each episode is quite disruptive to the viewing experience. And if possible, please do this as a standard for all numbers mentioned and/or appearing in the video, that could possibly have some of your international viewers lost and confused. I.e. km/miles, gallons/liters, pounds/kg, feet/meters, and all the combinations like miles/kWh versus kWh/km (or per 100 km). I know I'm asking a lot, but I just think it's much less effort (and a bit less energy 😉) spent overall if this is done once in video editing rather than several thousand times by every viewer that wants to know what you're on about.
New Zealand government just ordered a few of these Audi etrons to replace their BMW 7 series fleet.
Really? I know they tested BMW hybrids a while back, but didn’t know if they had confirmed which route they were going. Some safety concerns regarding quiet cars in Wellington streets and pedestrians potentially getting hit was the last I read.
@@NDFilmNZ maybe pedestrians should look first !
@@NDFilmNZ They ordered 3 "55's" so far. Two of these will serve to shuttle ministers between Wellington Airport and the government’s parliament, while the third with baby seat will be placed in service in Ardern’s home town of Auckland 🍼😂.
Please let you neighbours in Australia know about it. Their government seems to be coughing in (coal & ash) dust!
If you can have electronic wing "mirrors", I don't get why they aren't positioned in front of you in your main field of vision, so you don't have to move your head or take your eyes off the road.
For the same reason that Bobby complained about the positioning of the driver size monitor - too many people are used to looking in the direction of the old fashioned mirrors (as muscle-memory etc) - so putting the images somewhere else is confusing.
From what I could tell, the main issue with the Audi positioning was that they were too low (unlike the Honda ones which were at the same level as the mirrors would have been). The passenger side one is probably not so bad because the distance from the driver means even if you look at the mirror, you can see the monitor - but this is not the case for the driver side (you have to look down, instead of looking out).
I’ve watched a few TH-cams from a guy who owns the suv e-tron. He hates the mirror cameras. Clearly rushed, not enough r&d. Especially when you see how well Honda executed on theirs.
I feel like he didn't really show us the car, He just told us about it. It could as well been a radio thing.
Welcome to Fully Charged. If you like comprehensive reviews, watch Autogefuhl.
Fully agree with your assessment on private car ownership and usage. We've all been marketed into having our own vehicles. In urban areas car sharing schemes like ZipCar need to become commonplace. Parking issues in urban areas aren't because there are too many vehicles, it's because there are too many not being used.
True.
Your owned car is literally sitting there costing you in money and depreciation. Car sharing is a novel way of paying for what you use and not having the costs of the car sitting idle.
In these environmental times it makes sense to share ownership of small cars.
Like now, if you have a small car you hire a van for the one day you move a lot of stuff. You don't buy a van for the once in a blue moon time you need to move lots of stuff.
This is where electric cars come into their own. You buy a small city one, and hire a vehicle for your annual trip to Devon.
You have to understand that there are two groups of people when we talk about cars.
The ones that love driving, love their card, and want to OWN them. It is about passion. A hobby. Even identity.
And there are the ones that see them as just another utility service for transport from point A to point B.
To each group it's own. We should understand and respect each other.
Was that a spider 🕷️ running down your shoulder at 5:50?? 😳
About the wing cameras: They simply have put the monitors in the completely wrong spot. It should be somewhere in the A-pillar, basically. The Honda-e does it right. That still has the problem of a flat 2D picture not feeling the same as a real mirror, of course. Thankfully, if you truly want the much too heavy and inefficient E-Tron, you can get it with real mirrors, too.
I'm curious to see how those side mirrors perform at night. Is there an ISO boost that would let you see stuff you wouldn't have been able to pick up on with a normal mirror? Also how well do they handle the headlights of the car behind?
@@Shiftarrr AFAIK, there's no real ISO boost, but there's auto-brightness. But that doesn't make them better than auto-darkening real mirrors when you're blinded by someone behind you.
I suddenly understood that why this video has such a focus on consumption, which is in real life only 10% higher than on an egg shaped Model X, or the smaller, narrow tired ECQ and I-Pace, without mentioning that e-tron can charge twice as fast as all of these;
The story is an *ongoing collaboration between Fully Charged and Electrek* It's like getting the truth about American politics from Fox News. I'm disappointed. Another thing is that we can't all drive around in small, sensible cars. If EV's shall have a future, they must be able to do it all.
