The new Audi e-tron Sportback: a balancing hum becomes elegant

Audi creates tension. The second Stromer comes onto the market with the e-tron Sportback. We have briefly tested the somewhat more elegant brother of the normal e-tron.

• Flatter roof, lower drag coefficient - the Sportback is chic and efficient.
• The Stromer is said to travel up to 446 kilometers on one charge.
• The most important points, what distinguishes it from the normal e-tron .

This differentiates the Audi e-tron Sportback from the normal e-tron

Let's start with the small but subtle differences. This is above all the body shape , which drops steeply towards the rear and gives the high-flying SUV an elegant coupé line . You already know that from the combustion SUVs. Most recently, Porsche did it with its Cayenne Coupé. Simply make parts of the body new, install a few technical improvements and a new SUV rolls to the inclined clientele. The BMW X6 led the way at the time, and its success has infected all other car manufacturers. And now Audi is doing this with its first electric car.

There is no difference in the rear between the e-tron Sportback and the conventional e-tron.

© Audi

Important to know : The flat roof took up very little space, you can sit at the back as comfortably as ever. Only the trunk has lost a little volume. About the size of a beer carrier. The rear view is also poorer because the rear window has become smaller . But the Sportback has a better drag coefficient than the normal e-tron . Which in turn should benefit the range. The stronger model is 37 kilometers long.

About one carrier less beer fits in the e-tron Sportback compared to the normal e-tron.

© Audi

Speaking of which: the Sportback is available in two versions . As the Audi Sportback 50 Quattro , it puts 313 hp on the road (6.8 seconds from 0 to 100) and costs 71,350 euros. This makes it significantly weaker than the 55 (408 hp, 5.7 seconds from 0 to 1000), but also a good 12,000 euros cheaper. In terms of consumption, both models are on par - around 22 to 26 kWh per 100 kilometers. The 55 Quattro is charged with direct current with up to 150 kW in just 25 minutes. Then the battery is four-fifths full again. The developers deserve special praise because they have installed two charging ports in the e-tron. On the right and left fenders. This helps especially in the city when there is limited space on the charging stations.

Half an hour or two full days - depending on the charging station, this is how long it takes to charge the Sportback's battery.

© Audi

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"Sound of Silence": This is how the Audi e-tron Sportback drives

How does driving in the new Audi Whisper SUV feel now? The discovery of silence. Usually you only notice things that are loud. Anyone traveling with an Audie e-tron is amazed by this almost ghostly calm . Only wind and rolling noises - otherwise you glide through the landscape. And this with a device weighing over 2.5 tons, which normally only moves under crawling and sprinkling.

Oops, 2.5 tons rustle here. The e-tron is so heavy because of the batteries.

© Audi

The "Sound of Silence" is only interrupted in two situations. When you take a seat and start, you hear a rich chord . It makes sense, after all you have to know that the car is ready. That's what the engine usually tells you. And then the e-tron also has sounds for the outside world . According to the EU regulation, electric cars must be audible up to 20 km / h (in the USA even up to 31 km / h). Protection for pedestrians - especially when maneuvering, parking or when approaching a zebra crossing. Incidentally, the sound of the e-tron is artificially generated in its own laboratory. It is broadcast via a loudspeaker that is hidden in the body in front of the right front wheel.

A cockpit like from 1001 nights: Three screens should make it easier to operate the e-tron.

© Audi

The calmness of the car is also transferred to the driver. No exhaust booms , the transmission takes its sound and doesn't even have to be shifted. There is only one course. And so you glide through the landscape like on a flying carpet, that's yoga on four wheels. Total relaxation.

Balancing drone Audi e-tron: that's what the Sportback does

But the e-tron can do it differently. With a step on the accelerator pedal a jolt goes through the balancing humming and life comes into the booth. The two electric motors (one on the front axle, one on the rear axle) push so powerfully that the 55 Quattro sprints from 0 to 100 in six seconds with its powerful torque of 664 Nm .

Balancing drone with elegance: the roof line sloping towards the rear gives the e-tron an airy design.

© Audi

And it can also be dynamic . As a driver, you have to stand your whole man on brisk cornering, because despite all the electronic assistants, such as the intelligent air suspension and the Quattro drive, which distributes the power to the wheels wherever they are needed, the heavy otter pushes out quite a bit . But an e-tron is not a sports car either. And actually the knowledge that he can do it if he has to is enough.

The headlights of the e-tron Sporback are also available in a digital matrix version with 1.2 million individual pixels.

© Audi

This also applies to acceleration . When overtaking, it's just a comforting feeling that you can fall back on 408 horsepower (boost performance) if you want to overtake a truck train on the country road. That is deceleration when accelerating. And in the event that you are forced to make a cavalier start at the traffic lights by a jarring mate from a combustion engine - you need a caliber like a 911 to beat the e-tron.

Also interesting : The new Audi A3 Sportback: This saves fines and points in Flensburg.

Our conclusion on the Audi e-tron Sportback

An electric car like the Audi e-tron Sportback not only calms the environmental conscience, but is also a completely different way of driving . Serenity through discovery of silence. But you also have to be able to afford such a premium vehicle . A little tip from the editors: If you don't want to or can't invest so much money and want to buy an electric car, you should take a look at the Volkswagen E-Up *, which has a decent range (plenty of over 200 km), well under 20,000 euros . If you want high-tech a la Japan, you cannot avoid the Honda e *.

Datasheet Audi e-tron Sportback 55 Quattro

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Rudolf Bögel

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* tz.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.