2023 Audi e-tron GT Performance

The e-tron GT is powered by dual electric motors, one at each axle, enabling quattro all-wheel-drive traction. A two-speed transmission at the back optimizes the GT for either quick sprint times or highway driving with its taller second gear. The combined outputs are 469 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque, although this increases to 522 hp and 472 lb-ft for brief periods with overboost when using launch control. As a result, the e-tron GT can accelerate from 0-60 mph in only 3.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 152 mph. Porsche sells a base Taycan with rear-wheel drive that isn't as quick as the Audi, but the similarly priced Taycan 4S has a near-identical 0-60 time of 3.8 seconds. Tesla is way ahead of both as its Model S Long Range takes just 3.1 seconds for the benchmark sprint. Still, the Audi is an undoubtedly quick car that will effortlessly push you back into your seat. The Audi's party trick is the way it handles corners, as Audi has somehow given it more soul than Porsche has with the same hardware - not something we ever thought we'd say.

Two permanently excited synchronous electric motors provide the Audi with its exciting performance. The front motor makes 235 hp and uses a single-speed transmission, whereas the rear motor produces a more powerful 429 hp and is paired with a two-speed transmission. However, the combined outputs aren't as simple as adding the two together. In normal driving, the motors produce 469 hp and 465 lb-ft, increasing to 522 hp and 472 lb-ft in overboost to enable the quickest possible sprint times.

Acceleration is brutal. You have to tighten your neck and stomach muscles once you move to Sport Mode, but even in Eco, the car is still incredibly quick. And we spent most of the week in that Eco mode, trying to stay as efficient as possible for the times when we wanted to swap to Sport and floor it. There really is something to the gamification of driving as competently as possible. In something like a Mustang GT500, there's no reward for going slow, as you can just fill up anytime you need to. In the Audi, we wanted to just use as little juice as possible, to save it for when we really needed it.

EV mileage ratings aren't seen as being as important as their total range, and in the case of the Audi e-tron GT, the latter specs aren't particularly stellar. The EPA claims 238 miles range on a charge while a Tesla Model S will manage up to 405 miles. Unsurprisingly, the EPA-rated MPG equivalents are worse off for the Audi at 81/83/82 MPGe city/highway/combined.

On a positive note, the e-tron GT's 800-volt electrical architecture makes it possible to charge it at speeds of up to 270 kW at a DC fast-charging station. Charging in this way can replenish the battery from 5-80% in just over 22 minutes according to Audi's claims.

The e-tron GT comes standard with three years of free charging at Electrify America's DC fast-charging stations. Audi will also help coordinate the installation of Level 2 AC wall boxes at customers' homes. We stopped at one of those DC fast chargers, not an Electrify America one, and got about 120 miles back in 20 minutes. That's not as good as promised, but there are lots of factors that go into fast charging, and we found it reasonable for a quick top up.