The best-driving electric Audi is a Porsche.
In everything but looks and name, the Audi E-Tron GT is a Porsche Taycan. That means it shares most of the attributes that make the Taycan the best-driving EV on sale. The main problem, however, is the inverse of the same trait. If you want the things that make the Taycan great, your best option is still the Taycan.
It starts with the design. The Taycan is a vision of a hyper-clean future, with smooth tapering lines and a silhouette that always appears in motion. The front of the E-Tron GT represents the alternate form of the future, not clean and curvy but robotic, and defined by heavy contrast. Storm trooper, not space pod. The rear is more bulbous, thanks I’m sure to the Taycan’s hardpoints, but remains busier and chunkier than its Porsche sibling. The design is largely a success, an effective execution of the Cyperpunk aesthetic. The Taycan’s design just feels more simple, enduring, and attractive. Even if you like the Audi now, it’s not hard to imagine which one will age better.
I doubt aging will be kind to any of these early-generation EVs. The Audi’s cabin, like the Taycan’s, is all digital, crisp and clean but full of backlit haptic buttons and screens. Unlike the last Taycan I drove, though, the Audi’s button backlight appeared to flicker consistently. A small issue, though it’s hard to ignore minor electrical niggles when driving a $109,195 car powered purely by electricity.
That $110,000 check buys you a base e-tron GT Quattro with nearly $10,000 of options, the priciest of which is the $6000 performance package. That adds 20-inch sport design wheels, Pirelli Cinturato P7 Blue Elect low rolling resistance summer tires (245/45R-20 front, 285/40R-20 rear), torque-vectoring capability for the all-wheel-drive system, rear-wheel steering, and black accents.
The result is an Audi EV that handles like a proper Porsche sports sedan, albeit one with plenty of weight to haul. The E-Tron GT is capable of absurd cornering speeds, although—more than the Taycan—requires a little delicacy on turn-in. Because of the 5060-lb curb weight, it’s very sensitive to weight transfer. Hucking it into a corner will trigger minor but abrupt body roll, unloading the outer wheels and rocking the chassis as it settles back down.
Steering is laser-cutter precise, even if it’s not quite as feelsome as I expected. Smooth inputs are rewarded with smooth behavior, though, and the torque vectoring all-wheel drives means you can get on the power early. This system mitigates any of traditional Audi pushiness toward the limit, and on light throttle the Audi uses this tech to help you keep the nose tight to the apex. And I wanted to push hard, as the consistent, firm brake pedal gave me confidence in the Audi’s stopping ability. When I leaned on them, however, the E-tron showed its weight again; There’s more brake dive here than you’d expect in a serious sports sedan.The sensation of so much weight slung so low down is odd, as body motions are short-lived but can be dramatic. Still, it’s a rewarding car to suss out, a true driver’s EV that provides an excellent experience to a driver who listens to what the E-Tron demands.
It is also fast. While I haven’t sampled the top-end RS E-Tron GT, the standard-output model provides 522 hp split between its two electric motors, with 472 lb-ft of torque. That feels like more than enough, with the two-speed gearbox ensuring that the E-Tron doesn’t run out of breath at obnoxious speeds. Power is available everywhere, easy to modulate, and chest-compressing. Our friends at Car and Driver recorded a 3.6-second 0-60 sprint for the E-Tron GT; Perhaps not the trump card in a specs war online, but so quick you’d never, ever need anything more.
That does seem to be the thesis behind this car. I like the exterior, interior, and dynamics of the Porsche more. But the E-Tron GT starts at $106,990 now—up $6,000 over the base price on our as-tested sheet, which reflected 2022 pricing—and comes with all-wheel drive standard. The equivalent Taycan, the 4S, starts at $113,350. In an ideal world you’d step up to that for the ultimate Volkswagen Group EV sports sedan, but this Audi gives the highlights, for a little less cash.
So while the interior isn’t as sumptuous as an A8 or as beautiful as the Taycan’s, it also doesn’t require $20,000 of options to feel nice. The zero-to-60 time can’t match a Model S Plaid and the tech gizmos can’t compare to an S-Class or Lucid, but everything you really want is here, and a lot of it comes standard. The ride is not as plush as a full luxury sedan, but it’s not so firm that it’d ever bother you. The suspension cannot hide 5000 pounds from the realities of physics, but it deals with the weight gracefully. It doesn’t have the best range on the market, but it will go 238 miles per the EPA, and probably further in the real world. Its 800-volt architecture and 270-kw fast charging should put you back on the road faster, too.
That makes it an excellent real-world EV. But it feels caught between two realms. If you want a practical, just-what-you-need EV designed with real life in mind, there are plenty of far cheaper options that feel just as impressive. If you’re willing to spend an extra $40,000 because you want sustained performance and perfect behavior when you’re pushing hard, you might as well spend 5 percent more to get the best.
Arguably the most fickle member of the Road & Track staff, Reviews Editor Mack Hogan is likely the only person to ever cross shop an ND Miata with an Isuzu Vehicross. He founded the automotive reviews section of CNBC during his sophomore year of college and has been writing about cars ever since.
