Used 2022 Audi e-tron GT

The 2022 Audi e-tron GT is an all-new electric sedan that joins Audi’s two existing EVs, the e-tron SUV and Sportback. This electric-powered and all-wheel (AWD) drive 5-passenger 4-door has anywhere from 522 to 637 horsepower, depending on whether you choose the standard e-tron GT or range-topping RS model.

The entry-level trim, called Premium Plus, has a starting price of $102,400, excluding the $1,045 destination fee. Next is the Prestige trim, which costs $109,600 and includes features like heated rear seats, a Bang & Olufsen audio system, Audi traffic jam assist, and head-up display.

At the top of the range is the RS e-tron GT, which comes with the 637-hp motor and even more features, including a carbon-fiber roof and torque-vectoring AWD. However, starting at $142,400, minus any options, the RS variant is $40,000 more than the base model.

In some ways, the e-tron GT might be familiar to EV fans. That’s because beneath its curvaceous sheet metal — and let’s take a moment to admit this could be, quite possibly, the prettiest EV now available — the e-tron GT shares its platform and powertrain with the Porsche Taycan.

Fast and luxurious, the e-tron GT sits low to the ground and looks ready to blast off. The cabin is an excellent combination of cutting-edge touchscreen tech without requiring a Master’s degree from MIT to figure out all the controls.

It’s coolly elegant and, dare we say it, a more user-friendly place to be than the Taycan’s touchscreen-intensive cabin.

The trunk is spacious, considering the e-tron GT’s sporty intentions, and there’s even a small storage compartment (a “frunk”) in the nose of the car. About the only thing holding the e-tron GT back is its ho-hum driving range of 238 miles.

Okay, that and the fact that with a starting price in excess of $100,000, this sleek Audi EV is out of the price range of most car shoppers.

On the other hand, Audi has recently announced that all 2022 e-tron GT models (and RS e-tron GT models) will be sold with three years of free EV charging through the Electrify America network. Best of all, there appears to be no cap on the offer.

If the Audi e-tron GT represents the future of electric driving, then consider us optimistic for what lays ahead. This sport sedan is viciously quick when you want it to be and supremely comfortable if all you want to do is serenely cruise.

Credit everything from the 800-volt powertrain, the 93.4-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, standard Quattro AWD, and slick 2-speed transmission (first gear is used to get you off the line from a stop…fast!). The e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT need anywhere from 3.9 seconds to 3.1 seconds to accelerate from zero to 60 mph. It was the lightning-fast RS e-tron GT that we recently tested.

Oh yes, and using the standard DC fast-charging system, the e-tron GT can go from 5 to 80-percent of battery life in a little more than 20 minutes. That’s pretty rapid, too.

True, some Tesla fans will let you know a Model S in Ludicrous Mode is faster in a straight line. Trust us, no one except maybe Elon Musk himself will find fault with how the e-tron GT accelerates.

And here’s something you don’t expect from an electric car, the RS e-tron GT makes an eerie howl when you’re putting the power down and flinging this 4-door around corners.

A vintage Ferrari V12 engine wail, it’s not – hey, you can’t have it all, even when spending 6-figures on your EV. The sound is programmable and can be adjusted by the driver.

There is a definite ‘whirr’ and ‘whoosh’ to this Audi’s electric powertrain that makes you feel like you’re battling TIE fighters in Star Wars (or dueling Cylon Raiders, if you prefer Battlestar Galactica references).

Our driving time was mostly on narrow 2-lane roads still damp from rainy weather, so we limited our RS e-tron GT antics to reasonably legal speeds. Still, the way this Audi stays flat and even-keeled around tight corners is incredible. The double-wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear with adaptive air suspension are the unsung mechanical heroes of this EV.

A little more actual road feel in the steering would be appreciated, though some wilted bravery on especially slippery stretches of road could better explain this request. If you have the means to take your e-tron GT to a track day, please do so. You won’t regret the chance to nudge the limits of this car in a controlled environment.

What’s not to love? Well, the e-tron GT driving fun lasts only 238 miles. That’s on par with rivals like the Porsche Taycan – which shares its platform and powertrain with the e-tron GT – and SUV alternatives, such as the Jaguar I-Pace. But everything from a Mustang Mach-E to the Chevrolet Bolt EV can match or exceed the range of this pricey Audi.

And that’s ignoring the Tesla-badged gorilla in the room. A 2021 Tesla Model S Long Range sedan returns 405 miles of driving range in tests conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The cabin of the 2022 e-tron GT technically has room for five onboard. Except anyone seated in the middle of the second row had better be very slim and short in stature. For two adults back there, life is much better. The only caveat is the tapering roofline does limit headroom for taller folks.

From the driver’s seat, the e-tron GT has a digital gauge display and touchscreen infotainment controls in the middle of the dash. The menus are clear and the graphics crisp, particularly when using the 3-D navigation.

Heated front seats are standard, though the RS trim we tested came with a full complement of extras. This included heated and ventilated front seats with massage function, full leather seating surfaces, red seat stitching, RS-specific floor mats, red seatbelts, and 3-spoke heated flat-bottom steering wheel, to name a select few.

Some of these extras are part of the Year One Package, a suite of cosmetic and performance add-ons that costs upwards of $20,000. If that seems way too steep, the mid-range Prestige Plus trim comes standard with niceties like heated rear seats, head-up display, and 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system.

The overall ambiance is cool and efficient, without going tech overload with too many touchscreens (hello, Porsche Taycan), or ultra-minimalist with one giant tablet-like display (here’s looking at you, well, everything Tesla).

And lest we forget cargo capacity, the e-tron GT offers 9.2 cubic feet of trunk room with the rear seats in place. There is also a small trunk (or “frunk”) in the nose of the car, which is large enough for a couple of backpacks or soft-sided duffels.

