Audi E-tron review

Standard equipment includes electrically adjustable front seats with four-way lumbar support and a memory function for the driver. Throw in a steering wheel that has a good range of adjustment and you'll have no problem getting comfortable behind the wheel – and staying that way for several hours.

There’s also a 12.3in digital display behind the steering wheel that Audi calls a Virtual Cockpit. This replaces conventional instrument dials and can display a wide variety of information clearly.

Unfortunately, the air-conditioning is adjusted using a touchscreen that’s mounted low down on the middle of the dashboard, which means you’re forced to take your eyes off the road to use it. We'd rather have some proper knobs and dials.

Forward visibility is good, aided by bright LED headlights and the fact you sit high – certainly higher than you do in the Jaguar I-Pace. And, while the rear pillars are quite thick, parking sensors and a rear-view camera are fitted to all models.

As we mentioned earlier, you can also specify Virtual door mirrors, which see the conventional mirrors replaced by cameras. These display their images on door-mounted screens that are positioned a little lower than they ideally would be.

A second, 10.1in touchscreen can be found above the E-tron’s climate control panel, giving you access to the stereo, phone and sat nav. It looks sharp and responds promptly to prods, and easy easy to use when you're parked up.

However, finding the correct area of the screen to press is quite distracting when driving, so we'd prefer a secondary rotary controller interface like you get in BMWs or, indeed, older Audi models.

You do get plenty of gadgets, though, including a DAB radio and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone mirroring. Upgrade to Sport trim or above and you'll also get wireless phone charging.

Audi is famous for the quality of its interiors, and the E-tron lives up to that reputation.

Not only does the dual-touchscreen layout provide plenty of visual wow factor, but it's backed up by tactile, soft-touch plastics, glitzy trims, chrome highlights and lashings of leather. If that isn’t enough, you can opt for softer hide and choose to have additional interior surfaces clad in it.

While there aren’t many traditional buttons in the E-tron’s high-tech interior, those you do get click precisely and satisfyingly.