Audi e-tron Review

Practicality and Boot Space

The e-tron makes a sensible family car, and has almost as much space as any other Audi SUV. Unlike the similarly sized Q7 however it doesn’t come with the option of seven seats.

The five seats you do get are pretty spacious, although long-legged adults might find they bang their shins if they take the middle seat of the rear bench – the centre console gets in the way a little. 

The boot is a useful size at 660 litres, which is about the same as a large family estate car. However you need to lift your luggage up quite far to reach the boot opening, which is tricky for heavy loads or a short-legged pet.

As with many electric cars, there is also an extra space at the front of the car (nicknamed a frunk or froot as it is a trunk/boot in the front). It’s not huge, but is perfect for storing your charge cables.

Technology

The most interesting (and controversial) bit of e-tron technology is the replacement of door mirrors with cameras – it’s a first for a car in the UK. Removing them reduces the aerodynamic drag and wind noise, but takes some getting used to and doesn’t work perfectly in bright sun.

With this option, the e-tron has a screen on each door, taking has a total number of displays in the car to five. There’s one for the instruments, another for the entertainment and below it a screen for the ventilation. They all work well and are intuitive to use. The e-tron can also project some crucial information onto the base of the windscreen to give a fighter-pilot style head-up display.

Audi have a reputation for inventing clever lights, such as the scrolling indicators which are now seen on most of its new cars. The e-tron features some really clever headlamps which tailor the beam to the road and traffic, lighting up as much as possible without dazzling other drivers. 

Safety   

The e-tron is a very safe car, according to the independent testing organisation Euro NCAP. It gets a full five star rating, although the Mercedes EQC and Tesla Model 3 tested at the same time did get slightly higher scores in some categories.

As you would expect, the e-tron features plenty of technology to help prevent an accident in the first place, including automatic braking if the car spots an obstacle stopped or moving out in front of you. The car will also tighten the seat belts and ready the safety systems if it senses an impact is imminent, even if the Audi is stationary at the time.

As an extra safety option, the e-tron has a thermal imaging camera to highlight people and wild animals who might leap out in front of you in the dark.

It’s also worth remembering that the Audi has four-wheel-drive as standard, giving extra grip and security in slippery situations compared to a two-wheel-drive car.