2025 Audi e-tron GT quattro | UK Review
Why the least powerful GT is the most likeable e-tron yet
It has often felt like the Audi e-tron GT has never received the credit or recognition it really deserves, what with its Porsche Taycan sibling hogging all the headlines. The GT was notable as Audi’s first proper e-tron flagship; the Taycan was Porsche’s first EV full stop, though, and that sort of guaranteed more attention. Some of the GTs were crazy fast; the Taycans were faster still. All of the Audis drove very adeptly; the Porsche was just that bit better. Even when the Audi depreciated pretty starkly, there was more discussion about the Taycan’s disappointing performance. Never mind that the e-tron GT was easily the better-looking variant and the more affordable of the pair, as well as the one with proper buttons inside; it always seemed like the Porsche was the one being talked about. Like it is now, in fact…
This quattro is the latest addition to the e-tron GT range, a much-needed entry point that doesn’t boast the horsepower of a top fuel dragster or the RRP of a space station. It seems strange to think of a 503hp, £89,505 car as the entry rung to a range, but such is the weird world of electric sports saloons. It’s certainly a very different proposition to anything else we’ve seen thus far from the second generation of e-tron GT, which had kicked off with the 592hp, £108,775 ‘S’ and extended to the 843hp RS Performance at more than £140,000. Nobody needs that, surely.
Essentially, this e-tron GT quattro offers up Taycan 4S stats for entry-level Taycan money. On planet Porsche, £88,200 buys a 435hp Taycan, while to get one with almost 600hp on overboost (598, against 585 in the Audi) requires at least £96,200 to be spent on a 4S. Given that’s the Taycan so frequently recommended as the one to have, the new quattro feels like it occupies a useful position in the range. Air suspension is standard, and up to 3.5mi/kWh is claimed.
There’d be no way of telling this was an e-tron GT with hundreds of horsepower less than some others, unless you boasted a forensic working knowledge of the Audi wheel catalogue. There’s a slightly different design of 20-incher seen here than on the S, and even the RSes only roll on 21s, so there isn’t the night and day difference in appearance that there’d be between, say, an A6 and an RS6.
Undoubtedly, the quattro retains all of the features that have made the e-tron GT stand out over the years, not relegated to something inferior to make its lower power status evident. It’s low, wide, and sleek, even more so than the Porsche, with a more distinctive front end and a rear light bar that still doesn’t look naff - when so many others do. There’s a real concept car cool about the e-tron GT, still, which is some going given the amount that are out there.
The same could definitely not be said about the inside. It’s a fascinating mismatch of eras inside the big Audi, with HVAC controls that could be 15 years old, a last-generation infotainment setup, and then a dinky little drive selector like the current crop. Bits of it are good - who knew adjusting the climate control temperature used to be so satisfying - but other elements are certainly showing their age. The central screen isn’t the best, and the volume pad on the central tunnel is weird. Decent materials and a new steering wheel wouldn’t be enough to encourage an existing customer to upgrade, or be lured away from something as swish as a BMW i5.
If there’s an old Audi feel to some of the interior, that extends a little bit to how the e-tron drives - which is only to say that it’s made quite easy. The controls are light, refinement is very good, and the ample performance is very easily accessed. Which almost sounds like damning the GT with faint praise, though there’s something to be said for a performance EV that doesn’t try to wow with the first turn of the wheel or small prod of the throttle.
That being said, there’s undoubtedly a chassis of real quality underneath. It shares, as you might have heard, an architecture with the Taycan, after all, updated at the most recent facelift with dual-valve air suspension. And everything good about the Porsche is good about the Audi, riding with supreme aplomb yet with near-unflappable control as well. Probably the point where this feels like 2.3 tonnes comes a tiny bit sooner than when the Porches feel like 2.3 tonnes, but this remains an extraordinarily capable car. Even by EV standards, the direction changes, composure and balance really are very impressive indeed. The driving position is great, too. Moreover, even if the other large electric car that’s a lot like this probably offers up nicer control weights and feel, there isn’t very much in it. The Audi steers and brakes nicely enough to make swift, satisfying progress in all scenarios.
It’s usefully improved from before as well, changes to the regen meaning a lot of driving can be approached without having to touch the brake pedal at all. The paddles behind the wheel remain a useful method for adjusting the braking effort. Indeed, the Audi typically coasts along with minimal energy and effort, complementing its laid-back, consummate cruiser style. GT by name and GT by nature, truly, aided further by easily cracking 3mi/kWh without really trying and more than that when shunting around more slowly. In mixed driving, this one was going to do 300 miles on a tank. Even faster charging will benefit big trips, too.
It’s all very persuasive and very likeable, basically. With all that power and four-wheel drive, the quattro feels as all-conquering as the rest of the e-tron GT line-up and as the model always has; obviously, it still looks as good also. There’s another layer of panache to the way it drives thanks to the suspension changes; a new battery means more range. The interior remains a little hit and miss, and it’d be nice if 30kg less didn’t still mean 2,355kg - imagine what the efficiency could be - however, the Audi remains a thoroughly decent uber EV. Rather like the Porsche, in fact.
Whether it’s something to spend £90,000 on, as always, is a different matter. This is probably the best an e-tron GT has been, combining performance and parsimony near perfectly, but nobody needs reminding of how persuasive more power can be - especially with thousands off new after very few miles. Depreciation is great as a used customer, less so as a new one. Most certainly, this updated e-tron GT is the one to go for if the big Audi appeals, with new deals most certainly there - there’s a £9,000 deposit contribution on finance, for example. It remains preferable to the BMW or Mercedes alternatives, and despite being one of the oldest, is actually still the most desirable Audi EV. Buyers simply have to decide if they like it more than the Porsche…
SPECIFICATION | 2025 AUDI E-TRON GT QUATTRO
Engine: Permanently excited electric motor, one per axle, 105kWh battery (97kWh usable)
Transmission: Single-speed (front) twin-speed (rear), all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 584 (launch control overboost, otherwise 503)
Torque (lb ft): 545 (launch control maximum)
0-62 mph: 4.2 seconds
Top speed: 152 mph
Weight: 2,355kg (EU unladen)
MPG: 3.2-3.5mi/kWh, 320kW peak HPC charging
Range: 359-386 miles
Price: £87,685 (price as standard; price as tested £92,700 comprising Technology Pack (Ambient Lighting Package Plus, Bang & Olufsen 3D Premium Sound System, Head-Up Display, Parking Assistance Package (including remote parking pilot, 360-degree cameras) for £3,195 and Floret Silver metallic for £950)
... and all the better for it. The interior looks properly integrated, always an Audi strong point.
Wish they’d made this a 5 door. Doesn’t make sense having only 4 doors with that body shape.
A salary sacrifice or lease special.
Has anyone actually bought one outright new I wonder?
... and all the better for it. The interior looks properly integrated, always an Audi strong point.
Wish they d made this a 5 door. Doesn t make sense having only 4 doors with that body shape.
... and all the better for it. The interior looks properly integrated, always an Audi strong point.
Wish they d made this a 5 door. Doesn t make sense having only 4 doors with that body shape.
... and all the better for it. The interior looks properly integrated, always an Audi strong point.
Wish they d made this a 5 door. Doesn t make sense having only 4 doors with that body shape.
... and all the better for it. The interior looks properly integrated, always an Audi strong point.
Wish they d made this a 5 door. Doesn t make sense having only 4 doors with that body shape.
I think the trend for calling most new cars ugly is getting old now !
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