Living with the Audi e-tron GT - In-depth Review - Can a fully electric car feel special?
Audi's e-tron is a head-turner, no doubt. In this review, Ciro De Siena asks the question, can a fully electric car feel special, and more importantly, can it make the driver feel special?
Audi's e-tron took its time to arrive in SA but its safe to say that simply from a design and presence point of view, it certainly caused a stir. It looks like nothing else on the road and in our time with it there was no shortage of admirers.
So it certainly has that box ticked. Of course it's fast too, but that is to be expected. It has a beautiful interior but that too is to be expected. But can an electric car evoke the same emotions that special ICE cars are so good at doing?
We embarked on a two month road test where we lived with the Audi e-tron and learned many things, not only about the car itself, but about what it's like to live with an electric car in 2022 in South Africa.
Join our video guy, Ciro De Siena, as he takes you through his experience in this in-depth review.
0:00 - Intro
0:39 - Dream,Search,Drive: www.cars.co.za
0:46 - Budget Insurance: www.cars.co.za/insurance-quote/
1:35 - What is it?
2:40 - The practicality issues
5:06 - Transmission
6:18 - Power and torque
7:42 - What is this car like to drive?
9:36 - Regeneration
11:10 - Battery, charging and consumption
19:15 - Interior
24:44 - Boot/trunk
26:10 - Conclusion
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They actually made an audi version of an already established porsche taycan
I'm sure they were developed side by side. It just happened that Porsche released theirs first which I believe it was agreed upon. Similarly the RSQ8 and Urus.
@@henrysithole3623 nah. Audi just stole porsche hard work since they own porsche. This is a proper porsche in its design and dynamic driving. Audi doesn't focus on those things.
@@stardustmusic448 They were really working side by side, sharing engineering ideas. Most of the time Audi always gives way to either Lambo or Porsche to be better even if Audi did a better engineering. They've been doing this especially for Lamborghini for years (Lambo being bought Audi years back of course). This is because Audi is more affordable premium brand compared to Lambo and Porsche. For Taycan and E-Tron, Taycan went to same first but E-Tron was being teased and advertised before Taycan, even making it a Tony Stark's favourite car to promote it further. Again it was gonna be as quick as Taycan both companies were working together to lower cost. But later on in the name of Volkswagen, Audi has to be limited in order to Porsche to remain on top. So it's happened 🤷♂️ . Nothing was stolen. It's a same structure with slight differences. The other (Audi) had to take a second place as usual to keep Porsche on top. Imaging Porsche crushed by Audi, everybody was gonna be like, "WTF? 🤨" Because this is one family here.
But audi Is older if you can watch marvel movies u will see that we knew that the Is going to be a audi gt and iron man made sure
@@glencarlson9277 I think that was different from the taycan.
Thank you very much for the review. As I don't have the opportunity to charge my car at home i opted for another hint from you: I bought a used BMW e90 320d with 100.000 km on the clock, repaired it thoroughly and now I am just happy.
had mine exactly 2 months and this review is spot on...clearly someone who has driven the car for a while. For a true consumer of elite performance, this is probably not the car for them. For me, I immediately fell in love with the exterior of the car...and then the interior. I have the prestige gt and got out the door around $125K, US....there is not another car in this range, including porsche IMO, that is close to as good looking and where I live in Phoenix, you might see another audi gt maybe once a week. Its fun to have a unique car and this narrator just nails it, everyone turns their heads to see it and always want to ask about it, with the common question being, what is that! ...yes their are cheaper and better performing cars, but if you want a truly unique car that is unbelievably fun to drive, this is it. ....oh, and if you drive a lot, and in phoenix, you probably need to upgrade to fast charging panel at home. The chargers are rare and not near the infrastructure of Tesla in terms of quality and amount of rechargers...VERY FEW OF THEM. I drive maybe 20-30 miles a day and regular 110 charger is more than sufficient for me though. So I disagree that the home charger is emergency use only as I have only used it and never had an issue with charging. It always hovers around 200 mile range and usually closer to 250.
