Official Audi A3 e-tron thread

[RegGuheert]

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.

 

[RonDawg]

I've got a feeling the car you drove is not a pre-production version of what we will be getting next year. Audi's press releases for the car state the car we will get will be a PHEV with 30 mile or so pure EV range, and not a BEV.

The actual A3 e-Tron we will be getting will be based on the next generation A3 platform, and not the current one which has been around for a decade now (in Europe anyway).

 

[RegGuheert]

I've got a feeling the car you drove is not a pre-production version of what we will be getting next year. Audi's press releases for the car state the car we will get will be a PHEV with 30 mile or so pure EV range, and not a BEV.

You may well be correct. What I wrote is what I was told by the Audi employee yesterday.

 

[GRA]

Just to get things going:

http://www.plugincars.com/first-drive-audi-a3-plug-hybrid-shows-vw-commitment-electric-cars-128974.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've been hoping GM would build a small AWD CUV/wagon using the Voltec platform, but instead they've gone with the ELR. And the Outlander is interesting, but too big for me and not sporty enough. This looks right up my alley (I currently drive a Forester), depending on how much they want for it - if they can bring it in for <= $35k I'd be interested. I note too that Audi has climbed to #4 on CR's brand reliability rankings, behind only Lexus, Toyota and Acura.

Most of my driving is highway, so hauling around lots of battery for range makes no sense, and just boosts the price. I expect EPA range would be in the low to mid 20s rather than the 50km/31 miles on European tests. I'd typically be using hold mode on the freeway, only switching to EV mode once I got off it. I like that they're giving people 4 modes: default EV-only, mixed, hold and a 'charging' mode, although I'm not sure why you'd want the latter; maybe in preparation for a long climb at altitude, where power may be limited otherwise. I experience drives like that fairly frequently.

 

[redLEAF]

More recent pic:

http://insideevs.com/audi-confirms-early-2015-launch-of-a3-sportback-e-tron-plug-in-hybrid-in-us/

plus they are featuring it along with the rest of the new A3 line at the LA Auto Show; anyone happen to snap a few photos?

http://www.digitaltrends.com/car-reviews/first-drive-2015-audi-a3-sportback-e-tron/

 

[redLEAF]

Never mind ... these look great, especially like the sliding cover for the front charging 'door'; that's pretty cool !

 

[thankyouOB]

i didnt see any pricing.*

they said that it is the cheapest Audi ever offered t*o the American public comes with an impressive array of standard features. wow!



________________________
pink is the color
Audi Parts lover

 

[kubel]

Their cheapest car in the US is the A4 at $33,800.

 

[RonDawg]

plus they are featuring it along with the rest of the new A3 line at the LA Auto Show; anyone happen to snap a few photos?

Yes but not as good as the ones above:

Specs:

Per the ladies at the display, availability will be "late 2014." No word on pricing; I would guesstimate $45k.

 

[redLEAF]

I found a price estimate posted on Wikipedia at $44,578.31 (37,000 Euros) from Sep '13 … it's no longer a full EV but a plug-in hybrid with about a 31 mile EV range, who knows when it finally arrives what the price might be but there is some downward pressure on anything with a battery these days … they had earlier stateside tests for the full-on electric and would have been quite surprised if that was offered for $30K


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_e-tron

 

[RonDawg]

While it is a PHEV, the electric motor is mated to a 1.4L TFSI (so yes it means it has a turbo) for a combined power output of 201 HP and 258 lb-ft of torque. Compare that to the last generation A3 2.0T (200 HP, 207 lb-ft of torque).

 

[GRA]

I found a price estimate posted on Wikipedia at $44,578.31 (37,000 Euros) from Sep '13 … it's no longer a full EV but a plug-in hybrid with about a 31 mile EV range, who knows when it finally arrives what the price might be but there is some downward pressure on anything with a battery these days … they had earlier stateside tests for the full-on electric and would have been quite surprised if that was offered for $30K


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_e-tron

From Audi's website:

Oct 24, 2013 , HERNDON, Va.

