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The Audi e-Tron Sportback is a mindblowingly good electric car that we'd have no issues driving on a daily basis.
The 2022 Audi e-Tron Sportback is now available for sale at a base selling price of $69,100 and comes with the same three trim configurations that were also present in the outgoing 2021 iteration. Being the only premium Sportback offering in the fully electric vehicle segment, the 2022 Audi e-Tron Sportback carries the same ethos of the earlier model years while bringing in some of the much-needed upgrades to make it even more competitive.
The major upgrades are to the optional packages, which include quite a lot of design and feature updates to the exterior and interior. A few more safety and driver-assistance packages are part of the Convenience package too. A long list of optional wheels, brake caliper colors, and many interior trim upgrades can be had too. However, there are no changes to the powertrain and other mechanicals. Competing with the Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla Model X, here are 10 things you need to know before buying the 2022 Audi e-Tron Sportback.
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The Sportback version of the Audi e-Tron looks stunning due to the sleek design language coupled with the impressive propositions all-around. We loved the front fascia with the elegant LED headlights with LED DRLs, a massive air dam, and a sleek bumper with air vents on both sides. When opted with the black optic package, it looks even more ravishing.
The front grille looks cool when fully blacked out, and the black optic package is now available with all three trims as well. The 20" wheels come as standard, however, the top-of-the-line Prestige trim comes with 22" turbine wheels, making it even more sporty and youthful. The painted brake calipers, sharp character lines, and the Sportback roofline add to the attractiveness. The single slab taillight and the lip spoiler round off the design pretty well.
The cabin of the 2022 Audi e-Tron Sportback looks like any other modern vehicle from the Audi stable. The two-step dashboard design and the beautiful black, brown, or beige color combinations make it stunning to look at. We also admire the contrastive stitching along with the silver and chrome accents that are neatly integrated into the cabin.
The chunky leather-wrapped steering wheel, high-quality headliner with a neatly integrated panoramic sunroof, and the Valcona leather upholstery add to the ambiance of the cabin, and there is ambient lighting too. The door cards get a heavy dose of leather and aluminum accents, making them look and feel quite similar to the more premium models from the lineup.
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Since the air suspension system comes as standard on the 2022 Audi e-Tron Sportback, all you need to do for a magic-carpet-like ride quality is put the car into the dynamic mode. The ride height gets reduced slightly, and the suspension gets tuned to the softer side. All of these help in having the best in class ride quality, irrespective of the road condition and speed.
While driving slowly, the ride is almost flat and the larger potholes do not jostle the passengers. In comparison, both the I-Pace and Model X has a much stiffer ride quality at slow speed. Even while driving on the American highway, the ride quality is perfect, with no major vertical movement and body roll, and it doesn't get unsettled when met with sudden potholes either.
This luxury fully electric Sportback comes fitted with a 95 kWh lithium-ion battery, and it takes around 10 hours when charged with the power outlet at home to achieve a full charge. There is DC fast charging support as well, and that does 0%-80% charging in just 30 minutes. With a full charge, the e-Tron Sportback can do 218 miles.
Even though the range is adequate for the segment, the Jaguar I-Pace outshined the e-Tron Sportback with a range of 234 miles. However, it is the Tesla Model X that offers the best in class range of 360 miles. It has the highest MPGe ratings of the segment too, which could be attributed mainly to its 100 kWh battery pack.
The 2022 e-Tron Sportback is powered by dual electric motors producing 355 hp and 414 lb-ft of torque. It gets AWD as standard, and there is overboost onboard as well, and that is capable of producing better horsepower and torque numbers. The single-speed automatic does the transmission duties and this Sportback does the 0-60 mph in 5.5 seconds only with the overboost functionality.
The acceleration on offer from this powertrain is impressive, and you would be pushed back in the seat whenever you push on the gas pedal. The low-end torque is surreal, as you would expect from an electric vehicle, and the excellent mid-range makes it a capable cruiser on the highway. Fast overtaking feels very easy too. However, both the Jaguar I-Pace and the Tesla Model X offered more performance and better acceleration times.
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The brakes on the 2022 Audi e-Tron Sportback are more than enough to stop the vehicle from high speeds with ease. Push hard on the brake pedal, and you would be surprised with the sharp initial bite and top-notch progression. This Sportback also did 70-0 mph braking in just 182 feet.
The braking features like ABS with EBD, brake assist, ventilated rotors, and hill descent control are standard too. Being an electric vehicle, there is a regenerative braking system as well. However, one-pedal driving isn't possible like on all the rivals in the segment since the regen isn't strong enough to reduce the speed effectively.
Audi does provide you with quite a lot of driver-assistance features as standard, including forward-collision warning, automated emergency braking, blindspot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, and Audi pre-sense rear. All of these coupled with superb build quality helped it to get a 5-star rating in the NHTSA crash test.
It got the 2022 top safety pick + title in the IIHS crash test as well, with a good rating in most of the subsections of the test. If you get Premium Plus or Prestige trims, the lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control with stop and go come as standard too. All the other regular safety features are standard across the trim configurations as well.
The 12.3" virtual cockpit display comes as standard with the 2022 Audi e-Tron Sportback and looks stunning. It offers all the information that you could think of, and the full-screen maps are very intuitive. There is a head-up display offered as standard with the Prestige trim. The audio duties are handled by the 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system, and the sound quality is as good as it can get from a luxury vehicle.
The dual display setup that is stacked onto the center of the dashboard takes care of all the infotainment and climate control settings, and it is a fairly decent system. The upper screen is 10.1" and the lower screen is 8.8". Both of them are touchscreen displays and are bright and crisp. All the features like Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, SiriusXM radio, voice recognition, navigation, and Bluetooth come as standard. However, it isn't the most refined unit out there and would need a bit of time to get used to.
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The build quality inside out is superior to the Tesla Model X and the Jaguar I-Pace and feels very similar to cars that cost more than $100,000. When inside the cabin of the 2022 Audi e-Tron Sportback, you would be impressed with tight panel gaps, soft-touch material everywhere, and no rattles or squeaks.
All the switchgear feels like it came off a car from a segment above. The exterior build is outstanding too, since the car is mostly constructed in high-tensile steel and aluminum. The doors close with a solid thud, and it has got that European feel to it which we like.
The Valcona leather upholstery comes as standard with the 2022 Audi e-Tron Sportback and the seats are supremely comfortable for both city and highway driving. They are very supportive and offer a great level of adjustability, along with heating, ventilation, and powered support. The front row is excellent in terms of space and the passengers will not feel claustrophobic.
The wide armrest, large storage bins, cup holders, and bottle holders are onboard as well. Even though the headroom was slightly disappointing for the rear seat, it is not going to be a deal-breaker. The legroom and shoulder room are better than the rivals, and they can comfortably accommodate three passengers. The cargo capacity of 28.5 cu ft is also decent.
Mohith is our in-house motorcycle mechanic and automotive geek. He loves riding and driving at the limits, and you would frequently notice him on racetracks at the weekends. Mohith is someone who would redline anything that comes with a motor - even our office lawnmower. He often does cross-country road trips in his trusted 300ZX and you could find him riding his CB750 quite often through the streets of Pasadena as well as on the Moore Motorsports racetrack.