Exactly!
@@hkad6252 Yes given the average mileage people will do on a trip being within 200 miles, who cares if you use up a bit more of the sun light you captured and stored earlier on your way from A to B, plenty more where that came from
You’re right. This was not a “review”. It was a stitched up bashing because this loquacious Brit didn’t really want to like this car because it didn’t fit his need/want. He didn’t like the camera mirrors, but didn’t mention that Audi says they give 4+ miles of range and less noise so there a purpose! Also, don’t like it don’t option it! Seriously though I thought he’d downed a few too many pints after stumbling around to plug the charge cable in and then not even realising the cables were twisted up on the charger.
You absolutely can't compare an Audi to a Kona
So nice to see the warm sunshine of summer as I look out on a miserable rainy October day...
Another cheap car everyone can afford.
Great review as always. But to complain about the efficiency is not fair. Of course the model 3 is more efficient. It’s like comparing a Audi Q7 to an Audi A4.
Watching from America...thinking that this is a tiny suv, not big. My model Y with 100kw does 280 realistically but displays up to 317. My model Y does 0-60 in 4.8s, and I can buy the over the air upgrade to 4.2. This audi is overall lackluster in performance and design for the price.
The audi totally nails it in quality and refinement with double glass isolation, luxury/massage.....
@A N Other thats what she said......
@@alanmay7929 Y has double glass insulation as of last week. Has as much storage as well. Y will leave it for dust at lights and on the Autobahn. And before you go on about build quality. All the previous generation e-trons were recalled if i remember correctly
@@colinpalmer9070 talking build quality, tesla comes right from the factory with issues already, so many people are disappointed and in china teslas are been recalled
Families need station wagon, where are electric station wagon ?
@James Harris definitely. Skoda always provide great room and storage space!
Would also love to see fully electric Volvo s60 or mercedes c class break....
Station wagons don’t sell in North America. If they’re trying to make the first EV’s appeal to a mass market, a sedan or suv is the best choice.
@@aussie2uGA yeah but audi main market is Europe not US.
But yes they are pushing for SUV everywhere as margin are better.
Buy they will be slowly ban form cities in europe as they are counter productive. More dangerous and less efficient. France already tax weight since last month to counter that trend of always bigger heavier vehicule
VW caravelle 6.2 will be fully electric with 350-400 mile range - due for release in 2021
@@Ben-oy1td sounds good. Where do you get that from?
The only european van on my radar is the mercedes eqv
Not your best review Robert. Light on features and details, yet kept repeating (I found myself wanting to shout at the screen, saying "how many more times are you going to tell me that?!!") how inefficient it is and how other cars can go further on the same battery! And as for comparing the Audi to a Kona and very helpfully pointing out that they can both get you from A to B...really?! Are they even remotely in the same market segments? It's like the American Tesla fan boys who compare a model 3 with a Jag iPace! Expected better from you.
He compared it to an X. And it failed !
@@colinpalmer9070 I don't disagree that in terms of range or acceleration, its not as good as a model X, but I think any Audi will beat any Tesla in terms of build quality. That being said, I'm not convinced by this car and IF I was going to buy one of these, I would just opt for the standard, non-fast back option. The fast back is more expensive, yet is neither as good a sedan as the Actual e-tron sedan, nor as roomy as a regular SUV e tron. So based on the info presented so far, I struggle to see who its aimed at.
I'm going to have to disagree with you on your statements around large vehicles and homes not making sense. Different people have different needs and assuming what you think is reasonable should apply to everyone...is how you end up with nosy people in other peoples business...where they don't belong. What other people buy or want to own is nobody's business but their own...who's to say the person buying that E-Tron didn't put in their own solar system just to charge it ? or that they buy only from renewable energy sources ?
Too bad you didn't find a HPC charger because apparently the etron is a charge monster, going at 90kW even way above 80% and of course even faster before that soc.
£85k? What a bargain. I'll make that back in petrol savings in 70 years
Your petrol will run out way before then. Ghawar is sucking water
@@arthurrobey4945 True story - anyway the etron buyer was going to buy a Q5 or 7 anyway - so it's only a £15-20k premium spec for spec -- and will be worth a lot more than £15k more in 5 years.
