Audi e-tron Sportback: the second electric car from Audi is a sporty SUV coupé

The Audi e-tron Sportback, the coupé version of Audi’s electric SUV, goes on sale in two versions, with up to 408 CV of power and a range of 446 km.

Announced some time ago, the Los Angeles Auto Show was the stage for the presentation of the new Audi e-tron Sportback. The coupé-bodied version of the Audi e-tron offers more than a distinctive design, introducing a revolution in lighting: the new digital Matrix LED headlights.

More sporty, more aerodynamic, more range

Outwardly, and to draw a comparison with the much more “popular” Audi SUV, the Audi e-tron Sportback is to the Audi e-tron what the Audi Q3 Sportback is to the Audi Q3.

Its dimensions are 4.90 metres long, 1.93 metres wide and 1.62 metres high, barely one centimetre lower than the Audi e-tron, but with a clearly sloping roofline, which marks the main aesthetic difference.

The rear design is mainly responsible for the Audi e-tron Sportback slightly improving on the e-tron’s drag coefficient, with a Cx of 0.25 in the S line version and with the virtual exterior mirrors. For this reason, the homologated range also rises, reaching up to 446 kilometres, according to the WLTP cycle. The manufacturer attributes some 10 of the almost 40 extra km of range over the e-tron to aerodynamics. The rest comes from adjustments to the drivetrain.

With the same wheelbase as the e-tron, 2,928 mm, the Sportback still offers an interior with five spacious seats. Rear passengers lose barely 2 centimetres of headroom, and the boot does not suffer a significant loss of capacity. The e-tron’s 600 litres drop here to 555 litres, while the front storage space of 60 litres, where among other things the charging cable can be kept, is retained. The maximum volume with the seats folded down becomes 1,655 litres.

Otherwise, the dashboard design is identical, with the MMI touch with its two touchscreens of 21.1 and 8.6 inches and the digital instrument cluster of 12.3 inches. The same trim levels are also offered: base, design selection and S line. And the same connectivity and driver assistance features.

The digital Matrix LED headlights

One of the novelties arriving with the Audi e-tron Sportback, and which we should not have to wait long to see on its sister model in the range, is the digital Matrix LED headlights, offered as an option from mid-2020.

This is a world first in lighting systems applied to cars. Its operation is based on a new technology called DMD, a device with a small chip containing up to a million digital micromirrors. Using electrostatic fields, these mirrors can be tilted some 5,000 times per second, to provide a whole series of added functions.

As well as greater precision in the area to be illuminated, they also work more effectively when it comes to dimming the areas that are not of interest. And they add functions such as lane light to help keep the vehicle on course, the marking light that draws attention to objects or pedestrians, or a whole series of dynamic animations that can be projected onto the ground or onto vertical surfaces.

All-wheel drive, two power versions

Audi will also offer its new electric SUV coupé in two versions: the e-tron Sportback 50 quattro and the 55 quattro.

The most powerful variant, the e-tron Sportback 55 quattro, has an electric motor on each axle that together deliver a total system power of 360 CV and 561 Nm of torque. These figures can momentarily reach 408 CV and 64 Nm respectively in “boost” mode, that is, when accelerating hard with the gearbox in S mode. In this way, the 0 to 100 km/h acceleration drops from 6.6 to 5.7 seconds. Top speed is limited to 200 km/h.

The electric all-wheel drive handles the distribution of power to each wheel. Priority is given to the rear motor, so the front motor engages in low-grip conditions or when the driving style requires it. And it does so predictively, anticipating a possible loss of traction, or mitigating a possible understeer or oversteer tendency, so that reactions are always neutral.

In the Audi e-tron Sportback 55 quattro, the battery has a capacity of 95 kWh. The energy management system, the electro-hydraulic braking system, thermal management and the energy recovery strategy all work in the same way as in the Audi e-tron. The electric SUV can achieve up to 30% of its total range from a battery charge based on energy recovery while driving.

For the e-tron Sportback 50 quattro, the battery goes from 36 cell modules to 27, and the capacity is reduced to 71 kWh. In this case the motor output is 313 CV, with a maximum torque of 540 Nm, and the maximum range drops to 347 km. Performance is slightly lower: a top speed of 190 km/h (also electronically limited), and 6.8 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h. The weight of this version, having a smaller-capacity battery, is 120 kg less than the 55 quattro.

The Sportback also inherits from the e-tron the different charging options: the compact system fitted as standard for home charging with power up to 11 kW, and a second optional system with smart functions and compatibility with high-power charging, at 150 kW on the e-tron Sportback 55 quattro and up to 120 kW on the 50 quattro. Thanks to the Audi e-tron Charging Service, customers will be able to access the nearly 120,000 public charging stations currently spread across 21 European countries easily, with a single card.

Audi e-tron Sportback image gallery