Audi e-tron Sportback

HELLO

£79,185 OTR/£89,470 as tested/£1,020pcm

WHY IT’S HERE

Is Audi’s electric SUV the future or just a stepping stone?

DRIVER

Charlie Turner

ACCORDING TO AUDI, FUTURE IS AN ATTITUDE. NOW THAT’S CLEAR, we are delighted to welcome the Audi e tron Sportback Quattro to the TopGear garage to understand precisely what attitude we need to adopt

Let’s start with the design The Sportback looks are supposed to be er more sporting but to be honest I prefer the regular e tron the design feels better resolved That said the revised rear end does deliver increased aero e ciency and a whopping six extra miles of range WLTP claimed real world and only loses minimal bootspace So it’s a purely visual choice But despite only seating five the Sportback weighs in at tonnes thanks to its kWh battery pack It’s cm shorter than a Model X seven seats and a foot longer than the Jaguar I Pace

The more observant of you will have noticed the swanky rearview cameras a option They project onto screens inside and take a bit of getting used to as they are set below your usual reference point Having spent the first miles going ‘oooh look virtual mirror’ and then failing to check what the screen was showing I’m finally getting used to them The wide angle view and night visibility have impressed so far

The e tron is Audi’s usual blend of well crafted materials and cutting edge connectivity and a thoroughly pleasant place to spend time

The addition of the comfort and sound pack acoustic double glazing and panoramic roof plus a few other options take the OTR from to

Audi has big aspirations in the electric space and with the e tron GT Concept becoming a reality in this car feels like an early adopter rather than a truly radical EV option I can’t help thinking it’s all a bit EV MkI and we have come to expect more from Audi What’s clear though is our time with the big Audi EV is definitely going to challenge our attitude