Audi E-tron

[Name Redacted]

Who's gonna be the first to pick up one of these?

https://www.audiusa.com/models/audi-e-tron

[schindlerpiste]

Top speed 124
Towing capacity 4000lb.

I don't think so

[stuckathuntermtn]

Only $75,000? What a deal!

[AKPogue]

Top speed 124
Towing capacity 4000lb.

I don't think so

Too slow for you?

[schindlerpiste]

yes.

also, I bet that those heavy batteries under the unit make it handle like a pig.

Just my opinion. Good luck to all those who want this, or something like it.

[PB]

Have they solved the reduced battery life/storage in cold temps?

[plugboots]

I bet that those heavy batteries under the unit make it handle like a pig.

Have you driven a Tesla? Having the batteries between the wheels and low and not having a big fat engine in the front above the wheels is part of what makes the Tesla handle so well.
Not that I want this stupid Audi btw.

[schindlerpiste]

I have driven both the X and the S, and would not own either. Best features are the light show gimmicks and the computer screen. Nice in a line, but handle like shit (IMHO). Some day, try taking an "S" turn at speed. Wait don't. My Porsche will run circles around both

[grskier]

Have they solved the reduced battery life/storage in cold temps?

Still a difference in range depending on temperatures for electric vehicles. That said this would easily get us through 80% of our weeks let alone days of driving....

[nfaust]

Have they solved the reduced battery life/storage in cold temps?

Looks like they have a pretty fancy liquid cooling / warming system to keep it within 25 and 35C

Have you driven a Tesla? Having the batteries between the wheels and low and not having a big fat engine in the front above the wheels is part of what makes the Tesla handle so well.
Not that I want this stupid Audi btw.

Agreed. Having the weight low and towards the middle would improve handling.

[schindlerpiste]

yeah, in a straight line....and BTW, the Tesla brakes are also feeble
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/tesla/model-s/ride

[muted]

My Porsche will run circles around both

No shit. What Porsche do you own?

[schindlerpiste]

cayenne turbo s. OK, I do have vectoring and ceramic brakes, but that is beside the point. The point is not so much how well porsches handle, but how poorly heavy batteries e-cars (like the Tesla) do. These cars seem more directed towards rich liberal soccer moms/dads, than drivers

[muted]

cayenne turbo s. OK, I do have vectoring and ceramic brakes, but that is beside the point. The point is not so much how well porsches handle, but how poorly heavy batteries e-cars (like the Tesla) do. These cars seem more directed towards dentists and rich soccer moms/dads, than drivers

I think how well the porsche handles is def the point. The Teslas haven't achieved and probably will never achieve Porsche performance. If you said your Mazda 3 handled better, then you'd be saying something.

I'd be curious on a test between this etron vs the non-electric version though.

[schindlerpiste]

That is a good point. Obviously, I think that gas powered version will handle better. While, I think that both these cars will handle adequately in relation to their speed, neither are sports cars. Audi's big wagon mistake was getting ride of the 2.7 liter twin turbo with a six speed. That unit was rad, and the top of the Audi wagon chain

[muted]

It's good to hear though some feedback on electric 'performance' cars though, a lotta reviewers love the handling of them. I could see porsche figuring out a good balance though with their new electric versions. I mean, they have to to satisfy their customers.

That e-tron doesn't have much range which sucks...but is there any other e-car out there that can tow anything?

[plugboots]

yeah, in a straight line....and BTW, the Tesla brakes are also feeble
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/tesla/model-s/ride

That article made it seem like the Tesla was pretty good at what it was designed for. Hey, I like fast ICE's, I also think putting the heaviest thing between the wheels and low, makes some sense. BTW, VW is going all electric soon, so it's a Taycan for you?

[schindlerpiste]

Not to turn this into a porsche thread, but:
August 2018: Porsche just released some new specs about the upcoming Taycan electric car. As expected the electric sedan will make more than 600 horsepower in total system power and come with 800-volt charging capability, which will give the car enough juice to go 400 km. (248 mi.) in just 15 minutes of charging. Overall, Porsche proclaims an electric range of 500 km. (about 310 mi.) and a 0-100 kph time of three and a half seconds.

