The fastest all-electric car we have tested.
It’s 2022, the world has officially gone mad, and here I am talking to you about an Audi RS model that has blasted into the Top 10 of the fastest productions cars I have ever tested.
What’s mad about that you might be thinking. The mad part is that this Audi is a full battery electric vehicle and a Grand Tourer at that, and not some over the top futuristic supercar.
Porsche’s bonkers 911 GT2 RS hit 100 km/h in 2.85 seconds and stays top of the all-time list. Most of the spots at the top of my list have been occupied by Porsche for as long as I can remember, but more recently the odd crown has fallen here and there, and there are now some new pretenders to the throne.
BMW’s M8 Coupe Competition sits second as the fastest Coupe at 3.13 seconds, BMW’s M5 Competition is the fastest Sedan at 3.28 seconds, Audi’s R8 V10 takes the naturally aspirated crown from Porsche’s 911 GT3 RS with a time of 3.51 seconds, and BMW once again owns the SUV slot with their X5 M Competition with a time of 3.82 seconds.
And now, I can report today that Audi’s RS e-tron GT is not only the fastest electric car I have tested, but also blasts into fourth position on the overall list with a blistering time of 3.25 seconds to get to 100 km/h.
What is insane is that the urge does not let up, this RS e-tron continues to charge towards the horizon in a way that must be felt to be understood.
The quarter-mile is dispatched in a mere 11.24 seconds at 204 km/h, the half-mile in 17.64 seconds at 240 km/h, and then the fun stops due to an electronic speed limiter that kicks in just after this a few km/h short of the claimed 250 km/h.
Is there a downside to this performance? Yes. There is no screaming rpm and emotion accompanying these feats. Sad face.
To see the full road test results, click on the image below.
Most of these electric cars are true silent assassins, and Audi does pipe in some ‘engine’ noise and it’s quite cool.
But hopefully, the manufacturers will in the future somehow engineer an even more realistic old internal combustion type engine car noise and feel. But for now, it is something we will have to get used to as it is the way of the future.
The four-door GT produces 440 kW of power and 830 Nm of torque via a pair of electric motors that are powered by a 93-kWh battery.
Before you say it, yes, I know there is load shedding, but if your treat your electric car like a cell phone and charge it every night, then you really shouldn’t run into a problem.
Besides, the claimed range on a full charge comes in at 460 km, with a real-world number of around 400 km being achieved while I had the car. This was more than enough for me to get around anywhere I wanted to go.
The biggest plus here was that at ‘fuel’ consumption rate of 23.6-kW per hour, I was able to do these 400 km at a cost of R300.
I don’t have to tell you that R300 will only get you around 15-litres of fuel. How far do you think you will go with 15-litres of fuel in a 440kW/830Nm supercar bashing, full comfort car that weighs in at 2 345 kg?
The ride was also very good with the suspension offering a healthy balance between dynamism and comfort, thanks to technologies such as Audi drive select, all-wheel steering, controlled damping, three-chamber air suspension, electric all-wheel drive, and the rear-axle differential lock.
At R3.3-million the Audi RS e-tron GT is not cheap despite what it saves you in running costs, but please tell me what is budget-friendly at this high-end of the market in terms of quality, performance and drive? And you get to do your part in helping to save the world.
For more information on the Audi RS e-tron GT, click here.
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