Audi e-tron - Reader's review after Pabianice test [Update 2]

Our reader informed us that people who have booked an Audi electric car are invited this week to the Fabryka Wełna hotel in Pabianice for an Audi e-tron test. Impressions? “The absence of one pedal has completely robbed me of my driving pleasure, this is the only reason that prevents me from buying.”

Recall: Audi e-tron is an electric crossover (station wagon) in the D-SUV segment. The car is equipped with a battery with a capacity of 95 kWh (useful: ~ 85 kWh), which allows you to drive three hundred and several tens of kilometers on a single charge. The base price of a car in Poland – the configurator is already available HERE – is PLN 342.

> Audi e-tron price from PLN 342 [OFFICIAL]

The following description is a paraphrase of the email we received. We canceled the application italicsbecause it is inconvenient to read.

I had the opportunity to ride the e-tron on Tuesday [26.02 - ed. www.elektrowoz.pl]. The test car was not fully equipped and to some extent was an engineering prototype, so it may differ slightly from the final version. Interesting: I don't have a reservation, I recently took it off because it wasn't possible to test the cars. I decided to wait until they appeared in showrooms - and yet I was invited to ride.

Announcement of the Audi e-tron on the eve of its premiere. The video is not from the Reader (c) Audi

The most important thing for me is that it is not possible to operate the e-tron in single pedal mode. [those. driving using only the accelerator pedal, where the brake is automatic, strong recuperation - approx. editor www.elektrowoz.pl]. This made me terribly upset. I drove a Tesla Model S last year and it was phenomenal. In my opinion: absolutely necessary.

When I remove the accelerator pedal in the e-tron, it continues to drive and does not brake at all. To use recuperation, I have to (emphasis added) EVERY TIME [italics] press on the left side of the paddle on the steering wheel. There are two levels of recovery power: pressing the blade once starts the recovery, pressing the blade again increases the regenerative braking. The brake must be applied to bring the machine to a complete stop.

Presentation of the Audi e-tron 55 Quattro with natural sound. The video is not from Reader (s) Audi. SIGN: https://tinyurl.com/ybv4pvrx

It's not over yet: when I step on the gas and take off my foot, you have to fiddle with the shoulder blades again, because he can't handle himself. The Audi dealer says there is no other way. I didn't find a single YouTube video review that mentioned that this is possible after all - so 80% don't use one driving pedal.

All in all, it completely took away my driving pleasure. This is the only reason why I cannot buy the e-tron. 

I also confirm the negative experience of using OLED "mirrors": habit does its job, and mirrors [i.e. image from cameras - ed. ed. www.elektrowoz.pl] are too low. They are set at a completely different angle and they are simply not looked at. If sunlight hits the cameras, the image is fuzzy - I had trouble judging if there was any car in view!

Audi e-tron against Tesla Model S and Jaguar I-Pace

Let it not be that I'm just complaining: the cabin is really quiet. Tesla Model S (2017) is a crackdown on him. I didn't hear the others. I also believe that the manufacturer will add single pedal driving by updating the software because it is a software issue. I hope…

Finally, I want to add that I also drove a Jaguar I-Pace. My height is 180 centimeters, and I was uncomfortable with too little legroom under the steering wheel. The e-tron is great in this respect.

Honestly, I would have preferred a Tesla despite the volume, but the Tesla Model X is too expensive and the Y will appear ... no one knows when.

Audi Polska on wellness:

Convalescence in the Audi e-tron can take place after removing the foot from the accelerator pedal in 3 levels:

• level 1 = no braking
• level 2 = slight deceleration (0,03 g)
• level 3 = braking (0,1 g)

Obviously, the greater the braking force, the greater the recuperation.

The Efficiency Assistant monitors the recuperation level predictively, and you can manually change the recuperation level using the paddles on the steering wheel.

There are two options in the Performance Assistant settings: automatic / manual. If manual mode is selected, the recuperation level can only be changed using the steering wheel paddle switches.

In addition, when the driver presses the brake pedal, recuperation is also used (up to 0,3g), only when the braking force is greater, the conventional braking system is used.

The recuperation function in the Audi e-tron is also explained in the animation on Audi MediaTV:

In automatic recuperation mode, PEA Predictive Efficiency Assist comes into play.

So let's take a trip. We start and recuperation is set to zero, when PEA detects that there is a 70 km / h limit ahead of us, it will increase recuperation, but not to a certain level, but only to a level that ensures that the car will drive so much when passing the mark 70 km / h. If, for example, the entrance to the city is next to the signboard, the recovery of forces will be even greater.

Moreover, the PEA will use up to 0.3 g recuperation.

Photo: Audi e-tron test in Pabianice (c) Reader Titus

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