Words by Donal Byrne. Video by Leah Carroll.
The trend towards more affordable Ev, following a lengthy period of high prices, is a welcome development, but it’s still a surprise to discover a premium brand moving in the same direction.
This week, Audi launched its entry-level EV in Ireland, the A2 e-tron, replacing both the A1 and the Q2.
It’s quite likely that Audi was looking over its shoulder at the strong performance and pricing of its stablemate, CUPRA, when deciding on equipment levels and pricing.
The result is a car that starts at €38,200, after grants, but one that doesn’t look like it was dominated by budgetary considerations. It’s an elegant car and has a strong profile, coming in at 4.2 metres long and 1.2 metres. It has some definite styling cues from the original A2.
There is that familiar sloping roof, and there’s quite a large spoiler on the rear windscreen, which might not be great for visibility. There is a rear camera, but I’ve found cameras can be a challenge on days of filthy weather.
There’s a curious touch on the doors, with winglets replacing traditional handles, but I’m not all that impressed with them, protruding as they do.
Yes, they do add to the car’s aerodynamic profile, which has an impressively low drag of 0.24, as does the spoiler, but I wasn’t entirely convinced as to whether they really add to the car.
The front of the car is a familiar Audi offering, and the rear is particularly smart, with narrow LED lighting
The entry-level price is attractive, but the car we saw had extras such as 20″ wheels – 18″ being the standard – and a panoramic sunroof. The former adds €1,590, and the latter adds €1,539, so the optional extras do add up, as they do on many new cars. So, the S-Line version we were shown creeps up to €48,925, and all the extras could bring it up to €57,902.
The interior is very nice, with a premium feel throughout because of the use of soft materials, and upfront everything feels comfortable and there is a good screen that does not dominate.
The rear, however, is a bit of a squeeze if you’re tall, and the battery location involves some compromise on things like thigh support. The boot is a very decent 396 litres.
I didn’t note any great presence of physical buttons, despite the VW group, which includes Audi, vowing to move back to them with their new cars.
There are two battery options, a 52 kWh unit with a claimed range of 421 kilometres and a 61 kWh unit with a claimed range of 498 kilometres.
At this stage, you should be familiar with my reservations about claimed ranges from car manufacturers when real-world conditions are taken into account. The fast charging time is 26 minutes, as long as you can find a charger that will deliver quickly enough.
Audi’s new arrival is certainly an interesting proposition in the current market.