Quick update on this one ; we've had it 6 months now, and it's done 7,000 miles in that time. More than expected if I'm honest! It's only done 3 'long' journeys - Derby, Hull, Suffolk, and a couple of trips to Heathrow. These total maybe 2,000 miles. The remainder has been local journeys, up to around 25 miles each way. So the average fuel consumption, per the trip computer (pretty accurate when I have checked it) of 112mpg is pretty good I think. It generally does around 900 miles on a tank of petrol, and is charged every day at home.
More surprising is that even on the 570 mile return trip to Hull the cars system said that 34% of the journey was carried out 'emissions free'. Given that on these journeys it operates basically as a standard petrol hybrid - the battery itself can only power the car for around 25 miles on a charge - that's quite a lot of recovered power and 'sailing'!
Even better is that it's actually a really nice car to drive as well. Easy to get a comfortable driving position - very supportive 'sports' seats. They're leather/Alcantara which seems to be hard wearing so far, and certainly very supportive. Heated too, which, when combined with the pre-heat system controllable either by timer or from an iPhone app meant for a pleasant start to the day in the winter :) It's well equipped, partly as a result of its ex-demo / launch car spec and partly as they've thrown a lot of standard kit at it to help justify the rather high (when new) list price. Ours has a panoramic roof, MMI satnav, Audi connect, LED headlights, 18" wheels, dual zone climate etc
I was worried the weight of the batteries would be an issue - I think they add 150odd Kgs to the weight of the car. Actually it rides and handles very well - far better than the previous generation A3, and it feels like a much more sorted car. If anything I think it's better balanced than the last one; it certainly is far less inclined to understeer - you really have to push very hard indeed to get to that stage. I imagine that the extra weight of the batteries (under the boot floor) actually help the balance. It also feels much bigger inside than the last A3. Albeit ours was a 3 door, which I think is a shorter wheelbase even in the current one?
It's also very refined; it's default on starting is EV mode - all electric on short journeys that's all you'll ever use. It'll cover 'up to' 31 miles in that mode. I've once seen it claims range of 32 miles, but the norm is 27. On the other hand it'll also do 82mph in EV mode. Which might have something to do with the range I get... ;) The switch to hybrid mode is undetectable in normal use, and the engine itself, a 1.4 turbocharged unit, is also very quiet. Probably worth noting the car is fitted with acoustic glass as well. On longer journeys and motorways you can see the car switching between EV and standard engine mode on the dash, but it's pretty hard to detect otherwise until your going over 70. At that point you can just about hear some engine noise, if you're revving it. On which note, the electric motor is 100PS I think, and it'll use it surprisingly often when in hybrid mode in the motorway. It's pretty swift off the line...very quick initially in fact. And it'll more than keep up with the ebb and flow of traffic, and slip roads, on the A27 in pure battery mode. If you want to go over 82 then the engine kicks in anyway. If you floor it you get the electric motor plus the 150PS engine. But this all just happens - no need to modify your driving style.
Theres a price to pay for investing in this technology relatively early in its life. I think ours has probably continued to depreciate pretty rapidly, despite the initial savings. I'm not too bothered by that - it's cheap to run, nice to drive and comfortable so we'll have it a while longer. It's also had a few niggles. The satnav through a wobbly and thought it was Ingolstadt - a new aerial sorted that. The gear changes started to get a bit jerky, only noticeable on the longer journeys, and the solution to that is a replacement mechatronics unit. Booked in for that.
Which leads to possibly the most irritating thing about the car; not all Audi dealers are e-tron dealers. Our nearest is either Brighton or Southampton. Which doesn't sound too bad, but there are 3 closer one - Worthing, Portsmouth, and Five Oaks in Horsham. They really all ought to be able to work on the whole range I think?
Quick summary? Very pleased with the car - a great choice for the kind of use it gets. If your average journey was much longer than ours you'd struggle to match the economy I think, unless you charged during the day. But as a car I'm very impressed with the A3, and for our use the e-tron is a great solution. Economical on short journeys, but very capable on longer ones too.
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