Blasting to 60 mph from a standstill in under 4 seconds and offering light, swift handling, and steering, the 2023 Audi e-tron GT offers a fun driving experience with plenty of pep and zing. While its cargo space is limited and second-row seating isn’t the most spacious, the e-tron GT delivers on power and performance. Underneath its skin, it’s based on the Porsche Taycan platform, helping explain its muscle and flat-out speed.
The e-tron GT is one of Audi’s more recent electric vehicles, though the e-tron lineup itself first started appearing as concept cars in 2009. Audi delayed production for years because of dissatisfaction with the battery range. The e-tron GT still isn’t among the longest-ranged EVs available, with under 250 miles for even its most efficient trim.
However, within those 250 miles, it’s equal in speed to nearly anything else out there. That speed is married to quick, responsive steering and handling for top-end driving thrills, combined with the quiet and cleanliness of an all-electric drivetrain.
6 Facts about the 2023 Audi E-Tron GT
- The Audi e-tron GT can hit 60 mph from a standstill in 3.9 seconds or 2.9 seconds in its premium RS trim.
- Maximum horsepower and torque are achieved using Boost Mode.
- The range is 236 miles for the base trim and 232 miles for the RS trim.
- The EV charges up to 80% in 22.5 minutes on a Level 3 DC fast charger.
- The driver assist includes several semi-autonomous features, including adaptive cruise control and self-parking.
- The base price ranges from $104,900 for the standard trim to $143,900 for the RS trim.
Audi E-Tron GT Specs
2023 Audi e-tron GT2023 Audi e-tron GT RS | ||
---|---|---|
Price | $104,900 | $143,900 |
Max Range | 236 miles | 232 miles |
Battery | 93 kWh | 93 kWh |
80% Fast Charge Time | 22.5 minutes | 22.5 minutes |
Display | 12.3″ digital instrument cluster | 12.3″ digital instrument cluster |
Wheels | 20″ | 20″ |
Cargo Space | 11 cubic feet | 11 cubic feet |
Passengers | 5 | 5 |
0-60 MPH Time | 3.9 seconds | 2.9 seconds |
Top Speed | 153 mph | 155 mph |
Warranty | 4 years or 50,000 miles, 12-year limited corrosion warranty, 4 years roadside assistance | 4 years or 50,000 miles, 12-year limited corrosion warranty, 4 years roadside assistance |
Audi E-Tron: Where to Buy
Like most modern automakers, Audi sells its vehicles, including the e-tron GT, through a dealership network. There are approximately 325 Audi dealerships in the USA, mostly found in or near densely populated major urban centers. Also like other car sellers, the Audi website enables searching local inventory or configuring a car to be shipped to a nearby dealership.
Audi notes that shortages of parts and components across the world are affecting its EVs, too. Some options and features might not be available at specific times depending on how supply chains are working when ordering. The company advises checking delivered vehicles carefully to make sure they match up to the original order.
Audi offers Audi Financial Services to help with buying or leasing an e-tron GT EV or other vehicles. It also sells customized insurance or assistance services to guard against all kinds of mishaps. These include theft, damage, wear and tear, or even just loss of the vehicle’s keys.
It also accepts many vehicles as trade-ins toward the price of a new e-tron. An online assessment tool gives approximate trade-in values which are then confirmed during the purchase process.
The 2023 Audi e-tron GT is slated for an autumn 2022 release. The company gave the regular model a $104,900 base price, while the top-speed RS model costs a minimum of $143,900.
The History of the Audi E-Tron GT: What To Know
Audi unveiled the concept car that would become the modern e-tron back in 2009 at a Frankfurt auto show. The concept car was one of many that would pop up at major car events across Europe during the next decade. Audi applied the e-tron name to a confusing variety of models, some of which actually got road tests in limited numbers.
The company temporarily dropped the main Audi e-tron line in 2013. At that point, Autocar reports that it had built 10 identical, bright red R8 e-tron EVs for testing. The 2013 R8 showed promise with a 0-60 time of 4.2 seconds, propelled by the superior, instant torque of electric motors. However, with just 133 miles maximum range under totally perfect conditions, Audi was dissatisfied with the available EV battery tech.
While it dropped the R8, Audi clearly hadn’t abandoned its e-tron dreams. The company remarked in a 2013 press release that it had “acquired extensive expertise that will benefit its electrified production models.”
A year later, in 2014, Audi achieved the battery range it had wanted, boosting the distance between charges to 280 miles. It opened orders for new model R8 e-trons to individual buyers, custom-building each EV for an undisclosed price.
Audi continued development behind the scenes for several years, selling limited numbers of e-trons. The company finally released a production version in 2019 after starting to build EVs in 2018. Costing $74,500, the first commercial e-tron went from 0-60 in 5.5 seconds using Boost Mode.
It offered an EPA-estimated range of 204 miles. The current GT line entered the scene a year later, using the Taycan’s platform and increasing its range to 248 miles.
Audi E-Tron GT Versions: Each Edition
Crisp, sleek, energetic Audi styling is wrapped around a Porsche Taycan platform in the e-tron GT. All of the vehicle’s trims seat 5 people and have minimal cargo space. The EV rides on an adaptive air suspension, and all trims are all-wheel drive (AWD) with dual electric motors.
