Last Dec 26, 2019, Green Car Reports announced that its “Best Car to Buy in 2020” designation was being awarded to Audi for its new E-Tron fully electric vehicle (EV). What the folks at Green Car Reports found was the E-Tron represented far more than just “another EV vehicle from a major manufacturer”; The E-Tron is a model that has been designed precisely to fit into Audi’s lineup right between the Q5 and Q7 models, yet happens to be a fully electric car!
For families making the first jump to fully electric, that’s the right approach. The folks at Audi Wilmington told us that the engineers deliberately made the transition easy by providing a familiar driving interface on the E-Tron and making the car drive and feel a lot like their gasoline brethren. In particular, Green Car Reports feels Audi gets kudos for offering popular SUV needs, such as offering 4,000 pounds of towing capability, a robust Off-Road mode, and a line of active-sports accessories such as ski racks and bike carriers.
Audi’s E-tron has a 95.3-kWh lithium-ion battery pack that powers two electric motors located in the front and rear of the car. It’s EPA rated at 204 miles of driving range and a respectable 65 MPGe. It should be noted that the E-tron’s weight is substantial, weighing in at more than the 2020 Ram 1500 pickup! This mass contributes to the comfortable ride that the E-Tron offers, along with the security of having a nice solid feel on the road.
Audi AG allows that its “E-tron” moniker is used for all its fully electric vehicles at the present time. The E-tron Sportback will arrive for European buyers next summer, and it’ll arrive in the U.S. somewhat later than that. It’s essentially the coupe version of the E-tron SUV that’s already available. There are also future Audi EVs coming, including the E-tron GT sedan and the Q4 E-tron SUV.
The 2020 Audi E-tron starts at $75,795 for the Premium Plus model and $80,095 for the Prestige model. We expect that the Sportback model will start at around $81,000 when it eventually arrives in the U.S.
The Audi E-Tron is a big leap for Audi and the entire Volkswagen Group because it fits perfectly into the lineup today for those who want to go tailpipe emissions-free, and yet lays the foundation for many premium EVs to come in the next decade.