@A N Other Model S for me.
Crazy prices. Then again BMW sent an email earlier offering £25-30k off the price of a new 7 series.
"I'll make that back" is POINTLESS for a Audi. Gas Guzzling V6 & V8 ain't cheap.
Try parking it next to a Ford Sierra, Vauxhall Cavalier or Volvo 244, which all were criticized at the time for having "high loading lips" and this will probably be even higher.
Cars have just become massive now.
I had a walk around a Kona and it seemed very big on the outside but not exactly big on the inside. I'm impressed by the technology but SUV design does nothing for me.
I saw an 80's estate car at a dealers recently, think it was a Astra the very square shaped one. Damn it was actually a really small car considering it was an estate.
SUV design???? its called a crossover.... or an estate raised a few centimeters....
And all the bitching, since you hate to be followers of trends from the USA... SMH....
This is the Hummer of Electric cars.. especially in the UK.
It's amazing how he thinks this thing is huge. What would he think of a Ford F-350?!? You can almost part the Audi in it's bed!
street sizes are different between European cities and American ones, Top Gear or The Grand Tour (or both) have done a bit with driving your average American Pickup truck driving through UK village streets and it was in some places quite a hassle.
not only that, a Ford F-350 is useless in most places on the European continent since the thing is too large for most parking spaces, probably can't stay in its lane while making 90 degree turns (if it can make the turn in the first place), fuel inefficient (fuel prices are a bit higher than in the US), road tax would probably be huge due to weight.
Hummer EV does 350 Miles on 200kwh, very interesting atleast it's realisitc.
its amusing how a yank based joke.... is taken seriously in euroworld.. and then feels the need to rant about it :)
I saw Doug DeMuro's review of this car..he reckoned the sportback was a little more aerodynamic than the non-sportback equivalent,so had a little more range..
Audi Q4 e-tron and e-tron sportback will be available next year (a posh VW ID.4!!)
The Instavolt cable swings out on an arm at the top, so no need to have parked so badly Bobby 😂
The world is really going to change when the manufactures figure out that if they just made AN car with 200 miles of range for under $20k, without all the bells and whistles, so they can use a smaller battery, they'd sell them faster than they can print the receipts.
You have to get with the executive mindset, Robert.
This is to get people out of their diesel SUV. It may not be economical, but much better than all those diesels on the road.
I would always go for the Tesla, but there are plenty of people that will only buy German cars
The fun part is that it will be beaten in so many key characteristics by the ID4 for half the price. But I bet it worked very well as a test bed for Audi before they head off properly with the PPE platform.
If I had do pick an SUV I would always go for the Hyundai atm. Probably Skoda soon.
That range is just not good enough. Shame as it has some other tech that is way better than found in a Tesla.
all depends on how far you need to go for your daily commute, if it is less than half of the tank, and you can plug it in at the place you work, then the range is good enough.
Tesla fantasyworld ranges only matters to fanboys.... its real world tested range is competitive
@@DarkDutch007 Thing is, a large and expensive car like this is clearly marketed towards people that expect to use it for weekend/vacation trips as well as commuting. Many of them will be disappointed with the range.
@@nc3826 Note that the infographic Bobby showed was 'Real world' ranges, not manufacturer stated ranges.... and yet the Model X still got ~50 miles more than the Audi.
Separately, it's worth noting that Bobby has - apparently - been mostly using it for own and slow-country driving (averaging ~30mph), and EVs are usually far more efficient at those speeds than they are at highways speeds...
For now, even if the marketing numbers are a bit inflated, Tesla still has far better 'real world' range than most other cars (not all, but most - including this one)
Note the word 'competitive'... and objetive 'Real world' testing shows a delta far less than 50 miles (btw infographic without showing how figures were obtained is pointless)...
While its nice to know some ppl want to think "Tesla still has far better 'real world' range than most other" BEVs.... except Hyundai ofc....
MPG of ICE cars vary a lot from say a VW Golf to an Audi Q7. People with too much money are seemingly happy to pay the extra for fuel for the size and luxury of the vehicle. No reason why it should not be the same for EV's.
Exactly
You are getting better at being more organized and technicall in the review. I also liked the overlayed data! Cheers from an Electronic Engineer in Argentina!
