SAS-S4

Just saw some spy photographs of cold weather testing of the 2017 A3 E-tron. I'm in the market for the e-tron as well and test drove the '16 model but I think I will hold out for the refresh. Interested if anyone else has heard anything though.

andrew@mortgagepartners-santaf

I have 5000 miles on a 2016 A3 e-tron. If you want a A3 Sportback, this is the car. If you want 83MPG as advertized, forget about it. I have never gotten over 65 MPG in town; 45 on hiway. Audi dealer says that estimate is from EPA, but they use it for sales. I wouldn't pay the premium and take the technical risk on a new product with the middling performance. With the fiasco around the TDI, you'd think that Audi would be more honest. Sorry, it is another VW/Audi rip off.

bruinmac

Do you plug it in daily? Cuz I plug it at home and at work. My commute is 50 miles roundtrip from DTLA to LBC. I only gas up once a month. The 83 "MPGe" is EPA estimate rating. Speaking of which, I almost always get better than the rated 16 all electric miles.

And last but not least, you may want to read this extended test review from Uber Hypermiler Wayne from CleanMPG blog:
2016 Audi A3 e-tron Review | CleanMPG

andrew@mortgagepartners-santaf

I do plug it in daily with a 220V plug in my garage. If I got 17 miles I would be able to drive to and from work,etc. I actually get much less. Could it be altitude? Perhaps, but I mostly drive downhill to work which should actually help with mileage.

As I have said, 60 or 65 MPG is not bad, but that's now how it was sold. My fear is that, as with the TDI, this car will depreciate once the public realizes that Audi has oversold the mileage, hence the premium for the plug-in hybrid will not have been well spent. I have taken it upon myself to try to alert potential buyers that while the mileage is good and the car is nice, don't buy the Audi A3 e-tron expecting anything even close to the EPA estimate.

Squalo

" ... I have taken it upon myself to try to alert potential buyers that while the mileage is good and the car is nice, don't buy the Audi A3 e-tron expecting anything even close to the EPA estimate... "

So you have anointed yourself as the crusader. In another post on this forum someone tried to explain to you the difference between 83MPGe and 83 MPG. Too bad you don't understand.

Nothing to see here, folks. Move along ...

SYMAWD

Again, it's 83 MPGe not MPG. I'm sorry if your salesperson did not explain it to you properly. The EPA calculated how many kilowatt hours are in 1 gallon of gasoline. They then take the kilowatt hours provided by the battery and the vehicle's electric only range. Using that information, between energy in the battery and the electric range, they determine how efficient the car would be IF it was a gasoline only car. The window sticker clearly indicates 35 MPG in gasoline only mode, so the fact that you're getting nearly double what Audi advertises is fantastic.

bruinmac

Here ya go over 85 MPG! And this was taken only with 627 miles back in January.

x43x

Lets talk about the actual 2017 Audi A3 E-Tron. I'm really liking the updated look. I think the front end looks much better. They are also stating it will have the virtual cockpit. If VW gets their act together and buys back my TDi, looks like I might be leasing one. I haven't found anything relating to electric range. It would be great if they were able to add more battery capacity for 2017.

bruinmac

Still the same battery capacity. Still the same range.

rfortson

Yeah, same range, but it's pretty easy to get the 17 mile EPA range. In Houston, I'm running AC (it's not an option here) and go back/forth to work and out to lunch each day, and return home with range left in the battery. On the few cooler days when I can go to work without the AC, it has even more range.

The MPGe figure is so subjective that it's really only good for a relative comparison of different cars, not as an expectation of what to get. Currently, I'm at half a tank and have over 500 miles on this tank. I charge every night. From a pure mileage standpoint, I'm looking at 100mpg from this tank (ignoring electricity). I won't get anything near this mileage from any other Audi, or equivalent German car.

My TDI will be going back to VW in November, hopefully.