Audi E-tron Sportback long-term test: report 3
Can you live with a fully electric car if you can't charge at home? We're finding out with the help of the Audi E-tron Sportback...
The car Audi E-tron Sportback 55 quattro 96kWh S line Run by Steve Huntingford, editor
Why it's here We want to see if Audi's electric coupé SUV feels worthy of its £80k price tag and fits into everyday life
Needs to Deliver a wow factor befitting its price, and not be compromised by its mode of propulsion or sleek looks
Mileage 1740 List price £80,675 Target Price £75,678 Price as tested £84,795 Test range 220 miles Official range 247 miles
17 July 2021 – Small changes; big difference
From How to look good naked, to What not to wear, makeover shows were all the rage in the Noughties, turning the frumpy into the fabulous. And it feels to me like the Audi E-tron underwent a similar transformation more recently when it was turned into the E-tron Sportback.
Okay, calling the regular E-tron frumpy is perhaps a little harsh, but it can easily be mistaken for just another petrol or diesel Audi SUV, whereas my Sportback has people coming up and asking questions wherever it goes.
I’ll admit, part of the reason it draws so much attention is probably the Antigua Blue paint, but the low roofline and steeply raked rear window also mark it out as something special.
Even details that it shares with the regular E-tron, such as the way the rear lights do their best Knight Rider impression when you unlock the doors, somehow seem more impressive here.
Plus, it’s amazing how many people who aren’t particularly into cars seem to instinctively know that they’re looking at something electric – and I don't mean after they’ve seen it plugged in or heard the spaceship-like hum that it makes at low speed to alert pedestrians to its presence.
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