LIKES
- Super stylish
- Simple buttons and dials for climate control
- RS version is crazy fast
- Excellent ride quality
DISLIKES
- Steering is numb at speed
- RS version is crazy expensive
- Backseat headroom is tight
- Carbon ceramic brakes only on the Year One edition
BUYING TIP
Audi’s E-Tron GT is a sublime cruiser, chewing up miles between charges in comfort and class.
What kind of vehicle is the 2022 Audi E-Tron GT? What does it compare to?
The Audi E-Tron GT is a sleek electric vehicle that doubles as a grand tourer and a performance car. It competes against a range of luxury electrics such as the Porsche Taycan, Tesla Model S, and the forthcoming BMW i4.
Is the 2022 Audi E-Tron GT a good car?
The E-Tron GT earns a TCC Rating of 8.2 out of 10 on the strength of its all-electric range, good looks, quick acceleration, and excellent interior quality. If you need to drive 200 miles in comfort and want to look good doing it, there are few cars that can do it better.
What's new for the 2022 Audi E-Tron GT?
The E-Tron GT makes its debut for 2022, in two versions: the E-Tron GT and RS E-Tron GT, which offers more power and performance. It shares a platform with its Volkswagen Group sibling, the Porsche Taycan.
Inside, the styling is more conventional Audi with an understated look and familiar screens/switches to Audi’s other vehicles. In a win for simplicity, there are switches for the climate functions and drive modes rather than the second screen that most Audi’s employ.
Both versions utilize a dual-motor system and all-wheel drive, with a 93.4 kwh battery pack providing the juice. The rear motor has a 2-speed gearbox and you can feel a slight transition between gears under heavier acceleration. The E-Tron GT makes 496-hp and 464 lb-ft of torque and the RS E-Tron GT bumps that up to 590-hp and 612 lb-ft. Those big power figures give the E-Tron GT a 0-60 mph time of 3.9 seconds, while the RS makes the sprint in just 3.1 seconds.
EPA estimated range for the E-Tron GT is 238 miles, while the RS comes in just slightly behind at 232 miles.
The dashboard features a pair of screens, a 12.3-inch display for the driver and a 10.1-inch touchscreen for the infotainment. Materials are befitting of a luxury vehicle and the fit-and-finish is spot on. The biggest difference between the two vehicles is found on top, where the E-Tron GT comes with a panoramic glass roof and the RS features a carbon fiber roof. Backseat room is tight for such a large vehicle, with the vehicle’s shape cutting sharply into the rear headroom.
Standard safety equipment includes automatic forward emergency braking, front and rear parking sensors, and lane departure warnings. Adaptive cruise control and a surround view camera system are also available.
How much does the 2022 Audi E-Tron GT cost?
The E-Tron GT starts at $100,945 (including a $1,045 destination charge), with the high-performance RS version starting at a significantly higher $140,945.
In Germany.
Styling
The Audi E-Tron GT is a head turner.
Is the Audi E-Tron GT a good-looking car?
Good doesn’t go far enough, the E-Tron GT is a great-looking car with a sleek, sultry shape that draws eyes from all angles. The E-Tron GT’s beautiful exterior earns it a couple points and while the interior takes fewer styling risks, it is attractive in that understated Audi way and earns a point as well to give the E-Tron GT an 8.
It’s hard to point to a single E-Tron GT feature that makes it stand out so much, the profile of the vehicle makes the smaller details blend together with its smoothness. There is a front grille, though it can be ordered in body color if you don’t want it to stand out so much and it makes the nose look more futuristic.
Performance
Even the non-RS versions are plenty quick, scooting from 0-60 mph in under four seconds.
The E-Tron GT’s explosive powertrain in both versions earns it a pair of points, while its comfortable and composed ride grab it another to give it an 8 in this category.
Is the Audi E-Tron GT 4WD?
Yes, both versions of the E-Tron GT come with a dual-motor setup that places one electric motor at each axle for standard all-wheel drive.
The two E-Tron GT models share the same basic setup, but software differences allow the RS to pull much more power from the 93.4-kwh battery pack the two models share. The E-Tron GT outputs 496 hp and 464 lb-ft of torque at most times, though a boost feature jump those figures up to 522 hp and 472 lb-ft in bursts. The RS produces 590 hp and 612 lb-ft, and it too can be boosted up to 637 hp.
This prodigious power output allows the E-Tron GT to make the sprint from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds, while the RS turns in a supercar-esque time of just 3.1 seconds. Both models feature launch control that’s extremely easy to activate. Flip the car into its “Dynamic” drive mode, stand on the brake, and floor the accelerator. The digital speedometer blips to let you know it’s turned on and once you drop the brake pedal the E-Tron GT springs forward with a snap. Make sure you warn passengers to put their heads back before you do this in either model.
