Audi e-tron 2022 review: Sportback 55 First Edition long-term

First things first, the e-tron Sportback you see here is a 55 First Edition, which was aptly part of the large SUV’s MY20 launch line-up that’s been superseded since arriving in September 2020. Limited to 70 units, it was priced from $169,950 plus on-road costs.

The e-tron Sportback you see here is a 55 First Edition, which is priced from $169,950 plus on-road costs. (Image: Justin Hilliard)

Rivals for the e-tron Sportback are currently few and far between, but the Tesla Model X (from $189,159) is a formidable foe, while the BMW iX (from $135,900) is due in the first quarter of 2022, and the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV is yet to be revealed.

But you’re probably wondering why we’re testing the 55 First Edition instead of a MY22 e-tron Sportback, and the simple answer is this is the vehicle Audi Australia was able to supply to us in Melbourne.

If you’re keen on a MY22 e-tron Sportback 55 after reading this long-term review, it costs $157,100 (at the time of writing), although you’d have to option it up to come close to matching the specification of the First Edition – if that’s what you’re after.

Speaking of standard equipment, let’s kick this long-term review off by exploring what e-tron Sportback 55 First Edition buyers received for their money.

In fact, let’s get straight to the point: the First Edition – and every other e-tron Sportback 55 – comes with a liquid-cooled 95kWh lithium-ion battery offering a solid 446km of WLTP-certified range. For reference, the entry-level 50 (from $148,100) has a 71kWh unit that lasts 347km.

Needless to say, the smart money is on the 55 flagship, with its $9000 premium arguably worth it to ease any range anxiety. Better yet, its dual-motor powertrain develops a more promising 300kW of power and 664Nm of torque, compared to the 50’s 230kW/540Nm.

The Audi e-tron Sportback 55 First Edition's dual-motor powertrain develops a promising 300kW of power and 664Nm of torque. (Image: Justin Hilliard)

Either way, a version of Audi’s signature quattro all-wheel-drive system is fitted, with the 55 able to use overboost (activated by putting the single-speed automatic transmission in Sport) to sprint from a standstill to 100km/h in 5.7 seconds, with the 50 left 1.1s behind.

But we digress… because you no doubt want to hear more about the 55’s range, particularly in the real world, as well as what it’s like to charge.

Before we get into all that, I have an important confession to make. I’ve been living in locked-down metropolitan Melbourne since we collected the First Edition from the Audi Brighton service centre.

That means I haven’t been able to travel outside of my 5.0km radius in the first month of ‘ownership’ – excluding the time I drove to the other side of town to get my first COVID-19 vaccination.

Point being, I only travelled 184km in my first four weeks with the 55. And no, that’s not a misprint. Here’s hoping for a more productive second month, although my hopes aren’t particularly high…

I don’t have any home charging options so had to turn to public charging options. (Image: Justin Hilliard)

It goes without saying, then, that I haven’t really had a need to charge the First Edition so far, although I made a point of doing so for this instalment of the long-term review.

Again, I don’t have any home charging options due to living in an apartment building with a dedicated parking spot that doesn’t have a power outlet nearby.

I, therefore, have had to turn to public charging options, and thankfully for me, I live just 600m from a 50kW DC fast charger (with the required CCS plug type) that’s free to use.

It’s operated by ChargePoint, which has an app that conveniently shows availability.

In my shared Leaf long-term review, my struggles with this particular 50kW DC fast charger were well-documented, but ChargePoint seems to have addressed its reliability issues since then, as the charging process was relatively pain-free this time around.

The e-tron requires a CCS plug. (Image: Justin Hilliard)

I went for a nice long walk while the 55 was juicing up, with its battery capacity sitting at 28 per cent when the charge started. When I returned, I realised it hadn’t charged past 80 per cent, so I can’t tell you how long it took.

Apparently, ChargePoint has software-locked that 50kW DC fast charger to not give users their final 20 per cent of charge, likely due to the related parking spot being time-limited to just one hour. A slightly disappointing outcome, but good to know for next time.

When it came to the First Edition’s energy consumption for the first month, it averaged 30.8kWh/100km, which is well above the claimed 22.7kWh/100km. For reference, that equates to just 308km of range from a full battery.

My (very) short, sharp trips to the shops and back were no doubt a factor in the poor result, so we’ll reserve full judgement for later on, when I should be able to drive the 55 in a more regular manner.

That said, one of the genuine perks of owning an EV is their longer service intervals, with the e-tron Sportback only requiring servicing every 24 months or 30,000km.

And to sweeten the deal even further, Audi Australia covers the first three visits to an authorised service centre and throws in six years of roadside assistance.

Along with the free six-year ‘unlimited’ membership to Australia’s largest EV charging network, Chargefox, that’s one compelling aftersales package – and so it should be at this price point, frankly.

However, disappointingly the e-tron Sportback still comes with Audi Australia’s regular three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, even if the battery is covered by a separate eight-year/160,000km term.

