To quote singer Meghan Trainor, the Audi e-tron GT has “all the right junk in all the right places”.
Audi is bringing booty back.
This time last year, Audi lent me the top-level RS version of the GT and that became my favourite car.
But I like the “cheaper, slower” version of the e-tron GT just as much. Maybe more.
It is not so blatantly powerful, but it will still go from a standing start to 100km/h in 4.1 seconds (compared to the RS’s 3.3 seconds) and you save enough money that you could also buy four Fiat 500s.
The e-tron GT has a peak power output of 350kW (or 390kW with boost on) and generates 630Nm of torque. A sizeable 93kWh battery gives it a stated WLTP range of 470km, which seems unusually accurate. I caned it around the hills north of Auckland and still got over 300km.
It accelerates fast, but not so much that it makes you nauseous, or really annoys your teenager. And moving from 70km/h to overtake is effortless, and so quick you need to keep a keen eye on the heads-up display.
Wide and low
Although it weighs 2276kg, its brakes are like magic. You stop almost instantly.
Its wheels are 20in (1in smaller than the RS), which makes the ride slightly softer, and coupled with adaptive air suspension, this is a car you can drive all day and not get weary.
Being wide and low, it corners like on rails. It looks aggressive enough that cars were pulling over in front of me so I could pass – and I always keep a respectful following distance.
Heading on to our gravel road, I was able to lift the body up to increase clearance (thanks, air suspension!), but the recent rain did mean the road mud made it embarrassingly dirty.
The stereo sounds just superb. You can listen to music for hours (or the Cooking the Books podcast, like I did) and not fault it. I think it may be the best stereo in any car I’ve driven.
Like its Porsche Taycan cousin, the e-tron has 800-volt architecture, allowing for super-fast charging when you can find it. Five minutes will give you 100km and 22 minutes will get you from 5% up to 80%.
The boot, while being not particularly high, is stash-a-body deep with 405 litres of space; there's another 81 up front.
The interior is – dear I say it? – a little plain. And I have no issue with that. There is no super-wide all-powerful digital screen, and the heads-up display generally just shows your current speed, rather than the takeaway restaurant menu of some other manufacturers.
The climate control has physical buttons that are easy to find and use. The music can be controlled from the steering wheel or a small touch-sensitive button on the centre console.
Where the car industry is heading
The times are changing, and if you want a GT, you can have it tomorrow. The one-year-or-whatever wait time is gone, and Audi tell me they have stock at dealers around the country.
It retails at $197,090, plus on-road costs, though, so check with your spouse first.
Right now, Archibalds in Christchurch are offering 15,000 Airpoints and a free home charger as an incentive to buy.
The e-trons (GT and SUV) are great examples of the way the car industry is heading, and I am excited about what will come next.
And as I said when I dropped the GT off, “Every inch of you is perfect, from the bottom to the top.”
