Audi, like a lot of the automotive trade, dipped its toe into EV manufacturing beginning with splashy, aspirational fashions. The E-Tron SUV and E-Tron GT sport sedan are gorgeous and highly effective; however even the extra mainstream of the 2 begins at $71,000. With sights set on shifting a big portion of its manufacturing to EVs, it’s this automotive, the This autumn E-Tron, that’s Audi’s most important EV but.

Starting below $50,000, this EV-only comfortably sized 5-seat SUV is the brand new entry level for electrical Audis. But the truth that it’s electrical truly isn’t significantly fascinating; and that’s by design.

The smartest thing the This autumn E-Tron does is … simply be an Audi. The Audi representatives on the launch occasion I’m attending had been extremely clear and stated precisely that; they really feel that if you take away the combustion engine and exchange it with an electrical powertrain, not a complete lot modifications — it merely lets the qualities Audi is thought for shine by way of.

Setting off on a roughly 75 mile take a look at drive, that’s obvious from the beginning. The match and end of each panel and piece of trim on the skin is great. The doorways shut with a satisfying thud; aside from the usual powered rear hatch, in fact. The leather-based seats, delicate contact plastics, and pure end wooden veneers on the inside really feel applicable for a automotive this worth. Sit in a This autumn E-Tron, and there’s successfully no indication of whether or not there’s an engine below the hood.

Of course, till you set off in your journey. This dual-motor “Q 50” Quattro mannequin is silent and clean at decrease speeds, however comes alive rapidly in a method that may shock you if you happen to’ve by no means been in an EV, however really feel comfortably fast when you have. The 295 horsepower is above common for its class when evaluating to gasoline choices, and it offers extra energy than most individuals would anticipate. Getting as much as freeway speeds on even a brief on-ramp isn’t any concern, neither is making a go or leaping into a niche at any authorized velocity vary.

Though the This autumn E-Tron is on no account designed to be a sporty SUV, it’s spry and vigorous and might maintain its personal on twisty roads. You really feel the load of the automotive shift below braking and exhausting turns, whereas the traction management often intervenes to maintain you shiny-side up, significantly when entering into the facility exiting a flip. But why spend any extra time speaking about this … you’re not pushing the boundaries of dealing with whilst you drive 10 miles to your native Whole Foods after choosing up your child from college.

The principal driving dynamic I’d prefer to see modified is the way in which the braking system feels. The pedal is method too delicate, and tipping right into a delicate brake pedal in a 5000-pound automotive doesn’t instill confidence within the braking efficiency. That is, except you’re aggressively utilizing the regenerative braking by way of the steering wheel paddles or the “B” drive mode, the place you will get near full one-pedal driving, if you happen to’re so inclined.

On regular residential and arterial roads, or utilizing adaptive cruise management on the freeway, the This autumn E-Tron exhibits its worth. It’s comfy, composed, and quiet in any respect speeds. Being that I’m driving in Southern California, it wasn’t unusual to cruise at 80 mph on the freeway. There’s surprisingly little wind noise, and ample tire noise (from these economical all-seasons) to cope with. Again, it seems like a $50,000-something SUV ought to.

There is a base “Q 40” mannequin with simply rear wheel drive from a single motor, and a pointy minimize to only 201 horsepower. If I had been to often load up the This autumn E-Tron with 2-4 individuals and cargo, I’d be a tad involved in regards to the energy. Considering it is available in at almost 5000 kilos itself (thanks, batteries!), I’d be stunned if it might attain 60 mph below 8 seconds, which is sort of sluggish. Quattro could be a should for me, however with a $5,000 worth soar from the bottom mannequin I think about it’s going to maintain some individuals down on the base mannequin in the event that they’re stretching up into the posh section.

My almost top-of-the-line Q 50 mannequin stickered north of $60,000 because of the S-Line bundle — with sportier styling, fancier seats, and a flat-bottomed steering wheel — and the Prestige bundle bringing the entire standard consolation and tech options together with a heads-up show with augmented actuality navigation.

The inside ergonomics of the This autumn E-Tron are good, however not an awesome match for an individual of my top. At 6’4″ I wouldn’t anticipate to slot in each midsize SUV comfortably, and this one, to its credit score, will get fairly shut. The entrance seat is delicate and cozy, with a bit of additional bolstering in these S-Line seats. But the ground feels abnormally excessive — presumably because of the battery pack beneath — which brings my legs far too excessive for my liking. My knees are up close to the steering column, even with the wheel at its highest place.

If you’re smaller than me, you’ll match nice — and regardless of your dimension you possibly can admire the small considerate touches Audi sprinkled all through the cabin. There are big pockets on the prime of every entrance door able to holding a 1.5L water bottle, and smaller model within the again doorways. The entrance door panels are additionally sculpted properly, and when paired with the format of the cabin supplied even me with loads of room from the waist up.

The dashboard is pushed method forward of you, as are the A pillars, offering you with a ton of glass up entrance. And with no transmission tunnel between you and your passenger, the middle console is low and unobtrusive. You get a easy gear selector, and beneath an enormous storage space for your whole random junk. Plus, there’s an wonderful wi-fi charger that has a springy clip that holds the telephone vertically up towards the charger. No extra worrying in regards to the telephone sliding round or flying out if you’re in corners or tough roads. (You even get a pop-up in your middle display when charging begins.)

