Audi e-tron GT Electric quattro 93 kWh (A) Review

Have you ever heard the phrase "goes like stink"? If you haven't, it refers to something (usually a car) that's so powerful and quick that it travels as quickly as a foul odour.

This phrase came to mind the moment I laid eyes on the e-tron GT quattro. Not the car per se, but the Tactical Green Metallic paintwork it came in. This hue does it no justice. It is undeniably unique, but the colour looks similar to something you might see in a baby's nappy. In fact, a fellow motoring writer I bumped into turned to me and tactfully whispered: "It resembles something a wild animal leaves in the forest."

Kidding aside, the e-tron GT quattro has serious performance, and is not to be taken lightly.

The 'base' model

Now, if you're wondering why anyone would even take this car lightly, it's because the car is the 'entry-level' model in the e-tron GT range.

It's just a two-car lineup, though, and its sibling is the electrifying RS e-tron GT. There could be more variants in the future, but at the moment, it's just the pair.

Despite being the 'base' model, the e-tron GT quattro is nothing to sniff at. Its dual electric motors unleash 469bhp and 630Nm by default, figures that can propel the grand tourer from rest to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds.

In overboost, both motors raise these figures to 523bhp and 640Nm, which drops the century sprint time to 4.1 seconds.

It all sounds impressive, but what'll really blow you away is when you discover that the car is on the wrong side of two tonnes. In fact, sans driver, its mass is a portly 2,276kg.

Much of this is down to the lithium-ion batteries. Placed in the floor to lower the car's centre of gravity, they have a gross capacity of 93.4kWh, of which 83.7kWh is usable. This gives the e-tron GT quattro a range of up to 487km.

The e-tron GT quattro has 800V architecture just like the Porsche Taycan. It can accept DC charging at up to 270kW, while AC charging is limited to 11kW. If the battery is flat, it'll take 8.5 hours to fully charge with an AC charger.

Electrons unleashed

The e-tron GT quattro has sizable proportions (it's more than five metres long) and a hefty kerb weight, but these seem to evaporate the moment you access its instantaneous performance.

You can afford to be brave here and stab the accelerator aggressively, for the drivetrain has a surprising linearity that makes it relatively easy to modulate.

What is such power useful for in Singapore? Merging from a slip road, for instance, is much easier and safer with nearly 500bhp at your command. Before oncoming traffic can even speed up to block you, you're already far ahead.

Even if other drivers try, their attempts will be foolhardy at best, as the e-tron GT's relentless surge of acceleration makes it seem as if other cars are being driven in Reverse.

As ridiculous as this might sound, the e-tron GT is actually easier to drive than the RS e-tron GT, whose ability to crush the century sprint in an eye-watering 3.3 seconds is too much for your mind to handle. Unless you happen to be a racecar driver, of course.

At full tilt in that car, your brain and senses need moments to process everything that's happening, from the blurred scenery to the sensation that your organs are still two kilometres behind.

That's not the case in the e-tron GT, where your body can understand what's going on.

Precision instrument

This grand tourer is unexpectedly nimble for something so lengthy. Manoeuvring in multi-storey carparks wasn't as tricky as expected, although the optional rear-wheel steering will still be appreciated.

Though not big on feel, the electric power steering is quick and accurate, which makes positioning the car a cinch.

Given its low centre of gravity and the tremendous grip from the quattro all-wheel-drive system, the e-tron GT lends itself well to corner-carving. Its nose happily tucks into bends, with the rest of the body fluidly following its lead.

Directional changes are snappy enough as well, as the grand tourer overcomes its inertia with little resistance. And when it comes time to slow down, there’s plenty of assurance from the brakes.

I'd like more of the regenerative braking, though. This is an EV after all, yet you hardly feel it, even at the maximum setting. The option for one-pedal driving should at least be available.

That aside, it's hard to find fault with the e-tron GT quattro. The interior is well-made and has a functional layout, with a nicely angled dashboard to boot.

The MMI system is mostly seamless, though there were moments when the wireless Apple CarPlay was inexplicably interrupted. I'm not sure if it's a Bluetooth issue, but when this happens, you have to switch to another audio source before switching back, whereupon everything works again.

As a high-performance luxury grand tourer, the e-tron GT makes sense. Those shopping in this segment might be tempted to spend that bit more to acquire the RS model, but frankly, you don't need it unless you plan on driving up North for regular track days.

On Singapore roads, the e-tron GT quattro is more than adequate. In fact, it's massively quick. And if you get it in Tactical Green Metallic, it'll even go like stink.

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