Audi e-tron GT (US) review

The e-tron GT is Audi’s flagship sports car for its all-electric future, or “the Taycan we have at home” if you want to be a snot about it. As the tip of Audi’s electrification spear, the e-tron GT is a stylish-if-polarizing, all-electric four-door meant to get folks frothing over EV performance.

What was that about a Porsche?

It’s best to address this now since it’s absolutely going to come up a bunch. Audi’s e-tron GT shares a great deal of its underpinnings with the Porsche Taycan. Both are built on VW group’s J1 platform and they are subsequently twinned in output and performance. Specifically, the e-tron GT and RS GT mirror the Taycan 4S and GTS respectively.

Is that a good thing?

Sure! While the chatter that the e-tron GT “drives like a Porsche” might grate at the Audi folks a bit, us regular joe enthusiasts should take that as a positive. It’s just a little shorthand to say that the car is nifty to drive, not commentary on whether or not it’s a “real” Audi. If you’re concerned about that kind of stuff, pop over to our Supra review and shout directly at your device. Don’t worry, we can totally hear you and are definitely listening.

Yikes. Okay, so this is a more affordable alternative?

Not particularly. The Audi e-tron GT and RS GT are comparably priced to its Porsche-badged cousins, with the GT starting at $106,500 and the RS GT kicking off at $147,500. With that said, Audi does make things a bit easier by streamlining the e-tron GT options to just two models with a handful of additional packages.

Right. Is it still fun though?

Indeed it is. The e-tron GT is propelled by a dual motor all-wheel drive setup that gins up 469hp and 464lb ft of torque, both of which can bump to 522hp and 472lb ft with the overboost function. With the RS GT, the output increases to 590/637hp and has a steady 612lb ft on hand at all times. Audi claims the e-tron GT is capable of dashing from 0 to 60mph in 3.9 seconds, while the RS GT can do so in 3.1s.

Sounds great, but what about turns?

You’ll be happy to know that the e-tron GT is quite deft at handling corners. Inputs are super sharp and brakes are responsive, something that’s been a bit of a hurdle in performance-minded EVs. Rear-wheel steering is available to add further stability at high speeds and tighter cornering at hairpins, and is a standard feature on the RS GT.

What puts the “e” in e-tron?

Electricity! You know this, but since you asked, the Audi e-tron is fitted with a 93 kWh battery and has an EPA-estimated range of 232 to 238 miles depending on the model. When plugged into a 270kW DC charger, the Audi can recoup 120 of those miles in about 10 minutes. Or around 180 miles in 22 minutes.

The Audi e-tron GT is an engaging showcase of what Audi has in store for us in terms of daily performance in an all-electric range. Those concerned that all the fun is getting chucked out with the combustion power need not worry. The e-tron GT is sporty when it needs to be and chill when not.

But having debuted just four years ago, this Audi is already starting to look long in the tooth, both in its exterior styling and its tech offerings, particularly compared to the rapid and bold design choices of competitors like BMW and, indeed, Porsche. No doubt you’ll be happy with an e-tron GT, but we suspect you’ll look like the person who backed HD-DVD instead of BluRay.