I heard on the Inside EVs podcast that the advantage of the e-tron during charging is that is will a high rate of charge almost all the way to full. So yes, its inefficient, but it will recharge quickly. They recommend that journalists should not only mention the peak recharge rate, but how long the car can charge at that high rate. Most cars will only take their peak charge when the battery is almost empty, then quickly lower their charge rate, resulting in a long wait to get to, say, 80%. But I think Audi built the e-tron to charge as quickly as possible, which make explain their weirdly low range from such a big battery.
Good review though!
We have the '19 SUV, as long as 150KW chargers are on the route stops are fast enough and it's nice to get out of the car a little more frequently than when driving a long range ICE car. I need a stop after 300 miles even in a premium ICE car. Bjorn called the e-tron a tie with his early Model X on the 1000 Km challenge.
It's an amazing car... but is it? It's too much for sure. Technology is at least one step below Tesla, so not exactly next gen. Robert puts it nicely: "Cursed by the legacy automakers' mindset." lol.
5:54 SPIDER!!!!
From 5:54 onwards, I was watching for the spider to re-appear.
Please don’t review cars for an hour, a day or two - it just doesn’t do good to both the journalist’s credibility and the car you’re driving. My average for 7000 km is 24kW/h per 100km. Lastly, the virtual mirrors are far more advanced than the classical ones: if you can’t adapt quickly to them, than it can be frustrating: once you throw away preconceptions and habits of driving for 20 years cars with old fashioned rear mirrors, you will open your eyes to something that actually saves your life in pouring rain (and image is crystal clear and not obscured by rain drops) or when sun is directly behind you (and reflection usually eliminates usability of a mirror) and you need to change lanes.
Very well said! Can’t wait to get my etron S sportback
Wish you many happy moments!
Great review. I also don't get why cars have to get bigger and bigger. The Hummer EV is the latest example of that trend.
Small feedback @17:51 "km" is more common, not "kms". "kms" looks more like km * s (kilometer multiplied by seconds) :)
Good point. Appreciate the feedback
Actually, it’s not that “km” is more common it’s just that “kms” is completely technically incorrect in this context! There is no pluralisation of units of measure in the metric system and “kms” would actually mean “kilometre seconds”.
I like large boxy cars, but this doesn't tick those boxes for me really. The external looks are very unexciting. I like the level of tech though I agree with Robert that the wing-cameras need more work. Those are ripe for being ripped off. I don't have as much of an issue with the efficiency as I do with the fact they didn't compensate with a larger battery. Range is only just ok if 200 miles is to be believed. And of course the price is rather high.
And more cars with 2 or 3 doors please! Loved the production on this film btw.
At the beginning of your presentation you used the charge port on the near side. Then when charging you used one on the off side so I assume it has two charge ports?
So, why use on on the off side ??
One side has CCS aswell, the other doesn't
The yellow band around the driver's "mirror", to warn you are being overtaken, @ 12:16 is a nice touch.
Maybe the Model Y hasn't made it to Europe but Model Y is better but if these are your choices than I would go with a used electric SUV
Better at what?
Another very good video and I share your view that it's a very, very big and energy inefficient car - which defeats the object for me. I'm sure those people with enough money to buy one will find it easy to justify having one though. I think the really sad thing is that most of them will only ever have one person in them ....... 😕
It's is exponentially more efficient than gas. Even if it's not efficient
Looks really nice but I honestly see ZERO point in virtual wing mirrors if they're going to have those stupid stalks sticking out instead. Just gives the car more points of failure and makes the repairs more expensive.
You may have been complaining about it Robert but you still had a massive smile on your face. People still want massive 4x4's , better they buy one of these than a Range Rover or Q8
Honda E got the wing camera right :)
thank you for calling it a 'fastback' that's a better term for this new class of SUV.
coupe just makes no sense for vehicle with 4 doors (whether they're frameless or not)
What always irks me is this giant Bluetooth "NOT CONNECTED" message that is just obnoxious. Had that in a rental VW Golf as well. It just screams "Our infotainment sucks! Connect a phone to make it suck less! Please!!"
