Performance cars come in different forms and not all of them are all-out track-focused machines aimed at beating lap times. Some emphasize fun while others focus on balance. The 2022 Audi e-tron GT falls in the latter category. Being a grand tourer, it must drive well and whisk you to your next destination in supreme comfort. A big ask, for sure. Luckily, this Teutonic beauty has the bones to do just that. Best of all, electrification makes the perfect solution for building a quick, comfortable, and engaging gran turismo.
2022 Audi e-tron GT: Concept car looks
Audi’s designs flawlessly blend modernism and timelessness and the e-tron GT best exemplifies that. Barely anything changed in the journey from concept to production. The front end carries over complete with an enclosed single-frame grille. Matrix LED exterior lighting provides excellent illumination at night and features dramatic start-up sequences. The low, coupe-like side profile gives the design a streamlined appearance. A short rear decklid and wide stance hint at the e-tron GT’s sporting intentions.
Beautifully Restrained
Like the rest of Audi’s lineup, the e-tron GT’s interior keeps things uncluttered and modern. This results in an elegant appearance and retains a familiar layout that won’t intimidate you. Additionally, it carries the timeless design language into the cabin thanks to its simplicity and elegance. In typical Audi fashion, the e-tron GT possesses top-notch build quality. As a result, everything you touch feels expensive while the controls provide a satisfying level of tactility. Exceptional levels of sound insulation, on the other hand, keep the cabin quiet at all speeds, adding to the car’s impeccable levels of refinement.
The e-tron GT may be a midsize vehicle in size but its interior doesn’t reflect that. Hence why the rear seats don’t have much space. Despite having belts for three passengers, keep it to two back there due to tight head- and legroom. Storage also leaves much to be desired because of the small cargo areas and lack of storage for smartphones and wallets. At least the rear seats split and fold for extra flexibility. The driver and front passenger, however, get the best seats in the hours with exceptional levels of comfort and support to hold you in place during spirited drives.
What Learning Curve?
Audi’s MMI interface remains one of the best infotainment systems available. In the e-tron GT, you get a 10.0-inch main touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster. Like other versions, this one keeps things simple with big icons, quick responses, and minimal submenus. Physical controls keep things familiar while crisp graphics give the system a modern look. The clean uncluttered layout ensures that information is displayed clearly. One of the highlights? The epic Bang & Olufsen 3D audio system. This easily ranks among the best thanks to its clarity and excellent cabin coverage. Well-placed speakers and extensive customizability allow you to personalize the listening experience to your liking or the music genre.
Intuitive driver assistance features further highlight the e-tron GT’s tech prowess. The suite does a fantastic job keeping you safe while remaining unobtrusive. Gentle corrections from the lane centering component prevents you from drifting out of your lane and help you navigate gentle curves on the highway. Furthermore, it lets you override it during emergency evasive maneuvers without needing to activate the turn signal. A proactive adaptive cruise control system highlights the e-tron GT’s tech prowess because it does a fantastic job maintaining your set distance and following traffic flow even in gridlock. Best of all, the system also reacts quickly to other vehicles, meaning it quickly but smoothly slows down to increase the following distance and prevent you from hitting the car that just cut you off.
2022 Audi e-tron GT: Best of Everything
Balance. That’s the dominant theme in the e-tron GT’s driving experience thanks to the finely tuned adaptive air suspension. As expected of a performance car, the big Audi dives into corners joyfully, attacking them with sheer precision. Combine that with the lack of body motions and you get a sports sedan that simply loves devouring winding roads. While not as sharp as its platform-mate, the Porsche Taycan, the e-tron retains the same level of poise and enthusiasm. That’s mainly due to the difference in steering calibration. While Porsche set out to create an electric sports car, Audi took the J1 architecture and turned it into a grand tourer. This means the steering, while quick, nicely weighted, and accurate, lacks the telepathic precision of its cousin from Zuffenhausen.
The e-tron GT’s on-road focus comes into full view on the daily drive. You get a softer, more compliant ride in trade for some sharpness, highlighting the car’s on-road focus. Even with 20-inch alloy wheels and summer performance tires, the e-tron GT coddles you and isolates the passenger cabin from harsh impacts while giving you enough road feel. Regardless of the drive mode or suspension setting selected, the car doesn’t beat you up and keeps you comfortable throughout your journey.
Warp Speed
Every e-tron GT gets a dual-motor AWD setup and a 93.4-kWh battery with a usable capacity of 83.7 kWh. In the standard model like my test car, it makes 469 hp and 464 lb-ft of torque. Activate Boost mode and that increase to 522 hp and 472 lb-ft for a short period. The result? Warp speed acceleration and effortless power for all driving situations. Mashing the throttle pins you hard into your seats as the car accelerates to triple-digit speeds at a startling pace.
Acceleration forms only one part of the speed equation when discussing the Audi e-tron GT. Charging makes up the second half because this car is one of the first to use an 800-volt architecture. That lets it DC charge for 10 to 80 percent in as little as 22 minutes thanks to peak rates of 270 kW. During my week, it managed to go from 30 to 80 percent in roughly 15 minutes. Although it didn’t hit its advertised peak rate, it stayed above 200 kW for a long time, absorbing huge amounts of energy in the process.
The fast DC charging lets you get back on the road sooner, making the e-tron GT perfect for long-distance travel. Although the EPA rates the car at 238 miles, that estimate veers on the conservative side. I consistently traveled 280 miles between charges during my week, even with lots of highway driving.
You also benefit from strong regenerative braking, allowing you to better preserve your charge levels. Although you don’t get one-pedal driving capability, max regeneration mode slows the car enough to give you better control of your speed while recharging the battery. Seamless transitions from regenerative to mechanical braking make the e-tron GT operate in a more familiar manner.
2022 Audi e-tron GT: The Gateway to the Future of Performance
For Audi, the e-tron GT serves as the next step in its performance evolution. This vehicle defines what a grand tourer of the future can do thanks to how beautifully it balances speed, grace, luxury, and technology. Although it also has quick acceleration times and other impressive performance figures, this sedan focuses more on how you feel and, most importantly, fun without breaking your back. For those with the means to afford this test car’s $118,740 as-tested price ($100,945 to start), you’ll have one of the slickest EVs on the market. It’s the grand tourer of the future, and it’s here now.
