2022 Audi e-Tron S review: First Australian drive

UPDATE, December 2022: Q8 E-Tron driven!

Following its unveiling in November, we've now driven the updated Audi Q8 E-Tron (the SUV formerly known as 'E-Tron'). Get our full story at the link below.

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November 2022: Renamed Audi Q8 E-Tron revealed

Audi's facelifted E-Tron, now known as the Q8 E-Tron, has been revealed. It has no relation to the existing Audi Q8, of course, but giving it a 'Q' name at least now brings it in line with the growing E-Tron line, including the Q4 E-Tron and E-Tron GT. Get the full story at the link below.

Story continues: E-Tron review

Three motors. Almost 1000Nm. And 4.5-second performance. Let’s not bury the lede on the Audi e-Tron S because before you dig into Audi’s first-ever electric performance model, it’s easy to get bogged in its murky branding.

Audi has applied ‘e-Tron’ branding to concept, race and road cars, both electric and hybrid, since 2009. A decade on, in 2019, Ingolstadt’s electrified arm, e-Tron, released its debut series-production EV. And also called it, simply, e-Tron.

Subsequent EV models – Q4, GT – have earned nameplates of distinction though, of course, they too carry e-Tron branding in their namesakes. It’s sure to confuse a few toe-dipping EV shoppers Audi hopes to lure. And one wonders how soon references of ‘Ur-e-Tron’ will crop up in the marque’s vernacular.

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Enter the S-for-sport version, an Audi designation with much providence. And in creating its debut sports EV, Ingolstadt has figured that a tri-motor, 370kW/973Nm, mid-four-second proposition is seductive enough to fit conventional S expectations.

As it should. The e-Tron, derived from existing ICE-sourced MLB Evo architecture rather than a dedicated EV platform – ala Q4’s MEB underpinnings – separates itself from much of the EV market by bringing a conventional format with a conventional vibe. A familiar SUV experience with electric motivation, from packaging to on-road character. 

Despite stats and spec, S designation doesn’t promise full-house RS-like fire. Or Tesla Model X Plaid levels of excessive silliness. But surely it must prove itself to be an engaging, enthusiast-tinged prospect that matches the magic of its S-fettled internal combustion stablemates. 

Pricing and Features

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The e-Tron S wagon lobs at $168,400 before on-road costs with a seven-grand premium for the coupe-like Sportback version ($175,400 before on-road costs). There’s been some creep since pricing was originally announced in December 2021, when it was $165,600 and $172,700 respectively (before on-road costs).

Complicating matters is that some standard equipment, such as Phone Box Light, electric steering adjustment and tyre pressure monitoring have been omitted from early examples, such as those at the local launch program, due to component shortages, with pricing adjusted down accordingly.

Whether Wagon or Sportback, the e-Tron S features list is suitably plump. It’s 46mm wider at the guards than a regular e-Tron, fitting 21-inch wheels, height-adaptive sports air suspension, S-specific styling, a panoramic glass roof, a gesture-controlled tailgate and Matrix LED headlights.

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Inside, the e-Tron S fits heated Valcona leather S Sport seats, a heated steering wheel with paddleshifters, 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit instrumentation with specific content, 10.1-inch MMI navigation plus infotainment with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto mirroring, an 8.6-inch haptic control screen, four-zone climate control, a 360-degree camera system, head-up display, multi-colour ambient LED lighting and a 705-watt Bang and Olufsen 3D sound system.

The e-Tron S also debuts Audi’s all-singing, all-dancing Digital Matrix LED headlight tech, with Lane Light and Orientation Light functionality too in-depth to dive into here. It’s bundled into the Sensory package ($9600) that also adds niceties such as dynamic indicators, soft-close doors, extended Nappa leather trim, rear-seat heating, air quality enhancement and rear sunshades.

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Other options include 22-inch wheels ($1600) and Audi’s opinion-polarising digital wing mirrors ($3500) as well as various colour and inlay styling tweaks at added cost. The fully loaded Sportback we sampled at the local launch sailed north of $190K before on-road costs were added.

There are some sweeteners, such as six years of complimentary servicing and six years of free DC fast-charging through the Chargefox network. An 11kW AC home charging kit (8.5-hour recharge) is supplied standard, while an optional 22kW AC charging package (4.5hr recharging) costs an extra $6900.

On the Road

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Three motors, no name. Why the marque which concocted Matrix, Virtual Cockpit and Quattro, no less, hasn’t branded its tri-motor format is a headscratcher. Y’know, like ‘e-Trio’? Or something.

However, there is e-Quattro. And on paper, as performance-viable dynamics-friendly engineering theory, it appears downright brilliant. 