The Model X now has 371 miles of range. Almost TWICE the range of these e trons
That's paper-range, not 'real world' range... Tesla know how to game the efficiency tests to get higher 'official' range, but rarely hit those numbers in actual use. Hence the infographic showing 270 mile range for the Model X - which is still ~25% better than the Audi.
@@logicalChimp idk. I've seen bjorn nylands testing of Teslas and the results are similar to the epa numbers.
@@azera55555 Hence saying 'rarely hit' - they're not completely wrong, but it's easy enough (from what I've read - don't have one myself) to drive in a way that gets worse numbers - just like with most ICE vehicles.
@@logicalChimp Yes of course, it all depends on how you drive. I'd definitely get lower numbers. Test drove a Model 3 Performance and it was so easy to just punch it and get around all the traffic, feel like I'd do that a lot if I got one :)
Perfect American size of 4x4 looking thing, to which I would NOT want... give me a VW ID3, to which we won't get here in the States.
"This drinks like a drunk at a Pub" he says,
Me: i wonder why, could it be the "mirror" screens?
Later in the vid-- 5 Screens on all over, 2 with live feed, climate control, ?heated seats?
and who knows what more.
Yahh that is gonna suck up alot of power.
Did you try to imagine how much relevance that has? All that tech might _maybe_ use 500W or 0.5kWh per hour of usage (excluding climate, that depends on the situation and is necessary in every car). In normal driving the Etron needs _roughly_ 25kW per hour (e.g. at 100kph avg. on the highway, should be more or less realistic). So the tech doesn't exactly seem like a major contributor to its excrementy efficiency, especially since the much more efficient competition has bigger screens and more advanced computers...
A screen that size will use no more than 20W, generally anything mechanical is where the power goes. Dragging 2000kg+ is by far the biggest use of electricity.
mate, if you think like that, then China made EVs would be right up your alley. You know why things need to be infinitely more expensive? It's not legacy auto. It's society's debt burden left by your generation and all those before. Everybody enjoyed a social net and now we all have to pay for it through inflation. No Western car company can afford to make cheap EVs because they have to fund pensions and pay union wages, that's why
Why we would ever need such a BIG, HEAVY and UNEFFICIENT EV !?!? For sure not for me 😎
The likes of Google maps now need the option to add your ev into to it so that when you need to drive further than your EV's take it adds the charge time to the total travel distance time.
Yeah those wing cameras seem pointless, I see no benefit to them other than Audi makes a lot of money from them.
PRESTIGE,PRESTIG,PRESTIGE, this electric guzzler
The biggest flaw in this vehicle for me (beside the price) is unfortunately the Public network, if an EV is going to be your main car then contemplating charging this 95KW capacity car on our Uk Public Network just brings me out in a cold sweat, having owned a Model S and driven it from Chester to Switzerland via France and Germany with absolutely no anxiety whatsoever using the Supercharger network I imagine doing the same journey in this vehicle would be a nightmare... And I speak from experience as my new EV is the Peugeot e208. And I find most channels doing these EV videos seem to not mention this aspect of an EV, almost as if the manufacturers have said.....’yes you can have the car for a few days....but don’t mention how bad the UK charging network is please.....’. I am lucky, my e208 is a weekend car and when sunny is being charged all week by my solar panels so I very rarely use the public network... fortunately.
You're the only reviewer to recognize how expensive those lights can be to replace. I'd be guessing about $4k USD minimum PER SIDE.
My old Audi A3 TDI easily did 62mpg £0.08/mile at £119/litre current thirsty BMW V6 £0.17/mile? Is Robert say the etron costs £0.10/mile? Either confused or disappointed as part of the £119/litre includes a lot of tax
Robert - why do people need to spend £500 million on a yacht??!!
Products are made to sell to people who have the money to spend on them!
Twas ever thus.......!
NOBODY NEEDS to spend £40,000+ on a Tesla, but...........
You compared this Audi E-tron to the Tesla Model X. Why not the Model Y, which is significantly less expensive than the X? The Y is still in the same class as the Audi, with 10% more cargo space, and the Y is even more efficient than the X (and the Audi) in terms of miles per Watt hour. Probably fair you can't compare to the Y because it isn't available in Europe yet, but I'm driving one in the US, and it is an Audi AND a model X killer. It doesn't have the traditional distracting "luxurious" push buttons and fiddly things you might find in the Audi or the X. But all the functionality is there, like automatic tailgate, superb navigation, all heated seats, autopilot lane keeping functions, etc.
