Audi’s all new e-tron Sportback,

In 1996, Göran Kropp climbed Mount Everest, alone and without bottled oxygen, having travelled the 8000 miles from his native Sweden to Nepal on his bicycle. And then he cycled back home again. Keen to spend all his income on his adventures, the former punk-rock paratrooper saved money by living in a tent in a quarry. Göran was not afraid to push himself out of his comfort zone.

Most of us like to think we are like that, but we’re not – not really. All too often, the soft, safe, comfy choice is the one we go for. And I’ll admit, when I was tasked with testing Audi’s new all-electric e-tron Sportback S line 55 quattro, I was tempted to take the easy option.

At first, I thought I’d just go for a gentle pootle around town. That way, I’d never be very far from an electric charging point (or a coffee shop). But Audi’s engineers would scoff at that approach. Every e-tron model is built for proper long-distance journeys. So, back in the summer, when lockdown restrictions had been eased, I took a responsible, socially distanced, zero-emissions drive to Snowdonia National Park. Who needs cappuccinos and cupcakes when you can have fresh air and mountains? 

Those who may be suffering from ‘range anxiety’ (ie. nervous about running out of battery power when they venture far and wide) will be pleased to know that, like its e-tron SUV sibling, the new e-tron Sportback S line 55 quattro comes with multiple layers of reassurance engineered in. For a start, it has an official electric driving range of up to 241.7 miles*. Secondly, the e-tron Sportback can recuperate energy and use it to charge the 95kWh lithium-ion battery during 90 per cent of everyday deceleration actions.

In addition, Audi has made the process of charging your car as simple as possible with the introduction of the new e-tron Charging Service. This provides users with an RFID payment card that is accepted at more than half the UK’s public charging stations. And thanks to the e-tron Sportback 55’s 150kW charging capacity, the battery can be replenished to the recommended 80 per cent capacity in as little as 30 minutes at DC high-powered stations (HPC) with 150-350kW capacity**. You can find out all you need to know about charging your e-tron, and much more, at Audi’s The Home of Electric hub, and by downloading the Audi EV&me app. The app provides a host of information on all aspects of electric mobility to help customers decide if switching to an electric vehicle is right for them. 

Of course, the UK’s electric-charging network is still evolving, and while it is doing so rapidly and has most towns and major roads covered, heading off into the wilds of the Welsh mountains still requires a little planning. Happily, the e-tron Sportback’s sophisticated MMI Navigation plus system, which is standard-fit across the range, takes the hard work out of setting your route. And as I drive, it continually updates the remaining range and advises on the location of charging points.

With a full battery charge, the e-tron Sportback whisks me north-west. When I reach the mountains, I park the car up in a layby and get out to stretch my legs. Audi’s electric newcomer might look good in the city, but out here it looks nothing short of stunning. The optional Daytona grey pearl-effect paint looks like it was mixed specifically by Audi’s designers to complement the rockface along the towering mountains and the tarmac of the narrow roads.

With that almost spaceship-like single-frame grille, those razor-sharp Matrix LED headlamps and striking air intakes, the e-tron Sportback looks like something that’s been shot back in time from the future. And yet the swashbuckling sweep of its coupé-like side profile can be traced all the way back to the iconic Audi quattro, launched 40 years ago.

A sudden and heavy downpour sends me scampering back to the car and leaves the roads glistening wet and treacherously slippery – so it’s time to see what four decades of quattro all-wheel-drive development can do. 

In most driving situations, the Audi e-tron Sportback relies predominantly on its rear electric motor to drive the rear wheels and deliver optimum efficiency. However, when the driver demands even more power, or when greater stability, grip and traction are required, the front electric unit seamlessly and instantly supplies drive to the front wheels, serving up the benefits of quattro all-wheel drive for the age of electrification.

All this is done in a fraction of a second. And it is done again and again and again, as the car’s sensors continuously monitor the conditions and regulate the distribution of driving force between the front and rear axles for optimum grip, traction and safety. The agility and the sure-footed mastery that the e-tron Sportback serves up on these zig-zagging roads fair takes my breath away. And so does the ultra-smooth manner in which the e-tron seamlessly transfers its phenomenal performance to the road. 

On another day and in another place, such as on a racetrack, I know that if I switched the gear lever into the S position and pressed the accelerator all the way to the carpet, boost mode would be activated. That would liberate the e-tron’s full 300kW of output and 664Nm of pulling power for eight-second phases, sufficient to shorten the car’s already impressive 6.6-second 0-62mph time to a blistering 5.7 seconds. And all this without any CO2 emissions on the move.

But that is for another day. Instead, I ease off the accelerator, set the car to Comfort mode and soak up the grandeur of the scenery, which is amplified to spectacular effect by the full-length panoramic sunroof. I take a relaxing breath and sink back into my heated Valcona leather-upholstered seat with four-way lumbar support. I adjust the deluxe two-zone electronic climate control a tad. Finally, I turn up the volume on the 180-watt Audi Sound System and smile as Johann Sebastian Bach fills the cabin from the 10 speakers.

As I glide onwards, I congratulate myself on being brave, taking the road less travelled and heading out into the wild mountains. And then it occurs to me: I am an idiot. The Audi e-tron Sportback has kept me right in the comfort zone every step of the way.