Audi e-tron GT Saloon (2021 - ) Electric review

For some the question of the E-Tron GT versus the Taycan will be down to which one you like the look of most, which brand you feel closer to and – perhaps – which dealership you have the better relationship with. If that’s you then congratulations, you just made life easy for yourself. For the number crunchers out there trying to figure out which offers the most compelling return on investment best get a spreadsheet ready where you can compare the mind boggling combinations of relative power outputs, performance and equipment. Given the E-Tron GT hovers somewhere in the middle of the various different Taycans in terms of its price and pace, and what one brands takes with one hand the other gives with another it might be best coming back round to which you prefer the look of and leaving it at that! In terms of running costs purchase price (or monthly finance) is obviously going to be burly but if you’re buying as a company car the huge Benefit In Kind savings could actually make an E-Tron GT more attainable than first thought. Plug it in at home if you’re able, charge it off-peak on a flexible domestic energy tariff, keep expensive public charging to a minimum and ‘fuel’ costs are going to sweeten the deal even further.

Premium brands rarely fare well on reliability surveys given the costs of repair when things do go wrong, and so it is with Audi. But, in engineering terms, you’re actually buying a Porsche in all but badge. So, you’d hope that’s a reason to be cheerful. While the three-year warranty is pretty standard you can – at a cost – upgrade to four or five years, or buy an all-inclusive two-year warranty and service package. Which probably isn’t a bad idea on a car of this level.

There are two trim levels on the GT, the standard one including the basics of what you’d expect on a premium performance car like parking sensors and a reversing camera, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking and more. But you need to dig deeper in your pocket for the Vorsprung version to really get the stuff you’d expect, this upgrading the cruise control to an automated system, adding 360-degree parking cameras and sensors to detect traffic in your blindspot, be that on the motorway or when reversing out of a space or driveway. Given this is a big, low-slung car with limited rear visibility we’d want that reassurance. If you don’t want to go full Vorsprung some of these features are also available as individual cost options. If you drive a lot after dark and can stretch to it Audi’s amazing laser headlights are standard on Vorsprung, or available as a cost option.

Audi will tell you the E-Tron GT has a three-seat rear bench and, in an emergency, you might just squeeze a fifth person in. But it’s best to consider it a luxurious four-seater, and if you regularly carry more people you may have to revert to an SUV-style EV. It’s also pretty low-slung back there, but cosy once you’ve dipped your head under the roof rail and settled yourself into the grippy, bucket-style outer seats. Up front it’s all a lot easier, with sculpted seats slammed to the floor (that’ll be the Porsche influence there) for an unapologetically sporty driving position. Leather is standard, upgraded to a finer grade with posh quilting and wider choice of colours via cost options or included on the Vorsprung spec for a much more premium vibe. Or you can have a non-leather option if you prefer. Other upgrades worth having on Vorsprung include seat heating front and back, with massage up front as well. On the road the car we drove had the standard suspension and rode with consummate authority, the way the GT carves flat through the corners a welcome change from the top-heavy feel of high-riding SUVs. More sophisticated air suspension comes as standard on Vorsprung, along with rear-wheel steering for improved agility on twisty roads and easier manoeuvrability around town.

The standard GT feels pretty well equipped, and Audi’s typical mastery of interiors is displayed to great effect with the combination of its Virtual Cockpit instrument display and large central screen. And it all just works, so if you’re coming from another Audi it will all feel familiar and yet also that bit more special. Tech junkies may prefer the giant screens on Teslas and the like but we rather liked the way the information felt integrated into the dashboard rather than stuck onto it like some giant tablet. While it’s quite a big jump in price it’s hard to escape the fact Vorsprung turns an acceptable cabin into something truly premium, quilted leather on the seats, ambient lighting and various other little details just adding that special something you want out of a car like this.

While the Porsche Taycan is available as a single motor, rear-wheel drive all versions of the E-Tron GT are twin motor, all-wheel drive Quattros. Which fits Audi’s brand traditions. Comparing power outputs with the many and various Taycans is complicated by the fact all cars built on this tech have a base figure and a higher, ‘overboosted’ one available for extra bursts of acceleration. Indulge us some numbers but the base figure on the GT is 476 horsepower against the 598 horsepower of the RS, both with more on top when you demand it. Rather than obsess over 0-62mph times let’s just agree that at no point when driving the E-Tron GT did we feel short-changed on acceleration, or performance! We rather liked the funky sound effects that help bring the driving experience to life if you find the whirr of electric motors a little too anonymous. At just shy of 300 miles this base GT also has the best official range of all cars on this platform, though on the road our efficiency wasn’t all that spectacular and on longer journeys we probably wouldn’t plan on more than 200 miles between charging stops. If you can find a suitably powerful hook-up the E-Tron GT can charge faster than most EVs as well but there’s no escaping the fact a Tesla Model S goes a lot further.