Curious if you still have this vehicle and if you have any thoughts a year later. It's depreciated so much I'm considering getting a used 2022 for like half the MSRP and wondering if you'd advice for/against.
@@bkdp i would buy one for sure.....ipaid 120 and think you can get similar for 65K. bummer for me but you will not find a greater car for 65K. good luck
I drove this exact car at the launch day - and trust me, me and everyone else who drove it did our best to drive this thing as inefficiently as possible! Might be why it seems inefficient over the life of the car..😂 Great review as always C.
I'm only worried 😫☹️ about the paramonicsun roof. I guess it attracts much of heat and sunlight, which damages the interior in a long run. Am I wrong???
This is your best review yet. BRAVO!
The best car reviewer in Mzansi without a doubt. 👊🏽
Good review, nicely shot. good work.
I love the spaceship sound 🔊
Ciro the best on the beast🔋👊great review
Such a beautiful review on this Audi, thank you. Stunning Audi if I may say... Thank You again🙏
Stunning scenery! What a beautiful country 👍👍😀❤
I am so addicted to how you do car reviews. Love it.
5:04 Just that shot alone was reason enough to subscribe again 😆 Beautiful 😄
Wow what an awesome car!
I own the RS etron GT for almost a year now. I must say you have it wrong about the regen. Audi’s theory is that you should brake only by pressing the pedal. But when you press the pedal it’s almost always 100% of the time: REGEN! Unless you’re breaking extremely hard. The GT also always brakes the first so kms on the brake pads when started cold. Which is a good idea as this keeps the disks clean. I remember my Tesla’s brake discs were always all rusted up, then you had to put the regen in low or brake when the car was in N to clean the disks. All in all this GT is magnificent, besides the software, for that Tesla is still miles ahead.
About regen, I also think is way more efficient to just let the car roll to a stop, just get off the accelerator in time and the car just rolls and rolls
Great Review, atleast now we know a bit more about the car and it's problems, but still a beautiful car,
Awesome car! Without doubt one of the best-looking cars ever.
Thanks Ciro. I have to agree I love idea of electric cars but no thanks I still feel internal combustion is way to go. I don’t wanna worry about charging just petrol and go. Enjoying the Cape Town camps bay to Hout Bay road 🤪😎👌🏽77k for seats is a Hyundai used i10 no wayy 😅
Thanks Ciro. What do you reckon, would you rather daily drive this Audi or the Mercedes s65 coupe?
A very informative, fun to listen to review of a great, exciting EV! Thank you.
Awesome review thanks!
Hey guys decided uma do this for every video since my request was ignored: 350 kwh - 470hp standard power 390 kwh - 523hp 2 second boost
Use Killowats we don’t use HP we use the metric system
As for "poverty spec"🤣. What a way to describe a R3mill car😂. Great review as always Cirro, made me really excited about the idea of owning an electric car. If I could afford one I'd probably go for the more controversial BMW iX M50, it's such a cool car in my opinion.
Yes. iX M50 is such a nice car in person. I saw 1 yesterday.
78 business days 😅😅😅. That was a great review man. I think owning an electric car is not a bad idea after all.
@Ciro - Now that you have reviewed the BMW I4 and the Audi which would be your pick if it were your money?
Any video with that intro song has my attention
Per WLTP the car needs to start in the mode test which is comfort mode
Nice video! Is this colour „white“ or „suzuka grey“?
regen only when braking (using brake pedal), I like that concept
What a great review. I'm sold. You sure you dont work for Audi?
Thank you Ciro, what I like about your reviews is that they are mostly in plain English. No "fuss or frills" 😁😁😁 I'm beginning to think that owning an "e" car is not a bad idea, as long as I can afford to purchase of the vehicle. Thanks Bro. 👊
I like his sexy accent.