In any case, nice review, and I look forward to you someday reviewing a Y....when it's no longer vaporware in Europe!
So it's slower, more expensive, and has less range, than a Model S? 220 miles of real-world range in a big Audi is embarrassing: these things are motorway cruisers, not city cars - and it would be less than 220 miles at motorway speeds.
I liked my Audi, and certainly I don't think my Tesla hasn't quite got the same build quality... but I'm not paying more money for less practicality (range) AND less performance
YesSiRr..can you send me oNe tO RevieW..pLeAse..🤣😁😎! PRomise il seNd it baCk..😊😁😉👍👊🤙💯!! OtherWise uR reView was gOOd toO..😚👌!! ThanKyoU my good siR!!
Clickable touch screens. But I'd be interested in a review of how easy it is to use these assorted new touch-based controls WHILST DRIVING. They're fab for accessing complex ranges of menus and settings whilst sat in the showroom or the driveway. I tried to choose an album to play from the USB card I put in my Model 3 the other day...Nightmare! Too much on the screen, too small to see easily, impossible to tap the right location without looking at the screen for too long... I do think they need to think carefully about what things are on a touch screen and what things are still on clickable feel-able knobs and buttons you can actuate without looking!
So what are you telling us Robert, before you told us range wasn't important as we only drive small distances, now your say 220 not enough? Who cares about 0-60 mph accept it seems tesla boys. Surely rather have quality of build, comfort seats, ride and most important reliability which this beats tesla. Even in reliability, tesla x and s came bottom in reliability "which" guide and that's survey from tesla drivers. So I don't know what you want out of a car?
The Kona may be cheaper and more efficient but the Audi is also more than 10 times as cool, it's better looking, it's way more comfortable, it performs better, it's Audi so the quality is way higher etc.
The idea that we all *must* accept the cheapest shit possible these days is just plain silly honestly, that's how you make sure that plenty of people will resist "going green" for as long as humanly possible. People don't want to all drive around the same dull looking roller skate sized cars, just like they didn't when they all had petrol engines. It's no more stupid to care about cars, luxury in cars etc. than it is to care about computers, solar panels, phones, clothes, shoes or whatever. Just because some people don't "get it" doesn't mean that their inane talking about sneakers or whatever is any less dumb, most people don't get that shit either.
We can do "green power" today so what difference does it really make if you "only" get 230 km of range? The vast majority of people don't go anywhere near that far on a daily basis anyway, and the ones regularly doing long road trips or whatever likely won't buy this Audi anyway, so what's the point of that complaint?
"Oh, I need to go really far so I'll buy this Audi that doesn't go very far and then moan about it instead of just buying a car with longer range!" ??? Is that the type of person that the complaint is for?
"A Tesla can go further!" so what? Then buy a Tesla. I wouldn't be seen dead in one but if that's what rocks your boat, more power to you. Some people care about quality though.
Saying that people use the car for 3% of the time or whatever is also just sort of irrelevant. You could likely say the same thing about your couch at home, your swimming pool, your oven etc. and if you're really "into" clothes you likely use any given "set" of clothes *far* less than 3% of the time as well. Does that mean that you shouldn't care about the quality of those things either?
It's honestly like testing one of those stupid small cars, and constantly complaining about it being unable to pull a caravan, it not being as roomy as this Audi etc. It's ridiculous. Don't buy a car made for one thing and whine about it not doing something else, just get a car that's made for what you want your car to do.
Would you have any recommendation for an electric 6/7 seat SUV? We will be moving to Portugal next year and will need a replacement and would prefer electric. We saw the Model X but its just a little expensive. I know the Model Y claims to be bringing 6/7 seat configuration next year but there is no indication exactly when. Do you have any other options?
Luxury used to mean superior build quality and materials, now it = more tech/gadgets. It doesn't matter whether it's an EV or an ICE vehicle, that's my problem with a lot of modern vehicles in general.
It's alright when everything's working but when they go wrong they cost a fortune. Fast forward a few years, I can see many cars being uneconomical to repair because some electronic gadget is so costly to repair relative to the value of the car. That's not green or efficient in any way. Seems more about bragging rights than any real need no matter how well the auto manufacturers convince you that you should want them.