Audi announces pricing for its all-new 2015 A3 sedan

• The A3 sedan brings a new level of standard features, craftsmanship and attention to detail to the fast growing entry premium market

• An all-new A3 family from Audi will be rolled out over the next 18 months

"Audi today announced base pricing for its all-new 2015 A3 sedan. This compact powerhouse represents the entry level to the Audi brand of luxury vehicles with no compromises – it will offer a combination of standard features including a panoramic glass sunroof, leather seating surfaces, and bi-xenon headlights, all at a base MSRP starting at $29,900 . "

The current Q5 CUV has a base price of $37,300, so assuming that the A3 Sportback costs a bit more than the sedan and there's a several thousand dollar increase for the e-tron, they just might make it under my $35k limit. I think they pretty much have to come in around there, trading off AER against the $35k Volt, but with AWD, better performance and maybe more luxury.

 

[Boomer23]

I found a price estimate posted on Wikipedia at $44,578.31 (37,000 Euros) from Sep '13 … it's no longer a full EV but a plug-in hybrid with about a 31 mile EV range, who knows when it finally arrives what the price might be but there is some downward pressure on anything with a battery these days … they had earlier stateside tests for the full-on electric and would have been quite surprised if that was offered for $30K


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_e-tron

From Audi's website:

Oct 24, 2013 , HERNDON, Va.

Audi announces pricing for its all-new 2015 A3 sedan

• The A3 sedan brings a new level of standard features, craftsmanship and attention to detail to the fast growing entry premium market

• An all-new A3 family from Audi will be rolled out over the next 18 months

"Audi today announced base pricing for its all-new 2015 A3 sedan. This compact powerhouse represents the entry level to the Audi brand of luxury vehicles with no compromises – it will offer a combination of standard features including a panoramic glass sunroof, leather seating surfaces, and bi-xenon headlights, all at a base MSRP starting at $29,900 . "

The current Q5 CUV has a base price of $37,300, so assuming that the A3 Sportback costs a bit more than the sedan and there's a several thousand dollar increase for the e-tron, they just might make it under my $35k limit. I think they pretty much have to come in around there, trading off AER against the $35k Volt, but with AWD, better performance and maybe more luxury.

I think you're low by at least $5k, GRA. Remember the 9 kWh of lithium batteries plus the added complexity of the drive train. I don't think they can do that for just a few thousand bump over the ICE version.

 

[GRA]

I think you're low by at least $5k, GRA. Remember the 9 kWh of lithium batteries plus the added complexity of the drive train. I don't think they can do that for just a few thousand bump over the ICE version.

Could well be, although one of the advantages of the smaller battery pack is the lower cost, and that's the single most expensive component. It all depends on how aggressive VW wants to be - they've said they want to get into PEVs in a big way, and maybe they'll use this as the buy-in. The base price of the VW Jetta SE w/Connectivity is $20,420, the TDI (same) is $23,195, and the Hybrid (same) is $27,260, a spread of $6,820 from low to high ($4,065 from TDI to hybrid), and the A3 e-tron will have about 8kWh (8.8 vs. 0.66) more battery and a receptacle. OTOH, I believe these cars are all being built on the same MQB platform, which should reduce engineering and tooling costs.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned in any of the reviews I've read so far is whether or not the battery intrudes on the cargo space as with the C-Max Energi. That would be a deal breaker. Has anyone seen anything that describes or shows the cargo area?

 

[RonDawg]

When we're talking a brand like Audi, just because the battery pack "only" costs so much doesn't mean they should "only" charge the actual price differential. Audi will charge as much for the car as they think can get away with. The A3 2.0T for example is little more than a Golf GTI under the skin, but costs quite a bit more than the Golf.

I will be pleasantly surprised if the eTron is priced below $40k, but I'm not holding my breath. The Prius Plug-in is already $30k without any added options, and has a much smaller EV-only range.

