New Car Review: Audi RS e-tron GT

Audi are chipping in with another version of their achingly beautiful e-tron GT, a car which came to Ireland in 2021 and is a close relative to the Porsche Taycan. The e-tron GT is anything but slow, but now there is an RS version that takes things up another notch. You get the same basic recipe in the RS, so a 93.4 kW (85kWh being usable) battery, but instead of the already massive 530hp of the standard version, there is up to 645hp (albeit in Boost mode, for a short period) and 830Nm of torque compared to 630Nm in the standard GT. It shaves almost a second off the 0-100km/h time, down to 3.6 seconds (although we are pretty sure it does it in less) and all of this happens without too much impact on the respectable 465km of range.

The four-door, coupé is possible Audi’s prettiest car and that is saying quite a lot. If you want to float under the radar this might not be the car for you, as there were some near missed and strained necks as people literally stopped in their tracks to look at this car. This is an arguably better-looking car than the Porsche Taycan with which it shares a platform and basic shape, but here in RS guise, with stunning 21″ wheels it really is jaw-droppingly beautiful.

Inside you get the usual Audi cabin excellence. Even an Audi A3 has an executive level of comfort and refinement. There isn’t the usual laptop-sized screen in the centre console, instead of a much more subtle screen that is fitting to the cabin’s enclosed feeling. The seats are incredible, some of the best we have come across in some time and as you might expect from a car costing this much, there is the full suite of technical features from radar cruise control, to multiple settings to the air suspension.

We are not sure we have ever come across a car with such deeply refined multiple personalities. It can behave like a luxurious, comfy cruiser thanks to a clever air suspension layout that soaks up bumps with indifference. We  spent most of the week, casually pootling along the motorway or through the city like we were driving a Mercedes-Benz E-Class. But then when you do select dynamic mode, invoke the car’s synthetic but beautiful sound and stamp your right foot, all hell breaks loose, but in the most controlled, Germanic manner. It hurls you towards the horizon, without necessarily allowing your innards the chance to catch up.

With two electric motors, one on each axle, there is a limpet-like grip, aided by tyres that you’d most likely have to speak to your bank manager about replacing. It is blisteringly fast, stops equally urgently and just goes exactly where you put it. There is no great skill required. It just does what you ask of it, like some sort of beautifully obedient robot lunatic. Although this car weighs around 2.4 tonnes, it is as agile as a Mini Cooper, which entirely muddles your brain.

Driving a car with this much power usually comes with the very obvious downside of having to put a lot of petrol into it, but of course, it doesn’t bother with that either and even charges fast too, thanks to 800-volt charging, which will only earn its stripes if you are at one of the faster IONITY charging points, that you’ll find across the country’s motorway network. The “official” range of 465km might be theoretically doable but given the fact that you will mash down the go pedal often, that can change in a flash. But we were still managing around 400km from a full charge, which is very decent.

Do you need the RS model? Well, no, not really as the existing e-tron GT is plenty fast enough. Yes, it is ludicrously expensive. Our test car was over €160,000 thanks to some very generous box-ticking by the Product department in Audi. This includes €3,000 21” wheels which will cause you anxiety every time you park. There are however some of the most detailed cameras on any car, anywhere to prevent mishaps. If you can afford the RS version, then you really should because it is extraordinarily good, however it doesn’t offer a seismic shift in the e-tron GT, simply because the original is so good.

Euro NCAP has evaluated the e-tron GT’s similar cousin, the Porsche Taycan, awarding it the maximum five-star score. It scored 85% for adult occupant protection, 83% for child occupant protection and 73% for safety assistance systems so we can safely assume the Audi will receive a similar rating.

For more information, visit www.audi.ie