With the E-tron, Audi shows what an electric SUV can be

MASDAR CITY, A squeaky-clean planned city under development outside Abu Dhabi, grew from the sand with a single vision: help the United Arab Emirates wean itself off its own vast oil reserves. The 10-year-old micro-metropolis serves as an incubator for clean-technology companies. It incorporates the latest design and construction strategies to minimize its energy consumption. It runs solely on renewable energy. So it’s only fitting that Audi chose it as the starting point of the first media drives in the all-new E-tron electric SUV.

Audi’s designers speckled some flashy trim on the
exterior to signify the E-tron’s EV status, but
nothing too edgy: This SUV is meant to be a functional
 car people will actually want to buy when it goes
on sale in early 2019, not just a statement.

Our route through the UAE proved a mix of smooth, blemish-free stretches of asphalt (sadly regulated by speed cameras), a serpentine ascent up a 4,000-foot mountain, and a landscape of high dunes split by dirt roads laced with loose sand. Open blacktop was a breeze, with smooth cruising thanks to fine-tuned aerodynamics, extensive sound-deadening, and naturally muted motors. The mountain twisties validated the high-torque thrust provided by those same dual electric motors, though the car’s body roll limited the fun. And the all-wheel-drive system managed the wind-swept sand bars effortlessly.

Read the Wired story - “With the E-Tron, Audi shows what an electric SUV can be.”