Put to the test

When the Audi RS e-tron GT performance was unveiled in 2024, it built on the already impressive reputation of the first RS e-tron GT from 2021 and comfortably adopted the mantle of the brand’s most powerful series production model – ever. Boasting 680kW on boost and a massive 1027Nm of torque, the numbers alone tell the story, and when driven on the unrestricted autobahn, its real-world performance is equally as impressive.

It made its Australian debut in the middle of last year and not long after, longtime car enthusiast and Audi owner, Kim Cole took delivery of his, a Bedford Green model and one of the first of just a handful slated down for Australian delivery.

The RS e-tron GT was the replacement for Cole’s e-tron GT quattro he’d owned for a number of years and was so impressed with the all-electric performance car that he decided to go for the top model. But despite the obvious luxury car qualities of both models, Cole is very much interested in exploring a performance car’s potential, which creates something of a dilemma living in Australia and owning a car with this sort of potential.

So Cole decided to enter his new vehicle in the Geelong Revival Motoring Festival to legally see just what it could do.

There aren’t too many events like the Geelong Revival Motoring Festival, especially here in Australia.

Taking place annually at Geelong’s picturesque Waterfront district, the event combines fashion, speed, and a carnival-like atmosphere with over 100 years of the fastest machines on two wheels and four. 

The Geelong Revival Motoring Festival brings back the excitement and spectacle of the original Geelong Speed Trials, first held in 1956. The event has offered generations of locals the opportunity to see Australian motorsport identities of the day and has played host to famous racing drivers including Sir Jack Brabham, Sir Stirling Moss, Bob Jane, Bib Stillwell, Norm Beechey, Alan Jones, and Mika Hakkinen to name but a few.

At the event, these powerful, highly tuned vehicles – at least one dating back to 1925 – race against the clock down an improvised 400-metre drag strip that arcs between imposing concrete walls before vanishing out of sight around a bend.

It’s not a course for the faint of heart – and strictly speaking, it’s not the kind of place you expect to see an Audi RS e-tron GT performance…

Freshly registered and entirely standard, Kim Cole’s sleek five-door coupe looked – and sounded – vastly different to the remainder of the field, made up of throbbing V8s and whining superchargers.

“There’s very little preparation required,” says Cole of prepping a car like the GT performance.

“I set the tyres to the recommended pressures, selected Performance Mode, and enabled Launch Control. The rest comes down to concentration.”

Where traditional drag racing involves a ‘burn out’ to heat up the tyres – and the use of a traction compound sprayed across the launch pad – the Revival’s start line is far more simple.

Drivers and their vehicles must successfully maintain traction if they’re not to waste their ‘run’, an often-difficult balance that requires an great understanding of one’s vehicle, its tyres and the prevailing conditions – not mention judicious use of the throttle.

“This is a car park most of the time, and there’s a curve to contend with as well. It’s quite a challenge compared with a regular drag strip,” says Cole.

The RS e-tron GT performance leaves the start line with none of the noise of the other entrants.

There’s no struggle for traction and no squeal of rubber as the Audi puts its 1027Nm of torque to the tarmac. The vehicle processes the demands placed upon it instantaneously, shoving Mr Cole deep into the seat with a force 1.08 times that of gravity.

“You don’t have a lot of time to look at the instrument panel when you’re covering 62 metres each second,” Kim explains.

“The damp conditions and short stopping area mean you’re focussed entirely on the task at hand – but I did get a glance at the head-up display as I crossed the finish line.”

The results were impressive. The RS e-tron GT performance was piloted successfully to an event-best time of 10.26 seconds, crossing the finish line with a terminal speed of 225km/h before Cole hit the brakes.

The Geelong Revival Motoring Festival’s drag strip has a notoriously short braking area, with drivers required to stop quickly, while at the same time contending with a metal grate set inconveniently into the tarmac.

“The braking area comes up fast, but the stopping performance of the tungsten-carbide rotors Audi has fitted to the RS e-tron GT performance is very impressive,” he says.

The in-built G-metre recorded a 1.17g figure at the end of car’s fastest run, or about the same as that of a Boeing 737-800 during landing.

With that 680kW on hand, and a quoted 0-100km/h time of just 2.5 seconds, it’s the kind of stopping power the RS e-tron GT performance demands, and that track-day drivers can depend upon.

Interestingly, the energy consumption of the Audi was a talking point in pit lane. Fellow competitors took a special interest in the only electric vehicle on hand, curious to learn more about its vital stats’.

Kim says the RS e-tron GT performance averaged around 76.9kWh across its high-speed run, completing the weekend’s activities – and the trip to and from his accommodation – without the need for a recharge.

“The energy use was about four times what I see on the road,” he said.

“But I completed the entire event, and a bit of to-and-froing without visiting the charging station. It’s actually a surprisingly economical vehicle considering its size – and the performance on hand.”

While an event like the Geelong Revival Motoring Festival may not have been front of mind for Audi designers and engineers when they conceived the RS e-tron GT performance, its performance very much speaks for itself.

The exacting traction, instant torque and mind-bending processing power possessed by the car is truly impressive and show the brand’s cutting-edge technology in the real world.

For Kim Cole, the outing also vindicated his decision to ‘trade up’ from the original e-tron GT as well as satisfying his competitive streak and need to seriously explore the car’s potential.