Used 2023 Audi e-tron GT

Built in a carbon-neutral facility, the 2023 e-tron GT shares a platform and many components with the Porsche Taycan. These high-end electric cars aren’t renowned for having the best ranges — the distance traveled on a single full battery charge — but they have other charms.

In the case of the e-tron GT, there are the interior and exterior designs that will surely find many admirers. No doubt owners of an e-tron GT are not the kind to hang around unnecessarily, so they will appreciate the car’s ability to take on 180 miles of range in about 20 minutes.

While we’re on the subject of not hanging around, the versions of the e-tron GT with “just” 522 horsepower takes less than 4 seconds to reach 60 mph from a standstill. The 637-horsepower RS variant is almost a second faster. Audi also fine-tuned the e-tron GT’s suspension on Germany’s famously demanding Nürburgring track.

With the e-tron GT, we’re looking at the current (pardon the pun) pinnacle of electric cars, or pretty darn close. If the maximum range were better, this argument would be even stronger. The regular e-tron GT can cover 238 miles, while the more powerful RS model is estimated to achieve 232 miles.

Audi has an all-electric SUV called, simply, the e-tron, which has its own review. This is the e-tron GT (meaning Grand Tourer), and it’s a completely different kind of electric vehicle.

There’s a particular sound the 2023 e-tron GT makes when it’s accelerating (which can be turned off) to alert any pedestrians and cyclists that might be around — or just tingle the spine of the e-tron GT driver. It’s a science-fiction-y whoosh that could be in a movie featuring a time machine or a warp drive.

In the meantime, the e-tron GT has rocketed from standstill to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, or 3.1 seconds if it’s the high-performance RS version. Admittedly, the Tesla Model S Plaid is arguably quicker (given the right conditions), has a better range (348 miles), and is less expensive than an RS e-tron GT.

However, even 3.9 seconds is objectively fast, and there are plenty of other attributes to Audi’s all-electric luxury sedan lineup. For example, a sport-tuned adaptive air suspension is standard, providing a spectrum of comfort to control with the touch of a button.

E-torque vectoring plus is optional in the Premium Plus and Prestige models and standard in the RS. It includes a locking rear differential and slows the inside rear wheel so the car can track around corners with optimum precision. Rear-wheel steering is also available across the lineup, bringing greater agility and maneuverability.

The battery pack is kept at an ideal temperature. So an e-tron GT owner could go to a track day, put in a series of hot laps (well worth doing, by the way), head for a public fast charger, have a light lunch and plenty of water while recharging the car, then go back to the track again.

Every e-tron GT has all-wheel drive (AWD) as standard, courtesy of an electric motor at each axle. The Premium Plus and Prestige have a drivetrain developing 469 horsepower and 464 lb-ft of torque. A 2.5-second boost mode brings this up to 522 horses and 472 lb-ft. This is a lot of muscle, and it’s easy to imagine an e-tron GT barreling down a German autobahn with the same authority as a high-powered combustion-engined car.

The RS is an electric supercar for four. It generates 590 horsepower, or 637 in boost mode, and a maximum of 612 lb-ft of torque. It already has brake discs coated with hard-wearing tungsten carbide as standard, but this year brings the option of fade-resistant ceramic discs in a package with 21-inch alloy wheels wearing summer tires.

If the exterior of the 2023 e-tron GT leads potential buyers into an Audi showroom, chances are the interior is going to seal the deal. This is where those fantasies of driving a car from an exciting, high-tech future become real life.

Right in front of the driver is a digital instrument cluster. Just like the infotainment touchscreen in the center console, “high-resolution” only begins to describe the crispness of the graphics. Naturally, all the materials are of super-high quality, and the overall design mixes intelligence with flair.

The standard steering wheel is flat-bottomed and wrapped in Alcantara, a suede-like material used in many racing machines. Audi offers Nappa leather, but the standard appointments are leather-free. LED ambient lighting and heated rear seats are standard at the Prestige level and optional in the Premium Plus. Other extras include massaging front seats and matte carbon inlays replacing wood accents.

On paper, the 2023 e-tron GT has seating for five. In the real world, the person sitting in the rear center seat had better be short, thin, and stoic. Best to call this a 4-seater. Even then, the sleek design of the roof has an impact on rear headroom, as well as rear legroom being just a scant 32.2 inches.

There’s a small trunk as well: 9.2 cubic feet. That’s enough for a couple of sets of golf clubs. Storage space under the hood can also take a gym bag or two.

Among the small changes for the 2023 e-tron GT electric sedan is the body-colored grille taking the place of last year’s gray counterpart. A second charge port is added, so there’s now one in each front fender. The Prestige trim offers a new wheel package of black-finished 21-inch/10-spoke alloy wheels replacing Platinum Gray versions. The standard wheel size is 20 inches.

This is a 4-door car, but it’s long and low. It looks as if the styling information of the R8 supercar somehow made it into the computer of the e-tron GT’s designer. Opinions will differ, but the e-tron GT arguably makes the Tesla Model S look like the 10-year-old car it is.

The RS e-tron GT also has a carbon fiber roof to reduce weight and lower the center of gravity. A fixed panoramic glass roof is optional with the RS, while standard on the regular e-tron GT models.

1. Leatherette/Dinamica upholstery
The days of horrible fake leather are long behind us, especially in luxury marques like Audi. Dinamica is the company’s special name for its own kind of simulated suede. This combination is standard in all e-tron GT versions.

2. Bang & Olufsen audio
Newly standard in the most affordable Premium Plus trim, Danish company Bang & Olufsen makes some of the clearest and most detailed high-end audio systems.

3. Dual charging ports
For 2023, there’s a port on both sides, making life just a little more convenient.

4. Remote Park Assist Plus
With this feature, available only as an option with the Prestige trim, the e-tron GT can drive itself into and out of parallel or perpendicular parking spaces. The driver can use a smartphone app for remote control from the outside or stay inside and press a button.

5. HD Matrix LED headlights with Laserlight
Although matrix-design LED headlights are standard across the 2023 e-tron GT lineup, these optional lights provide even greater illumination with a white/blue light, yet will adapt automatically to prevent other drivers from being dazzled.

6. Sport Pro front seats
Optional in every 2023 e-tron GT, these front seats have pneumatic adjustment for extra leg support and side bolsters. They also have heating/ventilation and massaging functions.

Each axle of the 2023 e-tron GT is driven by an electric motor, creating a special form of AWD as standard. They’re powered by a lithium-ion battery pack.

There’s also a 2-speed automatic transmission, which is unusual because most electric vehicles have a single-speed setup. The lowest gear enables faster launches from standstill.

The non-RS versions make a maximum of 522 horsepower, while the RS develops up to 637 horsepower.

There’s a choice of home charging setups with a 240-volt supply. The quickest-acting version can bring the battery up to full in four hours. A DC fast charger takes the battery from 5% capacity to 80% in just 22 minutes.

Dual permanent-magnet synchronous electric motors (Premium Plus, Prestige)
469 total horsepower (522 in boost mode)
464 lb-ft total torque (472 in boost mode)
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 81/83 MPGe
EPA-estimated range on a single full charge: 238 miles

Dual permanent-magnet synchronous electric motors (RS)
590 total horsepower (637 in boost mode)
612 lb-ft total torque
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 79/82 MPGe
EPA-estimated range on a single full charge: 232 miles