As a default, tri-motor e-Quattro is rear-drive. In e-Tron S, it fits two 132kW/309Nm motors on the rear axle, one per wheel, independent of one another. Slip, lock, torque vectoring: all instant and precise, with no parasitic loss.

If you’re expecting RS-like fire, prepare for disappointment. If you’re hoping for a sport-infused luxury family hauler, there’s an awful lot to like

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Then there’s a single 150kW/355Nm motor on the front axle where torque is apportioned via individual wheel braking. It operates independently from the rear axle, on demand. 

It’s more sophisticated, particularly in lean torque distribution, than motor-per-axle dual systems. And less convoluted than motor-per-wheel complexity. And you can bet a house that Audi is developing both lighter/sportier and heftier/higher-performance configurations to roll out in future for different model demands. 

But it’s not without trade. With the regular 320kW/808Nm outputs that spike to 370kW and 973Nm in ‘boost (Sport) mode’, the hardware required, including the 95kWh lithium-ion pack and related thermal support systems, leaves the e-Tron S in either body style nudging 2.7 tonnes.

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Clearly, plying expected performance with acceptable range is a balancing act. Stay out of Sport/boost mode and you end up with a 5.1-second proposition with a theoretical 413km (wagon) or 418km (Sportback) maximum range according to the NEDC efficiency test. Or energy consumption of around 26kWh per 100km.  

In practice, whether e-Tron S impresses or not depends largely on user headspace. If you’re expecting RS-like fire in S-like leisurewear, prepare for disappointment. If you’re hoping for a sport-infused luxury family hauler with long-legged touring chops while riding a huge undertow of torque, there’s an awful lot to like.

From the get-go, the sheer weight of the e-Tron S is ever-present. Around town, in traffic, when called to arms or hooking through some Australia’s finest twisties – such as the famed Snowy Mountains hot-mix where Audi chose to launch its electric flagship. 

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On the plus side, the big Audi’s response is immediate, progressive and impressively linear. In its tamer drive modes, you flex the right foot and it dials up pace cleanly and quietly, its seemingly effortless thrust propelling its considerable mass easily and without any noticeable fuss. Suitably, its torque swing is as well-rounded as it is broad, swelling rather than thumping with sudden urgency like you’d find in, say, Porsche’s Taycan Turbo.

At a cruise, it does feel like an oversized Q5, with which it shares its core platform, exhibiting a tauter and more focused character than the Q7’s tamer variations. It feels all the part exactly what it is: an electrified heartbeat in a familiar ICE-derived format.

And it certainly seems specifically calibrated that way, from the resolved ride and body control balance of the rather excellent S-spec air suspension to the light effect of the three-mode-adjustable regenerative braking, which is unobtrusive and demands normal ICE-style braking technique as a plus, if offering no handy one-pedal engine braking mode as a bit of a markdown.

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While the sheer inertia at play robs a veneer of crispness in forward progress, the roll-on and overtaking acceleration it instantly plies is worth a big chunk of its entry price. That surly on-tap energy pays handsome dividends once the road opens up and the hot-mix curves loom, or if the course ascends towards the blue yonder. Even before you dig into boost/Sport mode, which adds a clear lift in enthusiasm once activated. 

Attack a succession of corners and the e-Tron S does its best to shrink around you to some degree, mostly through its fluid nature, the impressive amount of grip its 285mm-wide Contis manage to muster, and the innate balance demonstrated, mostly because much of its hefty powertrain hardware is set low, across and between the axles.

In its keener modes, there’s plenty of handling focus in the air suspension, the chassis sitting impressively flat and generating plenty of front-end precision.

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Steering, too, is faithful and accurate, if suffering a little from under-assistance and becoming a little leaden when you lean into the nose through certain corners.

Throughout, the e-Quattro remains wonderfully transparent. Whatever complex number crunching goes on co-ordinating its three motors, the net effect is impressively organic and natural. The real limiting factor, though, is lateral inertia: it’s a responsive if not terribly playful package and you don’t have to overstep the tyre grip much to step well into the ‘whoops’ zones, or worse.

All things considered, the e-Tron S really is as point-to-point swift as a sport-tinged large SUV needs to be. Moreover, it’s the comfortable and quiet nature while remaining surefooted and fatigue-free that really makes it a pleasing grand tourer for the tyranny of distance. Range, and the associated anxiety it still brings, notwithstanding. 

