Electric cars are the definite future and Audi is pretty serious about it. They have now come out with a series of electric vehicles and this one would be their sportback S model. S would be the sportier version which would have an interior and exterior suited for its theme. When you drive this vehicle, you enjoy for its performance, handling, luxury and at the same time stylish. Being an electric car this one’s absolutely quiet, so quite that you don’t even realize when you start the vehicle, while you drive and accelerate it runs like a cheetah quietly. It’s all happening silently in this car and I guess that’s the case with most Electric vehicles. What’s interesting about the Audi e-tron is that they haven’t thrown away the essential controls that we see in regular cars like the physical buttons and knobs such as for the radio which makes it very convenient as a driver to stay focused on the road, unlike other electric vehicles which have been using the design philosophy of simplicity by removing most of the physical buttons possible.

The first time when you enter the driver seat and close the door, you realize there isn’t any side mirror really. You actually have a camera instead which gives you a quick view of the road through a large view finder found on side of the doors. It’s a first of a kind that we saw. That is a hell of an impression it makes because you see such technology only in movies generally but they have it now here for us to experience. I really liked this digital display, it’s clear and it doesn’t matter which time of the day you see the objects clearly at any light condition, in fact better than a mirror. You would also get warning with different colored blinking lights to notify how close the object is to your side. It’s a fantastic feature that we loved in this vehicle and the one that makes the most impression for anyone stepping into the vehicle the first time.

Power

I love the steering wheel. You can feel the real leather and how grippy it is. The S badge on the steering wheel is also a nice stamp of it’s authority. The digital instrument cluster is quite impressive. You have the speed being projected on the wind shield but also you have a digital speedometer which they call it a virtual cockpit that can be changed to your needs, like you can have the entire maps on the driver display instead of the speedometer. The quality of these display screen is also nice and is very clear at any lighting condition. The indicator handle is sleek and feels light to use. It felt good and I thought they had a good design which made it ergonomic. The gear was futuristic looking with it’s aluminium finish and a nice leather palm rest too on top of it. You would use your fingers to shift gears and I thought it was a pretty innovative design.

For connectivity there are USB-c ports, you don’t find any usb-A support unfortunately on the new models. Even rear passengers can have their phone charged from behind using their own usb-c charging port provided. Next to the cup holders, you find a pocket to hold your phone for wireless charging. I though this design was good as it keeps the phone in place without having it move away from the wireless charging spot. Apple car play is builtin and the best part being that you can connect to apple car play via bluetooth and so no cables needed in between.  The ambient lighting is another highlight in the vehicle. Love the different colors that pop up from the moment you start the vehicle, drive and stop the vehicle. The lights also make the interior feel extra special.

The dual display MMI touch screen in the center serves the purpose smartly. The dual giant screens is very easy to use and the quality touch is very responsive. You can control everything inside the vehicle including the rear vent controls. The software is quite smart and it helps the driver know the setting  such as the rear vent and if need change to a desired temperature. Ofcourse like any touch screen, your finger smudges are all over it once you start touching the interface. You should have a cloth always in the vehicle to clean of the finger marks of the glossy screen. You can have individual driver profile which will help you pre-load settings such as your seat and mirror setting.

All that said we still haven’t mentioned about the electric charging and the mileage you can travel. Unfortunately the audi e-tron doesn’t give you much of a mileage for a full charge. The max we got for a full charge from this Audi e-tron sportback S has been just 340kms which limits to drive this vehicle within the city than go travelling between Emirates, unless you are sure to find a charging port on other side of the emirate you don’t won’t to take the risk. The charge capacity was the only downside with this vehicle, otherwise it’s been exemplary when it comes to performance, comfort, luxury and style. The e-tron has external charging ports on both sides of the vehicle and is also suitable for fast charging if available.

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