First Drive

Few countries spread their inhabitants more thinly than Australia, but Namibia is one of the ones to sit even lower on the list of population density. Flying over the desert in a tiny propeller plane being buffeted by rising thermals, the sheer quantity of arid nothingness in this corner of south west Africa is startling. 

But there are different types of emptiness, with a very specific one responsible for bringing us on the very long journey here. Bisserwater is a sizeable natural ‘pan’, the bed of what is occasionally a lake, but more often just a perfectly flat bed of sand, more than two kilometres across. Firstly it serves as a landing strip for our plane, wheels kicking up billowing clouds of dust as they find the earth. Secondly? That will be something to do with the neat line of Audi e-tron prototypes sitting gleaming in the brilliant sunshine. 

This isn’t an attempt to deliver a definitive verdict on how Audi’s long awaited debut EV will deal with the real world, rather a chance to experience the cleverness of its new powertrain some way ahead of its official launch. The cars in Namibia are wearing freshly applied disguise wraps, but beneath it they are hard-beaten development ‘mules’ which have travelled around the world as part of the huge engineering effort to create an entirely new model.

Not that the e-tron feels otherworldly up close. Even beneath the camouflage it’s clear that it shares much design with Audi’s existing SUVs, and the cabin will feel immediately recognisable to anyone coming from one of the company’s similarly sized products. Design is clean and rational, materials are upmarket and the emphasis on technology is made clear by the same twin-touchscreen interface that recently debuted on the Audi A8 and will soon be available on A7 Sportback and A6 Sedan. The familiarity is deliberate, making it clear to prospective owners that the e-tron is an Audi as well as a radical new EV. 

But radical it is. Under the e-tron’s floor sits a sizeable battery pack that weighs 750kg and contains 95kW/h of charge; an interesting side effect of the hugely strong mounting cradle is that it substantially improves the torsional rigidity of the e-tron’s bodyshell, making it one of the most twist-resistant cars Audi has ever produced. Power passes through control gear to two electric motors, one for each axle. The front one makes up to 125kW continuously and 135kW for eight seconds with the car in its ‘Boost’ mode; the rear motor is slightly brawnier with 145kW continuously and 165kW in boost; so a maximum system total of 300kW. 

But it’s the ability to juggle the relative amount of effort travelling to each wheel that is the really clever part, with a quick-acting brake-by-wire system allowing a wheel to be slowed and torque to be directed to the other side of an axle. The system can react far more quickly to changes in grip than a conventional all-wheel drive system, with the lack of any mechanical connection between the front and rear of the e-tron also meaning it can do things that conventional cars just can’t. 

We’re introduced to the electric quattro system’s considerable capabilities by one of the engineers who developed it, Michael Wein, who tells us the original plan was to let journalists experience the e-tron for the first time on a frozen surface; when timings didn’t align – barring a trip to Antarctica – the decision was made to switch to the almost-as-slippery dirt of the Bitterwasser pan. 

Things start sensibly, with the e-tron’s Drive Select controller in its default ‘Auto’ position and the stability control fully engaged. Acceleration feels strong on the low-grip surface, the e-tron’s motors giving off a slight whine as it gathers pace in a forceful fashion, but the first corner leaves no room to doubt the limited adhesion, light steering communicating the lack of bite and the stability control and torque-biasing working hard to persuade the e-tron to turn.

The next lap the stability control is switched to its more permissive ‘Sport' setting and the e-tron immediately discovers a more playful side, the rear end sliding under power to help the car into the corners. The lap after the Drive Select is put into its Dynamic mode, which increases the rear bias to the power delivery, and on the one after the stability control is fully switched off; a first for any production electric car according to Wein due to the difficulty in managing the huge torque outputs of electric motors when they lose grip. Wein says the e-tron can react to a surface change in as little as 30 milliseconds. The various computer brains are working overtime, but the car itself seems to thoroughly enjoy being let off the leash, and being turned into a drift machine on the sandy surface.

Braking performance is impressive, too. Most slowing down is done by using the electric motors for regeneration – they can deliver up to 0.3G of retardation at higher speeds. But despite that there are still substantial looking brake discs behind the alloy wheels, the fronts gripped by beefy six-pot callipers. They are proof of Audi’s belief that its first EV has to handle emergency stops as well as anything else in the range. They won’t be used often, but they add reassurance. 

Our first experience of the e-tron is a tantalising one, a light snack rather than a five-course blowout. The development team admit that there are many tweaks still to be made before the car goes on sale next year. But the most important point is already clear – this isn’t just another eco-special, rather a car capable of delivering genuine excitement and one built to the same engineering standards as every other Audi. A very promising start indeed.