A simple engine is added and everything is repopulated. This is probably how Lamartine, at the wheel of his e-tron, could have summarized Audi's approach for this first 100% SUV electric and sporty. According to the manufacturer, this single additional engine would have many virtues on the behavior of the car and the sensations felt behind the wheel. This is what we wanted to verifywith the Sportback version of the e-tron S in this test, on the track please!
Audi - Starting price of the 100% electric sports SUV: 99,200 euros. There is also no need to look for changes in the interior, apart from a logo here and there, and a few touches of red, the S versions do not introduce any specific features. So it's under the hood, or rather under the seats, that you'll have to look to see any real news.
Audi - A few subtleties in the interior recall the sporty finish of the beast. Third engine:the trump card
This "new" Audi model differs from its predecessors by adding a third engine to the rear axle. The latter has a direct impact on power, increasing the SUV from 408 to 503 hp. These two engines at the rear, one specifically for each wheel, are complemented by the engine at the front, identical to that of the classic Audi 55 e-tron. Concretely, the front engine can deliver up to 150 kW, while the two rear engines provide 132 kW each, or 264 kW, in Sport mode. This is how this sporty version of the SUV accumulates at 503 hp. But having such power is not everything, you still have to know how to take advantage of it.
Audi - On the UTAC circuit in Mortefontaine. This is where the e-tron unveils its second secret boot. Indeed, the triple engine is not the only first of this S version. It also inaugurates a new mode of transmission and more particularly an electric torque vectoring technology. Concretely, the car is able to calculate the necessary torque on each wheel and to provide a different value on the right or on the left according to the needs.
Of course, this operation is done in real time, either for improve the performance of the car, either to compensate for a loss of power or to adjust a trajectory. During our test on the circuit, several exercises aimed to challenge this aspect of the vehicle. One of them wasto position the e-tron straddling two surfaces. The two wheels on the left were in contact with a surface simulating the grip of ice, while the wheels on the right rested on a classic bitumen slightly soaked by the rain. From then on, all you had to do was start off with your feet to the ground to feel the right side not only constantly compensating for the loss of balance in the left flank, but also the fact that the car remained surprisingly straight. In addition to progressive steering and adaptive suspension, the e-tron is now able to develop different and hronous torque in each of the rear engines.
Audi - This wet surface simulates grip on icy ground . Increased driving performance
For the overall driving aspect, the different driving and regeneration modes of this e-tron S, we invite you to read our test of the Sportback version, released this summer . Indeed, the S version has the same electro-hydraulic braking system and has the same three levels of engine braking regeneration. In this regard, Audi estimates that more than 30% of the autonomy of its e-tron comes from braking. regenerative and it gets even better since an additional electric motor is involved in the process.
But it is on the behavior on the road that the situation has largely evolved. Indeed, the choice to place This third engine at the rear is not trivial. It gives the e-tron a ride more like a rear-wheel drive model. The SUV becomes extremely playful, as we have seen on the narrow curves of the circuit from UTAC to Mortefontaine.
Autonomy and price: the weak points
If the picture was rather shinySo far these are probably the two main flaws of this e-tron S Sportback. Autonomy, on the one hand with an average consumption of 27 kW / h. Indeed, the addition of this third engine did not reduce the very substantial weight of the assembly.
Audi - Wet acceleration test. Result: the range varies between 354 and 368 km in the Sportback version of our test and between 349 and 362 km in a classic S version. And yet, the SUV with the four rings carries aheat pump which creates up to 3 kW to manage the heating of the vehicle, which allows to gain 10% of autonomy in theory. In contrast, from a charging standpoint, Audi’s track record is impeccable. Not only is the manufacturer part of the Ionity network but above all, his e-tron can collect 150 kW for a full charge in less than an hour (30 minutes for 80%).