The “Josh Groban mode” Hahahahahaha! Legend
""key to make me coffee"" , i look forward to your jokes when you reviewing 😂😂😂
Nice review, as always. Unfortunately, you also attract people whose only input on KZhead go like "I'm first"...😅🤣😂
Bring this Audi e-Tron to VDUB CAMP FEST... Low Ride Height will definitely have the patience for those speed bumps.
Do you think it’s necessary to warm up your batteries when you start you ev car as you would with an internal combustion car ?
This actually helps with consumption. Some EVs have heat pumps just for this
Two months! 😲😲 I want your job ✌😅
Saw you filming this and shouted out your name
Hello!
When you gonna review the new rs3 sedan
In South Africa..there's always loadshedding...I don't know if we deserve electric cars or not
Well if you can afford that car you can surely afford some solar panels on your house to charge it. 😂
@@johnmajor9564can that charge it to 100 percent?
@@siphoernest2278 respectfully, I may not like electric cars, but I still watched the video, in full! Do that, and then you'd never ask silly questions bro. It can, yet - practically, it doesn't!
@@Mzwandile_Makhowane I wasn't asking you man..clever stella.
@@siphoernest2278 Ok Ernestly not idiotic. Just watch in full, next time!
Audi went Stance gang on the e-tron GT
i need the name of the song at 9.20
Awesome car, but the XC40 recharge is much better value for money.
I agree makes sense compared to the crazy petrol price. Issue is the cost of this cars. When we get cheaper versions of EV I'm sure ppl will buy them
A Great Vehicle, don't get me wrong, however, something obviously needs to be done about electric vehicle pricing in South Afirca. Compared to overseas pricing, we as South Africans are literally are being taken for a POES with pricing for electric vehicles. Outright slap in the face to Global Warming and Carbon Emissions actually. 42% Tax? Fokken diefstal man!
Totally agree. I wish Ciro had explained the reason in more detail because he has done so on prior occasions, but the sad truth is that EVs are currently taxed in the same category as golf carts due to an ancient tax law that's never been updated.
@@Ca55-WP Would love to see the lawmakers fit a family of 5 into a Golf Cart with end of the month groceries! Maybe then it will make sense!
The GTI should morph into this.. Will be amazing
I watched an episode of the Fully Charged Show which profiled Norway and its policy towards EVs. Home charging is very much encouraged there and landlords may not deny tenants the right to install a charger for their vehicle. Also Norway has an excellent charging infrastructure and has taken other initiatives to make EVs more affordable. On another point, You mentioned 42% of an EVs price is due to tax? EVs are taxed at 25%. What are the other taxes added? A fully specced Audi Etron GT RS sells for around R2.6m in the UK.
On previous Q&As and interview shows that he's done, they explain that due to an ancient tax rule that has never been updated, EVs fall into the same tax category as golf carts which are hit with a luxury tax. The idea being that only the rich are buying toys like golf carts. Of course that rule is irrelevant to EVs so that's what the industry is now trying to change.
@@Ca55-WP Yes that was the interview with Alex Parker. I recently watched an interview with Mark Rains of MBSA and they are also in talks with the DTI to try and get the taxes reduced.
@@winstonmace4865 ah interesting, thanks for this! Yeah I think it's really only the motor industry and their lobbying power that are going to get that right for us, so I'm stoked to read your comment that MBSA is lobbying government. Let's face it, how hard can it be, just go offer a few Benzes to the top brass in parliament, am I right? Hahah
@@Ca55-WP LOL.. yeah..
It's Shape like a VW arteon
Lol I giggled way to hard for the "Josh Groban Mode" 🤣🤣🤣
23:01 I did not know this, wow! Here I am thinking the electric car future is looking bleak if these cars are this expensive, meanwhile tax is almost half the price of the car. Isn't that tax supposed to be a carbon tax anyway? We need more government lobbying for the tax to come down.
