The electric Audi E-Tron GT and the Audi RS E-Tron GT are coming to Australia, billing as premium sports cars with a familiar but slightly changed-up design.
“This [car] is the combination of performance and luxury,” Peter Strudwicke, the product planning manager at Audi Australia, told Gizmodo Australia.
“It sort of represents the peak of the brand, in terms of technology and performance.”
The E-Tron GT (and its RS derivative) is a performance-oriented electric vehicle from the Audi range. these cars have some incredible performance stats to them, including the RS version being able to reach 0 to 100km/h in less than 3.3 seconds and both cars being capable of an 80 per cent charge in less than 25 minutes.
Those 25 minutes are measured while using an ultra-fast charger, like those that are set to be rolled out across NSW over the coming years (which are capable of up to 350kW charging). Additionally, the car can charge 100km worth of battery in about five minutes and both models come with an 11kW home charging kit.
Both cars are capable of 22kW AC charging and up to 270kW DC charging. In Australia, Audi is partnering with JETCharge to install 3-phase charging infrastructure in the homes of E-Tron GT owners, to support faster charging. Owners also get access to a 6-year Chargefox subscription.
Let’s talk specs. Both cars are AWD and hark back to the legendary “Audi Quattro” rally car that pioneered the drive system. There are also side-vents on the car that reference the rally monster.
But between the cars, there are some key differences. In terms of power, the standard model has 350kW power (390 in boost mode) whereas the RS E-Tron GT has 440kW power (475kW in boost mode). Additionally, torque is different, at 630Nm and 830Nm respectively. Also, while the RS E-Tron GT is capable of 100km/h in 3.3 seconds, the standard E-Tron GT can do this in 4.1 seconds. Darn, a 1.2 second difference.
The standard Audi E-Tron GT comes with 20-inch alloy wheels in Australia, along with adaptive air suspension, LED headlights, a panoramic glass roof, a Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system and a tyre pressure monitoring system. The car also comes with a touch-screen centre console system and a heads up display behind the steering wheel. There’s even a wireless phone charger.
Additionally, if you order the RS variant of the Audi E-Tron GT in Australia, you’ll get 21-inch alloy wheels, black exterior styling, performance brakes, ventilated front sweets, a Nappa leather interior and carbon inlays.
The Audi RS E-Tron GT comes with dynamic all-wheel steering in Australia. This doesn’t mean that the back wheels move as freely as the front wheel, but it does mean that they have a little wiggle room, to help get around corners, get into tough parking spots and overall have a better turning circle.
Both cars also feature active lane assist, which helps keep the car straight in lanes, along with 360-degree cameras, adaptive air suspension (letting you change ride height), two-speed suspension, three-zone climate control and an adjustable car sound.
You can also turn the sound of the car off (it’s an artificial sound, considering it’s electric), but there are some sound settings to choose from, if you want to tailor the car noise to your desires (although you can’t import your own sounds). I asked Strudwicke about this and of course although you can disable this feature, it exists for markets where car sound is a safety requirement.
The sound that we heard at the preview event was a smooth hum, very much like how a sports car should sound with a touch of electricity. Audi told me that a didgeridoo helped inspire the sound.
“We haven’t just put technology for technology’s sake in the car,” added Strudwicke.
“It’s an evolution of what we do, but it’s immediately familiar as well, so you can just get in and drive the car.”
In terms of range, both cars are capable of about 488km from a full battery to flat, both powered by a 93 kWh battery. For context, according to EV-Database, the Tesla Model 3 is capable of about 380km on a full battery, whereas the Polestar 2 is capable of about 350km. However, Tesla says the Model 3 is capable of about 491km on a full battery and Polestar claims the Polestar 2 is capable of between 440km and 474km.
We’ve known about the Audi E-Tron GT for a long time, but now we know local Australian details on the performance-luxury EV.
The Audi E-Tron GT will cost $181,700 and the higher-performance RS model will cost $249,700.
There aren’t many competitors to the Audi E-Tron GT in Australia. The standard model is priced between the Tesla Model X Plaid ($174,990) and the Tesla Model S Plaid ($186,990).
The RS model, however, is priced between the Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo ($226,145) and the Porsche Taycan Turbo ($300,695). This makes the Audi RS E-Tron GT one of the most expensive electric cars in Australia.
The Audi E-Tron GT and the Audi RS E-Tron GT will be visible in showrooms from September in a range of colours, with a solid release date to be confirmed. If you have a spare $180,000, you can register your interest now.