Audi E-tron Sportback long-term test: report 9
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 4100 List price £80,675 Target Price £76,677 Price as tested £84,795 Test range 226 miles Official range 247 miles
17 November 2021 – More than just a looker
Traditionally, if you wanted a sleek and stylish car, it meant putting up with two doors, limited luggage space and rear seats that would make an Oompa Loompa feel cramped – if indeed there were any rear seats at all. These days, though, family friendly doesn't have to mean frumpy.
My Audi E-tron Sportback proves as much, because despite its coupé-like roofline, there’s good rear passenger space; even six-foot friends who’ve hitched a lift back there haven’t been in danger of knocking themselves senseless on the panoramic glass roof.
In addition, while the boot is a little on the shallow side, I’ve found it more than big enough for my needs, helped by the fact that it includes a large underfloor storage area. This not only gives you a place to keep the charging cable, but is also ideal for separating muddy boots from the rest of your luggage. I even managed to fit around 50 issues of What Car? under there when moving them into storage.
True, I don’t have the biggest of families; it’s just my wife, my daughter and I. But then my daughter doesn’t exactly travel light, often wanting to bring half the contents of her bedroom with her when we go away for a night or two. Here the large door bins come in handy, as does the wide centre console, which contains a couple of lidded cubbies, plus restraining bars to keep taller items from flying across the interior the first time you come to a bend.
Just bear in mind that to a certain extent practicality, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Another friend was tempted to buy an E-tron Sportback after seeing mine, but ultimately decided that he couldn’t make it fit into his life because he has a dog. If you’re in that situation, you’re much better off with the regular Audi E-tron and its more upright rear window, although I appreciate that it’s not as striking.
In other news, I was seeing 240 miles of range on a full charge at the height of summer, but that’s fallen to 226 now the temperature has dropped to around 10 degrees. I’m curious to see how much farther it falls when winter proper arrives.
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