Is a Taycan for me? No. I'd rather travel 500 miles with a 5 minute pitstop, than travel 200-300 miles and then need to stop for 1/2 hr.

[Muggydude]

cayenne turbo s. OK, I do have vectoring and ceramic brakes, but that is beside the point. The point is not so much how well porsches handle, but how poorly heavy batteries e-cars (like the Tesla) do. These cars seem more directed towards rich liberal soccer moms/dads, than drivers

When was the last time you drove the Model S or X? They have changed somewhat since their initial release.

Regardless, your statement about the heavy e-car battery handling isn't really grounded in fact or engineering principles. All that centralized weight and low CG generally helps the car handle better in turns. Don't confuse the Model S/X not necessarily being tuned for aggressive cornering with the general e-car layout causing the handling you experienced.

I was able to drive the Model 3 Performance last month, and it most certainly does not handle poorly (opposite in fact). 3.5 0-60 is always an added bonus too.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...nce-track-mode

As an aside on the range thing - how often do you drive 300 miles (~5 hours) without wanting to take a break for 15-30 minutes? Or drive 300 miles in one go at all?

[schindlerpiste]

I haven't driven the Model 3, but that is good news!

As for me, I drove a 2017 X and probably a 2016 S. Don't get me wrong, they are fine for South Beach, and the streets of San Fransisco, but on open roads, in the mountains, I'd prefer a high performance gas engine.

[muted]

As an aside on the range thing - how often do you drive 300 miles (~5 hours) without wanting to take a break for 15-30 minutes? Or drive 300 miles in one go at all?

I was commenting on the 160~ range of the e-tron being not much. 300 is nice. Real world though, if your car is 160 you'd only charge it to about 145 and try not to drain it ever to keep the batteries in good shape. Add a cold day to your drive and 160 is not looking good.

[plugboots]

About the range question...
My friend has an S and lives near San Francisco. Going to Tahoe doesn't work so they take their minivan. It's 220 miles or so, just on the edge of the range in perfect conditions which in the 3 times he's done it, it wasn't.
The charging places are near restaurants or malls or whatever, and the idea is you'd pull over, get a quick charge and take a quick break. In his experience, the stations are full, and the break is now over an hour.
My cabin is 220 miles in winter with no charging stations in between. We very rarely ever stop on the way. Maybe 1 out of 10 trips. My daughter is in college and it's about 4.5 hours, and I've done 5 trips and only 1 time did we stop. Why? Get a fucking bag of chips?

When the range is longer, which will prolly be pretty soon, or I'm forced to buy one, I'll get the electric. I actually want to.

[muted]

About the range question...
My friend has an S and lives near San Francisco. Going to Tahoe doesn't work so they take their minivan. It's 220 miles or so, just on the edge of the range in perfect conditions which in the 3 times he's done it, it wasn't.
The charging places are near restaurants or malls or whatever, and the idea is you'd pull over, get a quick charge and take a quick break. In his experience, the stations are full, and the break is now over an hour.
My cabin is 220 miles in winter with no charging stations in between. We very rarely ever stop on the way. Maybe 1 out of 10 trips.

When the range is longer, which will prolly be pretty soon, or I'm forced to buy one, I'll get the electric. I actually want to.

I'd imagine near SF there are way too many teslas competing for Superchargers. Now with 118,000 model 3s being introduced this year and many more to come, it's a big problem in some places. But Telsa is building more charging stations and hopefully will keep up with demands.

One cool thing about the Tesla is while you are driving you can select a charging station and see if it's full or not. So if you do that before you travel to a new destination, you have a pretty good idea if you can get a spot without waiting and plan accordingly.

Or just have a second car for road trips.

[plugboots]

The technology is close. That's why I bought the MT AWD car. I wanted the last one.

[Muggydude]

The charging situation should get a lot better now that most of the big auto manufacturers will be jumping on the electric wagon in the next 2-5 years. There will probably be something of a transition period where it's annoying. It's not really speculation anymore that the car market will transition to be mostly electric in 15 years or so though. Cars are safer, cleaner, way simpler, and the technology hurdles have been all but cleared presently. Plus the EPA emissions and MPG requirements frankly aren't attainable for the timelines given - there's only so much you can refine combustion engines and traditional transmissions further after 100+ years.