42% tax is ridiculous 💀
Cairo, thank you for this. Just one question. In the time you had with the car (estimating a week or two) how many times did you charge the car in a 7 days cycle? Because in my head if you charge it to full capacity on a Sunday... You should be alright the entire week till maybe Friday or Sat... Or the WHOLE MONTH 🤣😂.
He said he had the car for 2 months
@@ChilternburtYT great! I was lazy to rewind 🤣, thank you.
Probably once a week
@The Dash you make an excellent point and unfortunately it's one that seems to be completely lost on the 'BuT lOaDsHeDdInG' crowd of gym boets and braai oomies. The truth is that statistically, most of us could indeed drive for nearly a week on a single charge.
Evs won't sell in south Africa. We have energy crisis, and they way too expensive
Would be nice if you'd refer to power in Horsepower instead of Kilowatts. Kilowatts is kinda hard to get a feel for how powerful the car is.
Why? Horsepower is a term that goes back to the early 1800s. It's rather inaccurate anyway (when compared to the power an actual horse can produce). Kilowatts is the EU standard. Electricity is sold in kW hours - it therefore makes sense to keep the terminology the same.
Hoping government does something about the tax so electric cars can be a bit more accessible, we need that subsidy…
This car is is just another way to buying a rebranded Porsche Taycan S
Loadshedding is on stage 4☠️☠️ “The seats are like Mike Tyson” 🥊😂😂
it wont work in south africa.
Great Review its a good thing that OEM supply you with a Wallbox for home charging , The GOV seriously needs to remove this 42% tax on EV's , @ 1.5 Bar still no cheap but acceptable. At this stage although in the market for an EV but choice are still limited.
Everybody goes on about how cheep electric cars are on electricity. R2.29 / KWh ? I am from Strand, I pay R3.02 for the first 600KW and R4.17 for anything above. From my receipt 1 Oct 2022. At a consumption of 25KW/100km, It works out R1.04/km for the e-tron. An Audi S5 Sportback TDI gives 6.4l/100km, according to Audi. That will cost you R1.66/km, at R26.00/l. Not a huge difference. I only buy used cars. What will the depreciation be on an electric car? If my 6 year old car's motor goes, I will most likely be able to have it fixed for under R100 000.00. What will a new battery or electric motor cost to replace. Sorry, electric cars are only for the rich. I wish I was Rich!
bad purchase from a monetary stanpoint but I absolutely love the car .... all luxury electric cars values have plummeted and wished a waited another year and bought one with low miles, but that foresight I did not have! ....I really do love the car though and love that i do not see any other ones on the road (bad for audi i guess).
Hopefully VAG products will be more reliable now, going electric.
I hope day you drive an EV from CPT to PTA on a single charge.
Like it but is too expensive
While you charging your car they lounge stage 6 load shedding
Josh Groban mode 😂🤣
The josh groban lift 😂 I however struggle to get on the bandwagon that a 1 trick pony can be exciting everyday. I mean if driver aids were a buzz kill 10 years ago. What's this.... Its so numb and emotionless. But alas there is a place for it. And to live with..... Its probly perfectly splendid. But exciting and exhilarating... I'm not so sure.
I'm with Ciro on this one. I'd buy an electric car today, if I could. However... Now I know why ESKOM Units keep tripping... You just need to plug in one of these at a public charging station and the 150KW it suddenly draws is enough to make the ancient ESKOM Generator's go: "W.T.F????"
Wow. You’re an electrician ?
The Gosh Groban mode 🤣
42% tax.. guess politicians need maintain there lifestyle... pathetic
22:54 The reason why Tesla cancelled plans to start bringing cars in the country
Luxury electric cars would be everywhere if that crazy tax fell away.
I'll stick with the BMW I4😁
Heres the kicker with these cars, here by us this cannot be your only car no ways... had to give it to me for a while i will prove that point real quick. Very cool car tho not gonna lie whenever i see it i have to look just a little longer than i should
Surely it can be your only car if you wanted. Long distance once in 6 or 12 months maybe rent a car.
