Car test, Electric car | Test: Audi e-Tron 55 Sportback Edition One

It is difficult to exaggerate what a breakthrough success the electric car e-Tron has been in Norway so far – and what it has meant for the German premium brand.

After several difficult years, the closest was Audi with a broken back in Norway. BMW completely dominated the premium market. At the same time, Tesla seemed to be unbeatable on the bestseller lists after the launch of the Model 3.

But then the e-Tron appeared: The dedicated electric car placed between Q5 and Q7 in size, and was almost free of defects. Last year, it managed to become Norway’s 4th best-selling car – even though deliveries began well into the year.

This year, the car makes almost as big a big slump as the Tesla Model 3 did last year: During the first 7 months of the year, 6393 cars have been put on signs – about as many as number two and three on the bestseller list combined. Tesla is completely overtaken.

e-Tron is not a side project

For Audi, on the other hand, the e-Tron is not a stand-alone car that they have launched and forgotten, as some other electric cars in recent years have shown.

Audi is really investing and has launched a cheaper version with less battery, a faster S version of the car is just around the corner – and then you have the new Sportback version that we have seen this time.

Small changes can mean a lot

Sportback is “audible” for the coupe, and simply means that they have lowered the roofline relatively significantly to give the car a significantly more sporty feel.

Beyond this, no changes have been made to the car.

The new shape, on the other hand, gives marginally lower air resistance, which on paper means that the range is increased by almost a mile.

Coupé also means that you lose a lot of luggage space. According to the specification, “only” 45 liters are missing, but we think it looks more. The challenge is that it becomes difficult to stack in height.

Appearance is always subjective, but with the huge rims and the new roofline, we think the e-Tron Sportback looks absolutely fabulous. And that is even if the car has wheel arches that go inwards!

We also have a taste for the colored brake pads – and know everyone does not agree with us there.

Still the same car

The fact that the car has been given a slightly sportier look does not mean that this has become a more sporty car. The ground clearance, for example, is still 172 millimeters – almost double what you find in the competitor EQC.

The car has not become stiffer either, and is therefore a joy to drive both on long-distance driving – and on slightly more challenging mountain roads.

Audi has not done anything with the engines either, so the car still “only” has 360 horsepower. It sounds almost silly to say it this way, electric cars have created a new form of expectation of power surplus. Among other things, the significantly shorter car Jaguar i-Pace has 400 horsepower, and the competitor Mercedes EQC has 408 horsepower.

Also read: ID.4 revealed ahead of time – this is bound to be a big seller

360 horsepower is of course not small, but is portioned out in a surprisingly reclining way that first and foremost makes the e-Tron Sportback a comfortable everyday car and cruiser.

We suspect that Audi has held back a bit to make room for the S-version with 503 horsepower and insane 973 Nm of torque.

The interior is also the same as you find in the regular version of the car. Here it is easy to get comfortable – both with good seats, and a well-functioning interior in every way.

Fast out, fast in

We have tested the car on both long-distance and short-distance driving, and it revealed the same that applies to regular e-Tron: Power consumption is relatively high at the start of a drive – but improves significantly when the car reaches optimal operating temperature.

It gives high consumption on small driving, but if you first drive far, it also goes far.

On various trips in the summer, we experienced power consumption ranging from 18.3 to almost 27 kWh per 100 km. The lowest number was on a continuous 3.5-hour trip, while the highest was on a shorter trip.

Also read: Test: How much more electricity does the electric car use on the motorway?

If your goal is to drive from A to B in the summer, the car stays well within the stated consumption and range: It is no challenge to get the car to go over 400 kilometers on a fully charged battery under optimal conditions.

A good compensation for occasionally high consumption, is that e-Tron probably has the most attractive “charging curve” of any electric car on the market:

Form rather than function

Our test car is also equipped with digital mirrors, which is the only thing with the car we do not like. Fortunately, there are extra equipment that you by no means have to have, and you save over 17,000 kroner by staying away.

The brightness is not optimal in bright sunlight when you wear sunglasses, they do not sit where we expect – and we simply do not trust them when we back into cramped parking spaces. Then it does not help that it looks tough.

Variant of a bestseller

The Audi e-Tron Sportback is a surprisingly honest car: it is a small variant of Norway’s most popular car. There is no revolution, it just looks cooler – and the back is a little worse luggage space.

And as always on such cars: If you want a little less luggage space, it will cost you a few tens of thousands of kroner extra.

It costs to be tough. But it almost feels worth it.

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