Range and Recharging
The Audi e-tron GT officially lost 2 miles of range with its latest 2023 model year, going from 238 miles to 236 miles. This range is fairly short by the standards of today’s EVs. Some of Tesla’s high-end models get almost double the range at nearly 400 miles per charge.
However, EPA estimates may have significantly understated the actual range in this case. Testing showed an average range of about 273 miles. The range is slightly lower for the high-performance RS trim.
The e-tron GT recharges from 5% to 80% in 22 minutes, and 30 seconds according to Audi. This recharge speed requires plugging the EV into a Level 3 DC fast charger. Charging is much slower on lower-level chargers.
Users with a 240v Level 2 AC home charger with 9.5 kW output can expect a 100% recharge to take 10 hours, and 30 minutes. Audi doesn’t provide specific figures for Level 1 (120v household current) charging times, but these are necessarily glacial.
Performance
Outfitted with a 93 kWh lithium-ion battery and dual electric motors, the Audi e-tron GT develops plentiful torque and horsepower. The vehicle’s standard power output is 469 horsepower, but the driver can increase this to 522 horsepower by switching to Boost Mode.
This is enough to propel it from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds. Audi’s engineers built the e-tron GT to be capable of a 152 mph top speed. E-tron GTs sold in America have their maximum speed electronically limited.
Audi hasn’t yet released the specs for the top-performance trim, the Audi e-tron GT RS. However, previous model years of RS give a clue about its likely capabilities when stretching its muscles in Boost Mode. This mode only lasts two and a half seconds, as reported by Car and Driver.
However, during this time, the 2022 RS achieves 637 horsepower, a figure the 2023 RS probably matches or slightly surpasses. These power levels shave a second off the zero to sixty time, enabling the RS to blast to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds.
Other Features
The Audi e-tron GT’s designers put considerable effort into making the EV a top-end, luxury, executive-class sedan. The driver interacts with the vehicle through a digital instrument cluster that can be customized to individual preferences.
Using the app, the driver can turn on the climate control system remotely before getting into the vehicle. This enables warming or cooling the interior to desired levels for a more comfortable drive straight from the garage.
The Audi e-tron features an advanced set of driver assistance features, too. These include front and rear sensors providing warnings of potential collisions or dangerous conditions. The driver can opt for a digitally generated “top camera view” showing the GT and its surroundings from a “third person” perspective.
Adaptive cruise control matches Audi’s speed and distance to the vehicles in traffic around it. The vehicle also centers itself in the lane automatically. The EV’s AI is autonomous enough to park itself on command in either a parallel or perpendicular space. The EV can accomplish this task even if nobody is in it, remotely commanded by the Audi app.
Edmunds reviewers note the GT’s layout doesn’t make efficient use of its large footprint. While the EV nominally seats five, the back seating row has little legroom. Cargo capacity is almost nonexistent also, totaling 11 cubic feet. The vehicle appears to be designed mostly to provide sporty driving to one or two occupants rather than serving as a “family car.” As such, it will appeal to some demographics more than others.
The Public Response
As a high-end sports EV, the Audi e-tron GT doesn’t have the mass appeal of a Nissan Leaf or a Volkswagen ID.4 Standard. But many of the professional reviews from drivers of the e-tron GT are positive. Car and Driver notes the 2022 model’s enjoyable sportiness and top-tier interior.
The 2023 model is only a slight incremental improvement and offers the same driving characteristics. Other reviews say the same about the GT’s performance, though calling out poor rear visibility and cramped back seats.
The Audi e-tron GT has four outstanding NHTSA recalls for faulty equipment. Most of these problems affect relatively few EVs, between 10 and 920 in total. These include flawed child seat anchor buckles that can come loose, leaky air suspension struts, and incorrect tire pressure.
The biggest recall, affecting multiple Audi and Volkswagen vehicles, is for a defective backup camera. The camera screen goes blank when the EV is put in reverse, making it useless for its intended purpose. Overall, Consumer Reports says that the e-tron GT looks slightly less reliable than the average electric vehicle based on its recalls.
The 2023 Audi e-tron GT seems to be a quality, well-designed top-end EV sedan with good performance. It has a few drawbacks and its several recalls show some manufacturing glitches. Nevertheless, it’s generally a highly functional, fast, agile car with plenty of luxury features.
Its biggest weak point may be that it doesn’t stand out from the crowd in anything except perhaps its distinctive Audi styling. The Porsche Taycan and the Tesla Model S Plaid both equal or slightly exceed its performance. The Model S achieves 0-60 to 1.98 seconds and has 396 miles of range. So, the Audi e-tron GT is a good premium EV, but is unlikely to dethrone Tesla.
NEXT UP…
- Why Do EVs Explode and Catch Fire? How Serious Is the Threat?
- Ford Mustang Mach-E vs Kia EV6: How Do They Compare?
- Here’s What The EV Tax Credit For 2022 Means
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Gabriel Nica/Shutterstock.com.