@@thetad1242 ok go take you 3 pals the spare wheel and go to a bring and braai..
@@YusufPetersenCPT its got run flat I believe
@@thetad1242 not this one hence the spare wheel, ones with runflats should have the sealant and compressor kit... next question my sir i can do this all day.
There's a fruit at the front 🤣
Saying it's a bargain with a straight face lol...
Get home from work, plug in your phone, watch, torch, car, and hope the power comes back while you're sleeping.
Don't hold your breath on the government dropping a tax 🤣🙈🤬
Josh Groban mode🤣
As much as i love the e tron gt, thing is with constant fast charging, the battery won't get anywhere near the 8 year warranty they rate for the lifespan. Factor in depreciation and i can see insurance companies writing it off as soon as claims are made to cover the battery replacement citing uneconomical repair as their reason. And who will fork out 60% of the value of a massively depriciated car to replace the battery?
what the price of a battery replacement? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
A 4-door supercar is a BIG claim... put it up against an AMG GT and let's see.
EV's are the only option. So glad to see the future on our doorstep. Super review btw
Nice car, as for A "poverty spec" for such an expensive machine 😆
Chiro... my question? How do you make all these cars... and tell all of us which one we should buy... yet you fall in love with so many!! And we left with your last!! Can't keep up!! I feel like your ex girlfriend!!
The thing about speed is, you get use to it. Eventually, it will ware off and the car will lack any other redeeming features to make me keep it. An engine note coupled with the quirks of a car and subsequently,the desire to overcome those in the form of transport, transcends metal to attachment. Electric cars don't have this.
This is just a new toy for the super rich.
Ok, lets compare this e-tron GT with a RS7, which is quite a similar vehicle. The RS7 is R500 000 cheaper, and this R500k buys you (at a current inland 95 octane price of R23/L) a whole 21 700 liters of fuel. Let say you drive (enjoy) your RS7 like a loony, with a very heavy foot, and average at 12L,5/100km or 8km/L - that means you can buy with your R500k "saving", a crazy 173 000km of "free fuel"!!! That doesn't include the e-tron's charging costs of R86 500 (if you ONLY charge for cheap at home) yet, for R173 000km... (With that R86 500, you can further extend the RS7's standard 5yr / 100 000km Freeway maintenance plan, so please - stop raving about an EV's "cheap maintenance", lol) Also bear in mind that you cannot hammer the e-tron all the time, since it'll drastically reduce the range, and that after 10 years or so, the e-tron would be worthless, as the batteries degrade - so you deal with very steep depreciation on the e-tron also. (After 10 years, the RS7 should be still worth at least half of its original sales price) The RS7 is also much faster with acceleration and top speed also (you can have the RS7 governed at 280kmh) , and the RS7 sounds magnificent and beautiful, while the EV sounds rubbish, eerie and plain boring... And how would you feel if you drove over a person or a dog, since they didn't hear the EV coming down the street? RS7 definately won't have that issue! (Oddly, most EV's don't have slide-open sunroofs, only a stupid glass roof with a number of drawbacks. The RS7's roof, and most high-end ICE vehicles, can slide open, btw.) Nevermind range anxiety, or doing idiotic and disruptive "special preparations and route planning" for your long distance journey, and long charging times (especially with a slow charger) - what do you do if the charger isn't working, or already occupied, or the town where you want to charge was the victim of cable theft or a substation that exploded, with no electricity? While its a given that these irritating issues won't stop anytime soon, if ever. WTF is the whole idea of "song-praising" this silly, stupid, flawed and senseless EV technology??? It sucks, BIG TIME!!! (And personally, I think that whoever buys an EV in SA, must urgently check-in at a mental health facility, for a comprehensive evaluation. Unless if you really want it for the styling. Not that the RS7 or RS6 are not also good-looking, mind you)
What a mega comment, thanks for watching and sharing your views. The thing is, you're not wrong. However, if and when we get rid of the ridiculous EV tax in this country, price parity with ICE cars shouldn't be far off. Then the cost debate becomes a bit more nuanced. European legislation will drive EV development and adoption whether we like it or not, but I do see a place for both ICE cars and EVs in our future. For me, give me an EV for my commute, they're just better. But give me an RS7 for a weekend jaunt, sure. And we'll almost certainly have affordable synthetic fuel in the future, which I'll need for my old shitboxes that I have in the garage. The e-tron GT is more of a rolling billboard for Audi. It's a statement. More affordable and more practical EVs from this brand and many others are sure to follow.