The VW Group is not the only manufacturer that is like this...all of them do it. That's why the Big 3 domestic auto manufacturers love making trucks and SUVs; that's where the big profit margins are.

 

[redLEAF]

I think you're low by at least $5k, GRA. Remember the 9 kWh of lithium batteries plus the added complexity of the drive train. I don't think they can do that for just a few thousand bump over the ICE version.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned in any of the reviews I've read so far is whether or not the battery intrudes on the cargo space as with the C-Max Energi. That would be a deal breaker. Has anyone seen anything that describes or shows the cargo area?

+1 on the cargo space -- an A3 hatch is a bit on the small side as it is; if you notice no photos of the cargo area on either the full EV test vehicle or the PHEV, at the LA show it was a static display so if it shows up at the Chicago Auto Show I'd like to see what the battery pack does unless they keep it under wraps -- in the case of most of these (like the Lexus CT-200h) the battery pack does need to intrude somewhere into useable cargo space so we'll see. Iy is a lot smaller so perhaps they were able to integrate it better.

 

[GRA]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned in any of the reviews I've read so far is whether or not the battery intrudes on the cargo space as with the C-Max Energi. That would be a deal breaker. Has anyone seen anything that describes or shows the cargo area?

+1 on the cargo space -- an A3 hatch is a bit on the small side as it is; if you notice no photos of the cargo area on either the full EV test vehicle or the PHEV, at the LA show it was a static display so if it shows up at the Chicago Auto Show I'd like to see what the battery pack does unless they keep it under wraps -- in the case of most of these (like the Lexus CT-200h) the battery pack does need to intrude somewhere into useable cargo space so we'll see. Iy is a lot smaller so perhaps they were able to integrate it better.

One thing that is encouraging is the e-Golf, assuming that's representative of what they can do with the A3 on the same platform:

http://insideevs.com/video-volkswagen-shows-off-e-golf-at-2013-la-auto-show-somehow-its-cargo-area-isnt-consumed-by-batteries/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They still need a spare tire, and that will almost certainly have to go in the cargo area.

 

[redLEAF]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned in any of the reviews I've read so far is whether or not the battery intrudes on the cargo space as with the C-Max Energi. That would be a deal breaker. Has anyone seen anything that describes or shows the cargo area?

+1 on the cargo space -- an A3 hatch is a bit on the small side as it is; if you notice no photos of the cargo area on either the full EV test vehicle or the PHEV, at the LA show it was a static display so if it shows up at the Chicago Auto Show I'd like to see what the battery pack does unless they keep it under wraps -- in the case of most of these (like the Lexus CT-200h) the battery pack does need to intrude somewhere into useable cargo space so we'll see. Iy is a lot smaller so perhaps they were able to integrate it better.

One thing that is encouraging is the e-Golf, assuming that's representative of what they can do with the A3 on the same platform:

http://insideevs.com/video-volkswagen-shows-off-e-golf-at-2013-la-auto-show-somehow-its-cargo-area-isnt-consumed-by-batteries/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They still need a spare tire, and that will almost certainly have to go in the cargo area.

Not necessarily on it getting a spare tire === as big as the VW Touareg is the hybrid version needs the space for its batteries so NO SPARE; just keep the AAA card handy

 

[RonDawg]

At the same LA Auto Show I noticed that the BMW X1 does not come with a spare (that I could find) either. Plus most of us participating here already have/had a Nissan Leaf, so we should not be surprised if the eGolf and/or the A3 e-Tron doesn't have one either.

Neither of the Accord Hybrids (plug in and regular) have spare tires either. The regular one has a spare tire well but the space is used for a storage bin instead. The batteries of the plug-in one take up a lot of room and block access to this well.

 

[TomT]

I don't know about the X1 but many BMW models have been using run-flats for some time... A tire that I hate, by the way...

At the same LA Auto Show I noticed that the BMW X1 does not come with a spare (that I could find) either.