Tech-wise, Audi is close to the highest of the pack. The driver’s gauge display is crisp, colourful, and customizable. Switching between views utilizing the steering wheel contact pads and buttons is lifeless easy, and also you all the time have what you want at a look. If you want extra, the driver-oriented middle display has you coated with a stable MMI system — plus wi-fi Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Chances are you’ll spend most of your time in a type of (base fashions don’t even have built-in navigation), however if you happen to select to make use of the built-in system simply be prepared for issues to take a couple of additional beats and have a decrease body fee than your telephone or pill. It’s a bit disappointing at this worth to cope with unresponsive buttons and stuttering animations, however sadly that’s to be anticipated in many of the automotive world.

My take a look at automotive had the elective heads-up show with “augmented reality” navigation, which was actually good. It offers each bit of knowledge you want, and the AR characteristic stunned me with its accuracy. It highlights the automotive(s) in entrance of you it’s figuring out for adaptive cruise management, so that you’re by no means enjoying a guessing sport in your observe distance, and it exhibits clear and easy arrows on your turns and navigation prompts. The arrows show as in the event that they’re roughly 30 toes in entrance of you, beginning out subtly, and improve in dimension to point proper when and the place you need to make a flip.

The solely catch? You can’t see the heads-up show with sun shades on. And if you happen to’ll keep in mind, I used to be driving in Southern California … and made ample use of the massive glass sunroof. Yeah, unhealthy combo. This isn’t an Audi-specific downside, to be clear, however make observe if you happen to dwell someplace with ample sunshine: skip the heads-up show.

Because of the packaging of the EV batteries and motors that push the wheels additional towards the entrance and rear than “normal,” the This autumn E-Tron has an fascinating dimension profile. On the skin, it lands at a size near that of a midsize Q5 SUV, however with a width extra like a compact Q3 — that’s completely going that can assist you in slender streets and small parking garages in cities, proper the place Audi sees most of its prospects dwelling.

But crucially, within the passenger space — aka between the dashboard and the backrest of the again seats — is akin to a full-size Q7. Despite my immense top, and the ground being greater than I’d anticipate, I might comfortably sit within the again seat behind my very own seating place, and likewise sit side-by-side with one other individual over 6 toes tall. That simply isn’t typical for this class of SUV, and is a large perk of this packaging.

Audi design will not be your explicit cup of tea, however that is significantly nicer (or at the least, much less controversial) trying than BMW’s current EV SUVs; and there’s a personality and thoughtfulness to the This autumn E-Tron’s design that merely isn’t current within the Tesla Model Y. As I stated from the soar, nothing in regards to the This autumn E-Tron design means that it’s an EV, which I really feel the typical Audi purchaser truly prefers. This isn’t a head-turner, and doesn’t shout to the world that you’ve got an electrical automotive. It’s simply a nice-looking automotive that usually blends in and occurs to be an EV.

The “sportback” model of the This autumn E-Tron is, predictably, similar to the usual model within the entrance half of the automotive. Same driving place, identical visibility, identical options and configuration choices. Once you get to the again seats, issues get tight — however you anticipated that. My 6’4″ body has to fold uncomfortably to get into the again seat; I merely can’t match upright. Other journalists on this journey who are available below 6 toes had been extra comfy, and I’m certain the sportback would really feel lots spacious for a kid. But to my eyes the usual SUV truly seems higher — and naturally it has extra cargo room, and is cheaper! Just get the SUV so you are able to do SUV issues.

Comfortably cruising again to our departure level to finish my take a look at loop, the motive force display confirmed I had misplaced roughly 100 miles of indicated vary over the 75 miles I bodily traveled. And to be clear, I didn’t precisely go straightforward on my drive. I spent about half of the time in both “Auto” or “Efficiency” drive modes, however the remainder of the time cut up between “Comfort” and the sportiest “Dynamic” mode — the latter used liberally once I climbed up and over the twisty mountain roads Northeast of San Diego.

My indicated vitality consumption for the journey was 2.6 miles per kWh, which if utilized to the total 82 kWh battery would equate to roughly 210 miles out of a whole cost. That’s a bit decrease than the rated 236 miles, however I think about when the typical individual will get behind the wheel and retains their foot off of the floorboard, they might attain the indicated vary.

Whether that’s “enough” vary for you is a private evaluation that sadly requires lots of follow-up questions and possibly a spreadsheet. With a dependable 200-plus mile vary and the flexibility to cost 5-80% in a bit over a half hour (given the celebs align with a correct charger), most individuals could make do with this vary; even when they don’t assume they’ll.

A Tesla Model Y offers 75-100 miles extra, and the good Supercharger community, however begins at $66,000 — that’s the place the This autumn E-Tron tops out with each out there choice field ticked. And for me, the This autumn is best designed, higher made, and is general only a nicer automotive. The Mercedes EQB is a more in-depth competitor, with a 245-mile vary in its “300” trim, nevertheless it additionally begins at $55,000 (almost $59,000 in “350” trim) — that in some way makes the This autumn E-Tron seem like a value-conscious selection on this section.

This is the SUV that Audi must each sustain with the automotive trade’s course and hit its personal electrification objectives. It’s additionally the sort of EV that the broadest section of the car-buying public truly needs. Not everybody needs a shouty, distinctive, attention-grabbing automotive. An enormous portion of vehicles bought are frankly boring, and that applies even for individuals who have the disposable earnings to purchase a $50,000 luxury-brand SUV. The Audi This autumn E-Tron is for these consumers; they’ll find it irresistible.

Disclosure: Audi USA paid for my journey and lodging to attend this product launch occasion. The firm was not supplied copy approval, nor did it obtain any particular consideration within the ensuing content material.

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