While the E-Tron GT seems to taper off a bit over 70 mph, the RS has no such problems pushing past highway speeds with ease and feeling more robust off the line, unsurprisingly.
Where the E-Tron GT falls short is steering feel. It feels a touch light and overboosted for curvy, canyon roads and is devoid of the feedback you’d want while trying to pilot a 5,000 pound vehicle. Its Porsche counterpart, the Taycan, does a good job of building steering resistance off center but the Audi misses goes numb when you need it to talk back to you more.
RS models come with standard carbide brakes with larger front and rear rotors, with a ceramic brake package optional.
Comfort & Quality
Though its shape looks great, it is bad for backseat headroom and cuts down on cargo room as well.
The front seats are very comfortable and overall materials quality is high throughout the cabin, as expected from Audi. But the E-Tron GT’s surprising lack of cargo room nearly takes a point back, only the presence of a small frunk under the hood keeps it from sliding down from the 7 that the E-Tron GT earns.
Sitting in the front, you’ll be confused as to why the E-Tron GT doesn’t score higher. 14-way powered and heated front seats are standard and they are wonderfully comfortable and supportive, with bolstering that keeps you well contained without pinching in. The cabin materials are equally good, befitting of a luxury vehicle with a six-figure starting price. Audi also made a key interior configuration decision that I really like, eliminating the second touchscreen in favor of switches for the climate functions and drive mode/traction control settings. The simpler solution is the better one.
For such a large vehicle at 196.4 inches long, the E-Tron GT’s backseat space is an all-around disappointment with just 32.2 inches of rear leg room. Audi’s A6 midsize sedan is 2.0 inches shorter, but offers 5.2 inches more of rear leg room to offer some perspective. Anyone over 6-feet tall will not be able to sit behind another adult and the headroom is also compromised thanks to the E-Tron GT’s admittedly attractive shape.
Safety
The E-Tron GT has yet to be crash tested.
How safe is the Audi E-Tron GT?
It’s hard to say with certainty, given that the E-Tron GT has yet to be crash tested by the IIHS or the NHTSA, but it does come with a strong set of standard and available safety features. Automatic forward emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, front and rear parking sensors, lane departure warnings, and blind spot monitors all come on every E-Tron GT. A surround view camera system, adaptive cruise control, and active lane control are also available.
Features
There is plenty to like in all of the E-Tron GT’s trim levels.
A strong standard features list, large infotainment screen, and a solid set of options each earn the E-Tron GT a point to give it an 8 in this category.
Which Audi E-Tron GT should I buy?
Most shoppers will best fit into the E-Tron GT, as the massive jump in price to reach the high performance RS is not a mountain that most will be willing to climb. The E-Tron GT is offered in two trim levels: Premium Plus ($100,945) and Prestige ($110,645).
For both E-Tron GT variants, if you want them to perform more like the RS (but without the power boost), a Performance package ($6,000) is available that adds rear wheel steering, unique 20-inch wheels, an upgraded differential that can lock the rear, blacked out trim pieces, and carbon-fiber inserts on the interior. A leather package ($4,000) is also available that adds plenty of cowhide and upgrades the front seats to add 18-way adjustments, cooling, and massage features.
How much is a fully loaded Audi E-Tron GT?
For its first year of production, the RS E-Tron GT is being offered with a Year One package that includes the Carbon performance and full leather packages, along with 21-inch wheels and red contrast stitching/seat belts on the interior. It bumps the RS price tag from around $140,000 to beyond $165,000.
Fuel Economy
The E-Tron GT tops out at 238 miles of estimated range.
Despite the difference in power between the two models, range estimates are quite close: 238 miles for the E-Tron GT and 232 miles for the RS. That’s enough to earn it a 10 in this category, even if that isn’t enough range to challenge the leaders in this segment.
That’s because the E-Tron GT isn’t as efficient, only offering 82 combined MPGe (the RS is 81 combined MPGe) with its 93.4-kwh battery pack. For comparison, the Lucid Air Grand Touring gets 131 MPGe and the Tesla Model S (non-Plaid) offers 120 MPGe, and both vehicles have larger battery packs, which usually isn’t a new-positive for efficiency.
The E-Tron GT does offer an 800-volt architecture, and with 800-volt DC fast-charging it can fill the battery from 5% to 80% in just 22 minutes, provided you can find a charging station that will deliver close to the vehicle’s 270-kw maximum charging power. Audi is also providing a three year complimentary DC fast-charging plan for buyers via Electrify America.
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