Audi e-tron Sportback Electric 50 quattro Advanced [71 kWh] (A) Review

If you were in the market for an elegant, practical and reasonably large SUV that delivers a luxurious and premium experience, we'd recommend the Audi e-tron. It's good.

If you wanted something that ticks all those boxes but was also slightly cooler to look at and a tad bit less practical, then here's the car for you - the new e-tron Sportback.

A compromise?

Let's get straight to the point - on the surface, you could say that this e-tron Sportback is quite simply an e-tron with a slightly different roof. And you wouldn't actually be wrong. After all, that's sort of entirely the point of Audi's Sportback SUV models. Give it a dash more style, without taking away any of the inherent practicality and usability of an SUV.

The e-tron Sportback is pretty much that. The raked roof takes the overall height down 14mm, while rear headroom drops by 20mm. Boot space also drops from 660 litres to 615 litres.

So, yes, there are some compromises. Although, truth be told, I don't think it makes a significant difference. The boot is still entirely usable and quite large, and passengers in the rear will still feel comfortable.

However, this Sportback model does look rather different from the standard e-tron. With its raked roof and pinched out rear, the car looks meaner and more aggressive - I actually think it accentuates the overall size of the car.

But the rest is the same, yeah?

From an equipment and technology standpoint, the rest of the car is almost entirely the same. You get the same high-tech interior with plenty of screen real estate. However, look closely and you'll notice one small update - the e-tron Sportback now comes with a wireless charging pad, vertically mounted inside the centre console storage compartment (though I think it's fairly safe to assume that MY21 e-trons will have this feature as well).

There is one difference we should point out, though. This e-tron Sportback is the 50 variant, which means that it has a 71kWh battery pack. The e-tron we reviewed last year was the 55 variant (which has a larger 95kWh battery), though the e-tron is also now offered in this same 50 variant.

We're pointing this out because an important part about an electric car is range. The 55 variant we drove last year has over 300km of range. This 50 variant is expectedly less - driven sensibly, we managed about 270km on one full charge. Reasonable, but unspectacular.

This 50 variant also packs slightly less power, with both the electric motors producing a combined 308bhp and 540Nm of torque. It's not quite as punchy as the 55, but honestly, it's still exceedingly plenty for everyday driving. Step on the accelerator and the car hauls its 2,370kg of weight much more quickly than it should.

Okay, so it's really about that roof, then?

When it comes to an all-electric SUV package that delivers luxury, usability and premium comfort, the Audi e-tron is a great choice. An expensive choice, admittedly, but a great one nonetheless.

The Audi e-tron Sportback is, unsurprisingly, also a pretty great choice. It looks a little different, it's marginally less practical, but ultimately the experience is very similar. Which, you know, is a surprise to absolutely nobody.

Catch more of the shapely design of the Audi e-tron Sportback in our video review here!