Attack a succession of corners and the e-Tron S does its best to shrink around you, mostly through its fluid nature, the impressive amount of grip, and the innate balance

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Even with long stints on cruise control, indicated consumption rises into the thirties (against a 26kWh claim) and total range drops well into the three hundreds. Launch programs, with a degree of requisite low flying, are never fair assessment of best-case EV range and by the time the fleet of SUVs makes the 275km trip from a Cooma charge station to Wagga Wagga, via the elevated Snowies, some of the test SUVs are impressively close to hitting range claim targets, while others are running the sniff of an oily capacitor.

So the jury is out on real-world range. Ditto recharge times from its 95kWh battery pack (86.5kWh net), which varies between 45 minutes (150kW DC fast charging) to 40 hours (2.3kW single-phase household). The supplied 11kW three-phase AC supplied with e-Tron S can fully charge in 8.5 hours. The optional 22kW three-phase AC package Audi offers for private charging drops that to 4.5 hours. 

Comfort and Space

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In the spirit of maintaining a conventional feel to the e-Tron family, the interior design doesn’t fall far from Audi’s traditional ICE tree. Styling, layout and format isn’t a big departure from a Q7, say, and it’s refreshingly free of hexagonal steering wheels, three-dimensional widescreen displays, laser beams or any other oddball EV gimmickry. The only weirdness is the thumb controller for that ‘gunstock’ transmission controller, but it’s easy to get used to.

The one conspicuous exception to all this is the digital wing mirror feature. I didn’t like the theory and, having now experienced it, I quite dislike the practice. Audi knows I’m not on an island with my opinion, which is why it’s offered as a cost option and not as (deal-breaking) standard fitment.

The one conspicuous exception is the digital wing mirror feature. I didn’t like the theory and, having now experienced it, I quite dislike the practice

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Compared with the regular e-Tron there are a few S-specific splashes, such as tweaked digital instrumentation content, a less stylised three-spoke wheel, diamond-patterned seat stitching and the odd S emblem. Plus some extra features such as four-zone climate and nicer Valcona leather. But the flagship builds only modestly on what is, admittedly, Audi’s already high standards.

Conversely, some material application is decent rather than rich and opulent, particularly some of the plastics, much of it with a look and feel no more upmarket than you might find in a Q5 at half the price.

Audi has hit a six with its stacked 10.1-inch and 8.6-inch central display screens that, in concert with Virtual Cockpit, manage to anchor a genuinely forward-thinking and techy vibe with quite intuitive usability. Similarly, the rest of the stylised cabin is friendly and logical to use with the usual array of SUV storage and convenience.

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Rear room is decent and adult-friendly, with a fairly flat floor and little sense that the battery system under the carpet is robbing anything from the accommodation in terms of space. Jumping between the wagon and Sportback, any compromise that the latter presents in headroom constriction is realistically comparative nit-picking.

Where you do cop the hit in opting for the Sportback is boot space: at 615 litres, it loses 45 to the wagon. That said, the coupe’s luggage space is still well proportioned and highly useable.

Ownership

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Finally, Audi has graduated from aftersales kindergarten and now offers a grown-up five years of unlimited-kilometre warranty from what was a paltry three. The battery comes with an eight-year warranty, though with a 160,000km cap.

The complementary six years of scheduled servicing is quite a dangling carrot, as is the six-year subscription to DC fast-charging through the Chargefox network.

VERDICT

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Convention is a big part of the e-Tron pitch. That much of its DNA is evolved from Audi’s ICE stock mightn’t serve high-brow techno cred on some levels, but it delivers a comfortably familiar and downright natural SUV experience that’s very much to its strength. There’s no learning curve here for those tempted to make the transition from internal combustion to EV-dom, at least in terms of the machinery.

Similarly, the S version very much brings the sort of added on-road indulgence as it has long delivered in petrol and diesel Audis. More heat, a sportier swagger, the sense you’ve stepped up to a higher tier. It’s a well-worn and much-loved formula that doesn’t deviate much in concept plied here in EV form.

Don’t expect head-kicking and fire-breathing. Instead, e-Tron S is a damn fine grand tourer, as comfortable, flexible and real-world swift as it ought to be

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Do you need three motors and nigh on 1000Nm? Of course not. In wagon form, you’re fast approaching a $20K saving by stepping down to a dual-motor 55 Quattro that offers a longer 450km/h claimed range. But that’s not really the point.

Instead, the tri-motor big-torque S option does feel as special as it perhaps needs to be. As such indulgences go, once you get a taste for it, it just might be tough to settle for a more sensible and sedate EV option.

Just don’t expect head-kicking and fire-breathing. That’s not its pitch.

Instead, e-Tron S is a damn fine grand tourer, as comfortable, flexible and real-world swift as it ought to be. And unlike many stylised crossover electric offerings, it’s a grown-up, fully functional large SUV to boot.

2022 Audi e-Tron S specifications