The First Edition is very comfortable thanks to its air suspension’s low-speed prowess, even with the 21-inch alloy wheels. (Image: Justin Hilliard)

I’ll discuss the 55’s practicality and how it drives (including the performance of its advanced driver-assist systems) in detail in the next two parts of this long-term review, but in this instalment, I’d like to bring attention to just how lovely it is around town.

Being an EV, the First Edition is near silent in its operation, but it’s also very comfortable thanks to its air suspension’s low-speed prowess (even with the 21-inch alloy wheels) and its electric power steering’s light tune.

The 55 also has plenty of get up and go for those short bursts of acceleration in city traffic, with that instantaneous 664Nm wad of torque capable of shoving its occupants into their seats time and time again. I just wish there was a ‘one-pedal’ regenerative braking setting.

The cabin is also a wonderful place to spend time, feeling genuinely premium thanks to the First Edition’s pumping 705W Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system, supple Valcona leather upholstery, aluminium trim and sporty Alcantara door inserts.

The cabin is a wonderful place to spend time, feeling genuinely premium. (Image: Justin Hilliard)

And then there’s the 55’s 10.1- and 8.6-inch touchscreens with haptic feedback, which actually work pretty well, with the centre stack’s lower display wisely dedicated to the climate controls, while the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is predictably brilliant.

Yep, it’s been a pretty good overall experience so far, but one of my few gripes is arguably the First Edition’s big party trick, the ‘digital’ side mirrors. No, your eyes do not deceive you, there are no traditional side mirrors to be seen here.

The 55 has10.1- and 8.6-inch touchscreens with haptic feedback. (Image: Justin Hilliard)

Instead, the two aerodynamically friendly stalks are fitted with high-quality cameras that a send a live feed inside to a pair of 7.0-inch OLED touchscreens positioned in the top corners of the front doors.

The set-up feels very unnatural at first and doesn’t really get much better after that as the driver (and passengers) place a lot of trust in the adjustable view they’re given. And you also lose most of your peripheral vision as you must look down instead of just across. Strange.

The ‘digital’ side mirrors are aerodynamically friendly stalks are fitted with high-quality cameras that a send a live feed inside to a pair of 7.0-inch OLED touchscreens. (Image: Justin Hilliard)

Hopefully, the digital side mirrors become second nature over a longer period of time – I’ll see you next month to find out.

Acquired: August 2021

Distance travelled this month: 184km

Odometer: 6491km

Average energy consumption for August/September: 30.8kWh/100km

It finally happened. With a week to go before the e-tron Sportback was due to be returned, Melbourne’s sixth lockdown finally lifted, bringing the metropolitan area and regional Victoria together again.

That, of course, meant I had a chance to leave the city limits and test the 55 First Edition on not only the highway and twisty roads, but also with a DC ultra-fast charger.

Needless to say, I did a whole lot of driving in my last week with the e-tron Sportback, the highlight being a trip from the Melbourne CBD to coastal town Torquay and back in an afternoon.

The e-tron Sportback is comfortable around town that extends to the highway, too. (Image: Justin Hilliard)

If you’ve done that trip before, you know it involves plenty of time on the highway – long, straight, uninspiring stretches of highway.

Point being, it gave me and my three passengers time to work out what we did and didn’t like about the 55 First Edition’s touring ability.

As mentioned in the first instalment of this long-term review, the e-tron Sportback is comfortable around town, and pleasingly, that extends to the highway, too.

The suspension’s air springs and adaptive dampers are a great combination, managing to soak up most lumps and bumps along the way.

Yes, they even nullify the threat of the 21-inch alloy wheels, which would otherwise lend themselves to a poorer ride quality.

This level of comfort was achieved in the aptly named 'Comfort' drive mode, which does its best to make everything… well, comfortable.

The suspension’s air springs and adaptive dampers are a great combination, nullifying the threat of the 21-inch alloy wheels, which would otherwise lend themselves to a poorer ride quality. (Image: Justin Hilliard)

That also includes the steering, which is nice and light, not to mention appropriately direct. And if you do want a little more heft, the 'Dynamic' drive mode will add some artificial weight – but I wouldn’t bother.

The 55 First Edition also loves a good overtaking opportunity, as even without overboost engaged, it can pass slow-moving vehicles with ease.

The ‘instantaneous torque’ of all-electric vehicles has quickly become cliched, but there’s a good reason why. It’s true. Plus, effortlessly blasting past other drivers is just plain fun.

Pushing harder also serves as a nice reminder of how low the e-tron Sportback’s noise levels are, with tyre and general road noises almost muted, even with the pumping Bang & Olufsen sound system not in use.

And those aerodynamically friendly digital side mirrors well and truly do their thing, as not so much as a whisper can be heard over the wings. Yep, you’re pretty much isolated from the outside world – in a good way.

While we’re on the topic of the digital side mirrors, I found myself doing proper over-the-should head checks when changing highway lanes a lot more often that I would with a vehicle with traditional glass items.

That said, the digital side mirrors still got the job done, but certainly not with the same level of trust and, therefore, speed. And then there’s the lack of peripheral vision… you get the point.

