The new Audi S e-tron GT. Audi’s latest electric car has plenty of power, good range and fast charging. But is it worth the price tag of at least €126,000? REV puts it to the test.
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00:00When it comes to electric cars, this has got to be one of the more powerful but also more
00:05expensive ones you can get, the new Audi S e-tron GT. It's basically only a facelift,
00:11but there is way more to that than you can see at first glance. Let's check it out. Welcome to REV.
00:16Since 2021, the Audi e-tron GT has been one of the fastest and fiercest machines on offer from
00:22the Ingolstadt-based carmaker. And with its latest update, things just get better.
00:28Let's talk about power. Audi managed to improve especially the rear engine,
00:36because the e-tron GT always has a front and a rear engine. And the power output for the S e-tron
00:44GT, which basically now is the entry-level version, is 500 kilowatts. And that goes up to
00:52680 kilowatts for the RS e-tron GT performance, which is more than 200 kilowatts in additional
01:01power compared to the predecessor. And that is simply crazy. There are so many cars out there
01:06that don't even remotely have 200 kilowatts of power. And now we're talking about just
01:13a little upgrade for the newest version of the e-tron GT.
01:26I've recently driven the Audi RS6, which takes about the same time to get from zero to 100
01:33kilometers an hour. But this is by no means the same thing. If you press the gas pedal here,
01:39you will instantly be propelled forward in a manner that is simply crazy, while the RS6 still
01:47has a second of thinking, what do you want? And then it slowly starts, and then it also packs
01:55really a good punch. But it is by no means the same thing. What you have to admit,
02:00though, is the sound in the RS6 is way better than this.
02:09So basically, to me, the ideal car would be an acceleration like this with the sound of an RS6.
02:29And what you also have to take into account is this is the entry-level version. So the RS e-tron
02:35GT performance will make the same dash from zero to 100 kilometers an hour in way under three
02:42seconds, which is simply incredible. And I also can't wait to test this out once the car comes
02:48onto the market. The top speed for the Audi S e-tron GT is 245 kilometers an hour, and the RS
03:02versions can go up to 250 kilometers an hour. Of course, the cars would be able to drive even
03:09faster, but that will drain the battery way more than it already does. The battery of the e-tron
03:22GT has also been improved. Not only did Audi manage to give it more usable energy from around
03:3184 to 97 kilowatt hours, but they also at the same time managed to keep the battery about the
03:38same size and make it 10 kilograms lighter. The e-tron GT is basically a brother from another
03:54two Porsches Taycan, which is more on the sportier side. The e-tron GT in itself is more of a Gran
04:05Turismo that is also suitable for long distance driving, while the Taycan is more of a sports car.
04:12Of course, if your name includes Porsche, then people expect you to be sportier. And so it's
04:20no problem to me whatsoever that the e-tron GT cannot match the Taycan in terms of sportiness.
04:29It doesn't need to, because it has other virtues. Audi also managed to improve the battery charging.
04:43You can now charge with up to 320 kilowatts. 270 was the predecessor figure. And also the
04:52charging, I'd say environment, because usually charging the battery with the maximum speed
04:58requires an ideal temperature, which was around 35 degrees. But now you can charge fast at
05:05temperatures between 15 and 35 degrees, which is a huge improvement and will keep the battery in a
05:12fast charging state longer and therefore also charge it faster. That means in an ideal state,
05:18the S e-tron GT can charge from 10 to 80 percent in 18 minutes. And that is really, really quick.
05:33When it comes to recuperation, Audi also managed to improve the car. You can now recuperate with
05:40up to 400 kilowatts, which is more than 100 kilowatts more than the predecessor could.
05:47And that way you will get way more energy back into the battery before the brakes need to kick in.
05:55It's no surprise that the S e-tron GT has an impressive set of numbers backing its performance.
06:00And there are also new 20-inch multi-spoke wheels on offer for both the S and RS models.
06:14While the headlights remain the same, the front bumper has been completely redesigned
06:20to match the characteristics of the S version of the e-tron GT. And that, by the way,
06:27was also a point people criticized about the predecessor because the front bumper was the same,
06:32no matter if you got the entry-level version or the highest RS version.
06:36And with the new one, that has changed to tell them apart instantly.
06:46The interior of the Audi S e-tron GT looks quite appealing to me. A pretty cool feature
06:53is that panoramic glass roof that you can tint by the press of a button.
07:06What's also new in the S e-tron GT is the adaptive suspension
07:11that was not standard in the base e-tron GT version in the previous generation. And you
07:18can really feel the difference when you use the drive select button down here
07:22to switch from comfort to dynamic mode, which makes the car way stiffer and more agile in curves.
07:35Optionally, there is the active suspension. I was able to test that one with the prototype drive
07:43that I took part in at the end of 2023. And I have to say, it was quite cool. It can adjust
07:51each wheel individually. And that way you can have things like the easy entry function that will
07:59pump up the car once you open it and you get in. And once you close the door, the car gets down to
08:04its standard level and you can start driving. Do you need it? Not really. Is it a nice feature? Yes,
08:11of course. You can get that for the new S e-tron GT and, of course, also for the RS version.
08:22The general driving impression in the Audi S e-tron GT is really good. I mean, a car that costs
08:31way above 100,000 euros, it is clear you can't afford to make any mistakes, to make it loud,
08:38to make it bumpy or anything else. And as expected, Audi did just that. The car handles
08:45really well, feels really good and is really comfortable. Of course, all these improvements
08:50will cost you. Prices for the S e-tron GT start at around 126,000 euros, while the RS e-tron GT
08:58costs at least 147,000. Summing up my Audi S e-tron GT experience, I really liked driving the car.
09:07It is crazy while accelerating. It also handles very good in curves and the additional range and
09:16charging speed Audi managed to give the car make it very suitable for long-distance trips.
09:21The only thing I missed while driving this car is the good old V8 sound. All in all, the new Audi S
09:29e-tron GT is as comfortable on long-distance trips as it is on short hops. Power aplenty,
09:35good range and fast charging are major pluses.
09:39The only downside of such a versatile, powerful car is, of course, the price.