What's with these door cameras and screens! Catch a 'old-fashioned' mirror on a narrow country lane and it's fixed relatively inexpensively. A malfunctioning camera or screen would cost how much??! I hope that's a trend that dies soon.
It's not cursed by the big automakers' legacy, it's cursed by capitalism... like everything else. They make these big luxury EVs because Tesla showed how much money you can make with those and how you attract wealthy buyers if you make your EVs "desirable".
The thing is, that wealthy people are pretty much the exclusive buyers in the first place, because the tech behind EVs is still so new that their prices can't compete with the classic combustion engine cars, especially not used ones. All this dictates that those who are less well off can't afford an EV and those who can want their big luxury prestige object.
It's dumb. Everything about the system we live in is dumb.
Also very well clarified by the current pandemic, where a virus disrupts our lives and on top of this situation that's already threatening the misery of job losses and financial ruin is added, making things more catastrophic than they need to be.
I disagree with Robert's point about why have such a big car. Even with the less-than-stellar range, if you can afford a zero emission vehicle in that range and don't live in central London or some other tight space urban area, why not have a bigger car? They are so much more comfortable. But maybe it's just my SUV sized American brain.
Rob, in theory we should all be driving a VW e-up. The same argument over size - weight can be said for the most fuel efficient Range Rover, 7 series, Sclass, Q7 even the Model X and model S. Size means more weight unless you can afford a carbon fibre mclaren/ferrari
the Car looses my interest by the word SUV! there to much EV-SUVs and to less EV-Limousins EV_Sedans or EV-Hatchbacks (Not the small Cityhatchbacks like Corsa or 208e)
Yeah another completely decadent and useless SUV-truck for the upper 1%! Great technology-innovations, design and quality - we are missing last one on our the Tesla's. But the only thing it really serves well is the oversized egos of its sowneship. We're still waiting for an affordable car that is not waisiting space outside but has actually space inside! It clearly shows that VW's strategy is to extend the fossile fule era as long as possible!
This is basically a city range posh SUV. You can go maybe 100km to someplace for a weekend and come back. That is your radius. Especially as charging stations are still exceptions and not a rule. When you think about how many engineers Audi has, this is a poor job.
My model Y gets 3.5 - 4 miles per kWhr, 200 litres more storage, much quicker, 1300 lbs less, handles great, a lot less money. Know you can't get them there yet of course but you'll love it... and they'll be better than mine with the new battery.
Depressingly expensive this Audi. A waste of money and steel. Still a culture of waste we are. Regarding EVs, Dacia Spring is my pick. A small SUV under £20k.
65k starting for a vehicle with 175 miles of range? And then wait 1 hour to supercharge it? They are just selling these as novelty vehicles. Unfortunately there has yet to be an honest EV manufacturer willing to sell practical EVs to the masses. That is, the same specifications at a similar price point. Now with gas prices at $2 a gallon, in some cases driving a conventional ICE vehicle will save money on fuel over an EV. There is little justification for a massive premium to the consumer.
I agree about the cost of vehicles and also about efficiency… Cars are really crazy things when you think about it… So much so though, that I think it’s a quandary between compact size and the benefits of larger size. I think a happy medium might be to make cars longer, but perhaps relatively less tall and wide. This isn’t much good in the city, but on the road doesn’t effect efficiency as much and brings the benefits of roominess and potentially comfort. Larger cars are generally safer for occupants in collisions. That’s one good argument for larger cars. Larger vehicles are generally also more comfortable, both in terms of interior space and ride quality, than smaller cars. This is in itself also a safety factor, as a quieter and more comfortable driving experience is less fatiguing on the driver. Smaller cars could be made more comfortable in terms of NVH refinement, but generally aren’t, because they are usually made cheaply with refinement a middling priority, and are generally made for a market that currently focuses on sporty handling rather than comfort. Active safety features are also a good argument for more expensive cars, although in my opinion the best available and technologically possible of these should be made standard and mandatory for all vehicles.
That is a nice looking EV. The more manufacturers that produce EVs the better. After owning EVs for 7 years we, have never looked back at ICE dinosaurs. Regards Donald Balanecki