RegGuheert
Well-known member
I drove the Audi A3 e-tron at the Herndon, VA, National Plug-In Day event. This was not a production car, as it had preproduction electronics in it.
Thanks to Stephanie and Jim at Audi for bringing their cars out and allowing us to test-drive them! It was great to see a new entrant coming to the EV market!
Here are some highlights:
- Vehicle Type - BEV
- Battery Capacity - 26.5 kWh
- Quoted range - 85 miles
- Release date - Early 2015
- Release area - Nationwide
- Cost - ~$30,000
I drove the car for a few minutes in Herndon in the middle of a Saturday, so I didn't really have a chance to do much with it. It was comfortable both for me and for my three boys who sat in the back. All of us felt that the LEAF felt roomier, however. For instance, I have about 5" above my head in the LEAF, but only had about 2" above my head in the A3 e-tron. I also did not have nearly as much lateral room in the Audi.
The Audi A3 e-tron has NO CREEP, which will make some here happy. At first I was a bit confused when I took my foot of the brake and the car did not move! The car has a range of regen available from none to some level in three steps (four total). Nice feature! To me, this did not feel like a car with more power than the LEAF. Perhaps they meter out the power gradually when you press the pedal, but it felt like a traditional ICE vehicle trying to get up a head of steam. I prefer the zippiness of the LEAF. Unfortunately, I have no idea how the car handles since I was in traffic the whole time. Overall, it felt like a nice, solid EV.
Thanks to Stephanie and Jim at Audi for bringing their cars out and allowing us to test-drive them! It was great to see a new entrant coming to the EV market!
Here are some highlights:
- Vehicle Type - BEV
- Battery Capacity - 26.5 kWh
- Quoted range - 85 miles
- Release date - Early 2015
- Release area - Nationwide
- Cost - ~$30,000
I drove the car for a few minutes in Herndon in the middle of a Saturday, so I didn't really have a chance to do much with it. It was comfortable both for me and for my three boys who sat in the back. All of us felt that the LEAF felt roomier, however. For instance, I have about 5" above my head in the LEAF, but only had about 2" above my head in the A3 e-tron. I also did not have nearly as much lateral room in the Audi.
The Audi A3 e-tron has NO CREEP, which will make some here happy. At first I was a bit confused when I took my foot of the brake and the car did not move! The car has a range of regen available from none to some level in three steps (four total). Nice feature! To me, this did not feel like a car with more power than the LEAF. Perhaps they meter out the power gradually when you press the pedal, but it felt like a traditional ICE vehicle trying to get up a head of steam. I prefer the zippiness of the LEAF. Unfortunately, I have no idea how the car handles since I was in traffic the whole time. Overall, it felt like a nice, solid EV.