Ordered..Cancelled..Driven..Re-Ordered
 

Hello from the UK.

First post so be gentle.

Had ordered my e-Tron from our local dealer back in Feb and like most, anxiously awaited news and reviews about the real world range and drivability. Have previously owned many Audi RS products so fairly familiar with the brand and I have a great relationship with my dealer.

Long story short, got caught up in the frenzy of people baying for blood when disappointing range figures were shared and cancelled my order as I seemed to inherit other people's range anxiety nightmares. In the meantime, I had traded my RS4 in preparation for the e-Tron arrival so picked up a little BMW i3 (Rex model) as a daily commuter. Not only has the little Beemer demonstrated to me how effortless my local charging network is, it has showed that, for me, I don't need anywhere near 200 miles for 95% of the time.

Whilst thinking that I may have been too rash, I learnt that the sister dealership to my local one had received their e-Tron demo. After a quick call, they invited me to come across and take it for a spin. I am very glad I did.

• Fit and fitness are superb. A premium feel from the moment you approach the vehicle.
• Performance is stunning and way more impressive than the paper figures would have you believe. Instant shove and whoosh.
• Range for me will be closer to 230 - 250 miles. A mix of UK 'A' and 'B' roads with some town driving. Lots of re-gen opportunities and a fairly moderate climate

Damnit - I had just confirmed that I was an idiot and had bailed out based on what I had read on the internet. D'oh.

A quick call to my dealer, accompanied with a huge slice of humble pie and I am back in the game.

So, for anyone that is start too sway because of rumour and guess work from internet expert....don't pull the rip cord. Wait until you see and touch the vehicle in person. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Cheers, RJ.

As you found out, the e-tron will be a good car regardless of range values. That's generally why I kept my reservation. Never underestimate range anxiety, though. It will happen.

You'll have to let us know how things turn out. I think your estimate of mid 200 mile range is too optimistic. My experience with other EVs leads me to believe you'll get a little above in good weather seasons and much below in bad weather seasons.

Also, with respect to regenerative braking (recuperation). I've heard several people reference this as a reason they'll get good range. It's important to point out that any braking in any form is bad for efficiency. Lots of braking (in-town driving) makes it much worse (along with the acceleration required for that braking). Regen just makes an inefficient situation a little less inefficient. With that said, the Audi regen is the best I've seen.

Congrats on the re-order and thanks for your impressions!

^^

I don't think rdj001 will have too many problems finding a charging point. If we sent him out from Coventry (I'm havin' a laff, guvnor) with a 200 mile range , he'd be in the water, or Scotland.

I am sure once there are a few more models out there, this myopic focus on range will calm down a bit, and being cars, may return to areas such as ride, handling, etc :)

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.aud...4c2f2baeed.png
Source: mapdevelopers.com

Good point! But even in the UK, there will be times when range anxiety occurs:

- Weather changes
- Heavy headwinds
- Elevation change
- Forgot to plug in the night before
- Public charger doesn't work or won't take payment
- Charge speed is slow and you're running out of time to get to destination causing you to leave early
- I plugged in last night but the circuit breaker tripped and it didn't charge
- Road construction causes longer detour
- Bad weather/traffic on route causes slow speed in cold weather, causing the heater to use an unexpectedly high percentage of overall power available.
- Flow of traffic causes you to drive faster than best efficiency.

There's probably a lot more but these are the ones I've experienced.

This post needs to be a sticky.

Honestly the technology @ a 95-100 kwhr battery is good enough for now. And the majority won't be inconvenienced at all. And no the claimed 300 mile range is meaningless as you can't count on it. No chargers at 5-10 miles. What you have is a 60-75-100 kwhr battery and your range is what your range is.

At the next iteration of the technology (2025-2030) 120-150-180 kwhr batteries with MWhr 2000v charging available every 10 miles makes EV a complete replacement for Gas technology. But we are a long ways from that technology and you could be waiting a long time.

At the price we are paying the Etron is excellent VFM and premium SUV as well.

To the OP, you don't need to eat any humble pie for cancelling the order. You'll be paying handsomely for an e-Tron, so don't fell too bad for Audi. I agree that the pricing of the Audi is competitive with other EVs in its class. Nevertheless, its lowest in class range needs to be considered in terms of depreciation. Even though a range of 204 miles per full charge may meet the needs of many drivers, it's still the least efficient EV in its class. No denying it is a beautiful SUV.

Thank for you sharing. Quite valuable feedback on your experience, and directly relevant to us as a i3 owner.

From our experience in California, we charge our i3 at work, and again at home commuting 50 miles in-between. The eTron will allow us to charge only once a day instead of twice; it affords more flexibility when the chargers at work are full.

Looking forward to test driving a car in May when they are available at the dealer -- which seems to be the same time our Edition One arrives.

This guy has a good delivery. Nice review for those in need of a boost. Posted on this thread since he comes at things from a direction I appreciate; quality, dynamics, design. Wish he could have avoided the Tesla-bait title, but that's how they make money.

Good points for the UK and the EU. For us Midwesterners, hence range anxiety. I can get to a neighboring state (not actually through one), under perfect conditions, and continue, if I can find an open charging station, that will charge my car. Less in Winter, less in Summer with AC. With a minimum of four half-hour stops added to the trip to get to either coast. The inner circle is a trip and return, without charging. Under perfect conditions. To the West of us is a lot of nothing, often for more than 200 miles.

The lower map is the current range in my gasoline-powered Q7, with a 5-minute fill up to proceed, with any of thousands of available stations just off my route. But we knew that already. So the e-Tron is an in-town car for us, and that might be OK, but range is definitely, absolutely, without question a factor in driving it.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.aud...af20f26ca5.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.aud...b29e6c0bf9.jpg

[QUOTE=Doc H;25304936]Good points for the UK and the EU. For us Midwesterners, hence range anxiety. I can get to a neighboring state (not actually through one), under perfect conditions, and continue, if I can find an open charging station, that will charge my car. Less in Winter, less in Summer with AC. With a minimum of four half-hour stops added to the trip to get to either coast. The inner circle is a trip and return, without charging. Under perfect conditions. To the West of us is a lot of nothing, often for more than 200 miles.

The lower map is the current range in my gasoline-powered Q7, with a 5-minute fill up to proceed, with any of thousands of available stations just off my route. But we knew that already. So the e-Tron is an in-town car for us, and that might be OK, but range is definitely, absolutely, without question a factor in driving it.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.aud...af20f26ca5.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.aud...b29e6c0bf9.jpg[/
QUOTE]
Speaking as someone who drove from DC to Seattle, I can attest to the "lot of nothing" bit! Definitely not a trip I would attempt with an electric vehicle!