Styling is subjective but, from our perspective, the 2022 e-tron GT is one of the most dramatic EVs available today. While it shares the same basic blueprint as the Porsche Taycan, the curvier haunches and more expressive front and rear of the e-tron GT give it more road presence. In a word, it’s gorgeous.

Wheel sizes range from 20 to 21-inches in diameter, and you can add exterior features like gloss-black or cabin fiber trim accents. For example, the Carbon Performance package offered on the RS e-tron GT brings with it black badges and Audi rings, 21-inch split-spoke alloys, and carbon fiber side sill inlays.

That’s all well and good, though the fact remains the Audi e-tron GT is a handsome vehicle that doesn’t need expensive extras to stand out from the masses. Then again, with nearly 20 exterior colors on offer, you’re unlikely to see two identical e-tron GTs parked alongside each other.

The Audi Exclusive exterior colors are especially fetching, and they should be, considering they cost $3,900 extra.

ADAPTIVE AIR SUSPENSION
The power and grip of the Audi e-tron GT are out of this world. But the suspension makes this an electric speed machine a high-performance machine you can live with on a daily basis.

DRIVER-SELECTABLE REGENERATIVE BRAKING
Some EV owners love one-pedal driving, in which a regenerative brake system feeds energy back to the battery, and the driver barely needs to touch the brake pedal. It’s not for everyone, however. The e-tron GT feels like a ‘normal’ sport sedan and hits the right buttons for those who still like using the brakes themselves.

Since it has a starting price over $100,000, it shouldn’t be a surprise to discover the Audi e-tron GT in Premium Plus trim comes loaded with comfort, tech, and safety features.

In the cabin, you’ll find items like a fixed panoramic glass roof, walnut inlays, heated front seats, power tilt and telescoping steering wheel, 3-spoke flat-bottom steering wheel, and 3-zone climate control. The base e-tron GT should appeal to EV shoppers and animal lovers, too, thanks to its use of leather-free seating surfaces using a material Audi calls “Dinamica.”

The infotainment system is operated by a 10.1-inch touchscreen or by using controls on the steering wheel. It’s a quick and elegant system, though there are lots of menus and options – take time while parked to navigate and understand all that’s available.

Wireless smartphone charging and wireless Apple CarPlay are standard. Sorry Android Auto users, you’ll still need to plug in using a cord.

Standard active safety features include automatic emergency braking, forward-collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, rearview camera, lane-departure warning, traffic sign recognition, acoustic front and rear parking sensors, and rear cross-traffic warning and assist.

A fully loaded RS e-tron GT comes with all the bells and whistles you can add to this tire-burning electric sedan. Of course, the most obvious benefits are the 637 horsepower afforded by the dual electric motors and the added grip of AWD with torque vectoring.

The RS e-tron replaces the panoramic glass roof with lightweight carbon fiber. On the exterior, there is carbon-fiber and black-optic trim on the front grille, along the side sills, and at the rear diffuser.

The same infotainment and safety systems that come in the standard e-tron GT are all present, of course. The RS e-tron GT really separates itself from the lower two trims when it’s fitted with the optional Year One suite of features.

Among the roughly 17 items included in this single option package are 21-inch 5-twin-spoke concept car alloys, carbon fiber side mirror housings, rear-wheel steering, perforated Nappa leather seating with RS logos, ventilated front seats with massage function, full leather interior, and carbon-ceramic brakes with red calipers. The price for all these items is a staggering $20,350, or about what you’d pay for a 2022 Honda Civic sedan!

If they don’t want to go full bore with the Year One package, an Audi e-tron GT shopper can opt for the Carbon Performance package. This $8,450 grouping includes items like rear-wheel steering, 21-inch alloy wheels, and black badges and Audi rings.

There is also the Full Leather Interior package which, as the name suggests, gives you Nappa perforated leather seats, ventilated front seats with massaging capability, 18-way power front sport seats, and 3-spoke flat-bottom steering wheel. At $5,350, this is the least expensive option package on the RS e-tron GT.

You can also substitute the carbon fiber roof for the fixed glass roof for no additional charge.

The 2022 Audi e-tron GT has one electric powertrain, but it comes in two states of tune. The Prestige and Premium Plus trims are fitted with two permanent-magnet synchronous electric motors, with one at each axle.

All-wheel drive is standard, as is an innovative 2-speed automatic transmission – most EVs use a single-speed gearbox. Coupled to a liquid-cooled 93.4-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the e-tron GT produces a maximum of 522 horsepower and 472 lb-ft of torque. According to Audi, the e-tron GT accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 152 mph.

Not bad, except the RS e-tron GT is even faster! The RS trim delivers a grand total of 637 horsepower and 612 lb-ft of torque using the same powertrain. Audi states this helps trim nearly a second off the zero to 60 mph time.

At the time of writing, the EPA has not tested the economy and range of the 2022 Audi e-tron GT. That means the estimated driving range of 238 miles is still, well, estimated.

Audi has stated that the e-tron GT’s standard 270-kW DC fast charger needs only a little more than 20 minutes to recharge the battery pack from 5 percent upward to a and range-anxiety-relieving 80 percent of charge.

Dual electric motors (e-tron GT Premium Plus and Prestige)
Quattro AWD
522 horsepower
472 lb-ft of torque
EPA city/highway fuel economy: N/A MPGe
Range on a full charge (estimated): 238 miles

Dual electric motors (RS e-tron GT)
Quattro AWD
637 horsepower
612 lb-ft of torque
EPA city/highway fuel economy: N/A MPGe
Range on a full charge (estimated): 238 miles