I found myself doing proper over-the-should head checks when changing highway lanes a lot more often that I would with a vehicle with traditional glass items. (Image: Justin Hilliard)

The highway is also a great place to test out the e-tron Sportback’s advanced driver-assist systems, namely lane-keep and steering assist, and adaptive cruise control.

Annoyingly, the former reacts to cars in other lanes, despite being camera- and radar-based. Meanwhile, the latter does a great job of keeping the 55 First Edition centred in its lane, but uneven surfaces can cause it to wander a little too easily.

And when adaptive cruise control is disengaged, the e-tron Sportback frustratingly doesn’t remember which setting the regenerative braking was previously in, instead defaulting to ‘off’. I had to use the paddle-shifters to reselect the most ‘aggressive’ mode.

The e-tron Sportback’s noise levels are low, with tyre and general road noises almost muted, even with the pumping Bang & Olufsen sound system not in use. (Image: Justin Hilliard)

While we’re on the topic of regenerative braking, the three available settings are all well and good, but a fourth that supports proper ‘one pedal’ driving would be grand.

Even at its keenest, the current version of regenerative braking decelerates relatively slowly in suburbia and is only capable of reducing speed to 10km/h and no further. It’s better than nothing, but still.

It would also be nice if the multimedia system had a dedicated shortcut button, be it physical or software, for smartphone mirroring, as I was using wireless Apple CarPlay while driving and had to press multiple times when switching back from changing radio stations.

As far as high-speed handling is concerned, the 55 First Edition doesn’t hide its 2720kg tare mass well. Tip it into a corner with some vigour and you can feel physics working against you.

It would also be nice if the multimedia system had a dedicated shortcut button, as while I was using wireless Apple CarPlay I had to press multiple times when switching back from changing radio stations. (Image: Justin Hilliard)

This characteristic also lends itself to understeer, but the quattro all-wheel-drive system has plenty of grip to offer when powering out of bends. In fact, it’s unflappable.

All in all, though, the e-tron Sportback isn’t that sporty to drive, even with the air springs low and adaptive dampers firm in the Dynamic drive mode. But it doesn’t exactly set out to be in the first place.

Speaking of setting out, the reason I selected Torquay as my destination was because the RACV resort there has two 350kW DC ultra-faster chargers from Chargefox’s public EV charging network in its carpark.

Now, the 55 First Edition only supports up to 150kW of charging power, so this presented the perfect opportunity to see what it can really do, as previously I had only been using the 50kW DC fast charger near home (see previous instalments of this long-term review).

I had the opportunity to use a 350kW DC ultra-faster charger and was pleasantly surprised that in less than 13 minutes, battery capacity was doubled, from 41 to 82 per cent.

To say the least, I was pleasantly surprised. In less than 13 minutes, battery capacity was doubled, from 41 to 82 per cent, giving me more than enough juice to not only get home, but also for the rest of the week’s commuting.

That said, it wasn’t the perfect charging experience, as the location of the e-tron Sportback’s ports reared its ugly head yet again, with the station’s cable unable to reach. As a result, I had to park in the space to the left of the charger, which wasn’t a dedicated EV spot.

Most EVs have their charging ports positioned at their front or rear ends, which makes the task of plugging in as simple as it should be. But the 55 First Edition’s is bizarrely found behind its front wheelarches.

As far as I’m concerned, Audi made a big mistake here, as I’m sure I’m not the only ‘owner’ to have experienced this unfortunate issue. And yes, I had the same issue with my regular DC fast charger.

Most EVs have their charging ports positioned at their front or rear ends, but the 55 First Edition’s is bizarrely found behind its front wheelarches. (Image: Justin Hilliard)

So, what about efficiency? In the first two instalments of this long-term review, I noted how strangely high the 55 First Edition’s energy consumption was in the urban jungle. And my last week with it offered the chance to put some meaningful highway miles on it.

During the aforementioned trip, it averaged just over 22kWh/100km with very little low-speed driving. Remember the energy consumption on the WLTP combined-cycle test is 22.7kWh/100km, so it’s not that much better in the real world.

Nonetheless, the time away helped lower my average for the third and final month with the e-tron Sportback to 24.6kWh/100km over 630km, which is the equivalent to a still solid 386km of real-world range thanks to the large, 95kWh lithium-ion battery.

But after the three months, I averaged a higher 26.4kWh/100km over 1060km of driving, which was evenly split between the city and highway – eventually.

The e-tron Sportback looks and feels premium, is well packaged and delivers a comfortable drive. (Image: Justin Hilliard)

That result is nearly 10 per cent higher than Audi’s claim for the 55 First Edition. Even so, all-electric SUVs that aren’t that much smaller, are at least 20 per cent more efficient in the real world.

In other words, that’s a decent 360km of real-world range, which is more than enough for city dwellers, although those looking to take long trips to the country will need to plan accordingly.

Acquired: August 2021

Distance travelled this month: 630km

Odometer: 7367km

Average energy consumption for October/November: 24.6kWh/100km