I'm First
I'm not!
Get a kia ev6 or hyundai ionic 5 to test drive if possible. The audi is just stupid in SA
This car is gorgeous but the range just isn't there, especially for the price. Converting KM to miles, (and based on Audi's estimates) this has a max of 238 miles of range. Most of the time it is only going to be charged to 80% because the infrastructure isn't there, if you ever get to 10% of the battery, you have to go immediately to the nearest charger because that charger may taken for an extended period or broken. Generally, I've heard the 15% mark is when you need to be concerned. So you between 65 and 70% of the total range to actually use. That's only 154 to 165 of actual real world use . And that is assuming it hits the KW per mile usuage, where as it sounds like it is going to have higher consumption, and there will be at least some battery degredation. After 5 years of use, it might be that it is getting 130-140 miles of usage. Which, I get is a decent amount for everyday but if you have a 25 mile per way commute to work and you forget to charge it one night, or your power goes out, you're getting in a dicey area on if you have the range. My Audi A6 has 500 miles of range on a tank. Hopefully they'll be able to match Lucid's range and I'll be able to buy the next version of it.
Well after having just driven from UK to Spain in my GT i'm seeing 200 miles on the motorway and then a 20 min stop at an IONITY charger to carry on, it's just a more civilised way to travel and way way less tiring at the end of the journey. That 130-140 after 5 years is utter garbage, we have a 9 year old ZOE that still has 96% capacity. Charging the GT to 100% isn't really 100% as the battery is actually 92kwh with 85kwh useable, this will keep degradation to the bare minimum.
You say something and you say the opposite couple of mins later. You feel cool knowing everything. Be more factual. And focused. Really disturbed that your messages are changing every time
Poverty spec🤣🤣🤣
Biggest Con ever Electric cars
I'm sorry, but I find this car AGONIZINGLY BORING 😵😖🤢 A Suzuki Swift Sport has 100 times more appeal than this... 🤔🧐🤨... Don't know what else to say.. 😶 GREAT review though, as always😎👌👍👍👊!!! Well done !
Book an appointment with Specsavers my Boet🙌🏼
My goodness, R3 million and it's the poverty spec? Who will buy electric cars in S.A?
Why do electric cars easily identifiable? They have that shiny "toy" look.... I personaly like how combustion cars look, they have that "masculine" look.
yeah like a Renault Clio lol
I will never understand the push for electrification over hydrogen powered cars . The car industry has clearly acted selfishly, the majority of the world doesn’t have the the infrastructure to run electric cars and the idea of an electric car in Africa mainly South Africa is insane. Honesty I truly do laugh when I come across people who own these cars . I mean sit and actually just think about owning such a car here at home , no seriously how can you not burst out in humour
because Hydrogen uses more than twice the electricity to produce than an EV needs, also fuel cells have a limited life span, then there is the explosion factor......
Electric cars are a SCAM 😂
Nah. The people who say that just throw insults and never provide logical reasons. From every study I've seen, they're a very good solution. We just cant get them here.
Nah
Loadshedding . Waste of a beautiful car.
In other words, just another over priced German car.
10:32 finally someone said it I hope Audi solves this in the next version