
Audi e-tron first drive review: a solid electric SUV - evo_9
https://electrek.co/2018/12/07/audi-e-tron-electric-suv-first-drive-review/
======
rsync
"The proportions are near perfect for the segment and Audi didn’t fall for the
usual electric design traps."

... except for making all of the controls touch screens.

Physical knobs and buttons are more performant, more useful and _more
expensive_. LCD screen are not a luxury - they are the opposite of luxury.

~~~
awesomepeter
Right? It's the only thing I'd hate about having a Tesla Model 3, if I could
afford it, and it would be available in my country.

Scratch that, I'd also hate not having a HUD in front of me, it would more
then make up for the lack of a dashboard IMO.

But yeah, a few basic controls for eg. for AC and oh.. a PHYSICAL BUTTON TO
OPEN THE GLOVEBOX? :)

~~~
dsr_
Anything that the driver wants to adjust while driving should have a physical
realization and give haptic feedback. They shouldn't have to look at it to
more than a glance to make sure they've got a finger on the right thing.
Knobs, switches, buttons, sliders: all good.

Anything that the driver won't use while the car is in motion or the passenger
wants to play with can be touch-screen, or VR, or gesture-driven, or activated
by thinking happy thoughts. That doesn't present a safety hazard.

------
ceocoder
I went to the launch event in San Francisco where they had this (in cobalt
blue) and another hypercar (R8 e-tron I think). What bugged me then and still
bugs me now is how they are treating "electric", as in trying to add electric
motors in the same Q5 chassis, including keeping some vestigial things around
- like pedal shifters[2] that are still present in the pictures from article.
When I asked about what purpose they serve, people running the event replied
something along the lines of "they make the car go faster". Compared to amount
of space you get in a Model X - a frunk and a massive trunk, there was rather
limited space in this car.

I really wish Audi/Benz/BMW would treat electric cars more seriously, and not
as PR projects like the i3 or e-Golf.

[1] [http://www.thedrive.com/news/23364/third-gen-audi-r8-will-
be...](http://www.thedrive.com/news/23364/third-gen-audi-r8-will-be-a-1000-hp-
electric-hypercar-report)

[2] [https://i.imgur.com/qEp4aOi.png](https://i.imgur.com/qEp4aOi.png)

~~~
mrfusion
What do the pedal shifters do?

~~~
woofyman
He meant “paddle shifters”. They allow manual shifting of an automatic
transmission.

~~~
mrfusion
But there are no gears to shift in electric.

~~~
ams6110
In this vehicle they control the regenerative braking, i.e. make it more or
less aggressive.

------
r00fus
Efficiency is very low. 200mi on 95kWh? In perfect weather? That's like
475Wh/mi which is significantly worse than a Tesla Model X (estimated around
350-375/mi in good weather). Tesla has a bigger car.

And thats without running heaters, AC or lead-foot-itis (I average 275 Wh/mi
in my Focus EV, but can push 300 if I'm aggressive).

~~~
gamblor956
The e-tron is a heavier car. The increase in weight over the Model X is
roughly proportional to the decrease in range (comparing it to the Model Xs of
roughly the same size battery).

It's not the most efficient EV on the market, but to say that efficiency is
very low, especially compared to a Model X, would be a gross
misrepresentation.

------
syntaxing
I'm just waiting for an affordable electric SUV. I wish big Japanese
manufactures would release one. That being said, has anyone driven a car with
virtual side mirrors before? I can't imagine them being better than regular
side mirrors...

~~~
dsfyu404ed
Virtual mirrors really only exist because of fuel economy requirements.
Mirrors have long been a thorn in automakers side when it comes to
aerodynamics. It's just now that every .0001mpg (or mile of range) matters
enough to justify the cost of tackling the problem. In the case of this Audi I
suspect this ads a handful of extra miles of range when cruising on the
highway.

Whether or not they're "better" depends wholly on what your metrics are and
their relative importance. If you care about cost or reliability beyond the
warranty period then it's not gonna beat a traditional mirror.

You could easily implement a bunch of little luxury feature type things with
virtual side mirrors, like show a line where the vehicle will go (like a
backup camera), dim them at night, point them more inboard and low when
reversing, etc. If they ever find their way onto a Land Rover or Jeep I can
see them having a "rock crawl mode" that points the camera where needed for
visibility. Personally I don't think those sorts of things are important
enough to justify the cost.

~~~
yardie
> Mirrors have long been a thorn in automakers side when it comes to
> aerodynamics.

Formula 1 still uses everyday side view mirrors. Those cars are at the
pinnacle of technology and engineering. So if there was ever a case to
decrease the drag coefficient F1 cars would be the place.

I just don't think side mirrors contribute that much to be worth replacing
them with a camera based system.

~~~
dsfyu404ed
>Formula 1 still uses everyday side view mirrors. Those cars are at the
pinnacle of technology and engineering. So if there was ever a case to
decrease the drag coefficient F1 cars would be the place.

F1 is highly restricted as to what they can and can't do as far as vehicle
design. If the class rules said they needed to tow a parachute they'd tow
parachutes. They would be highly aerodynamic parachutes but parachutes
nonetheless.

F1 also doesn't care about cabin noise. Mirrors cause a fair bit of cabin
noise.

>I just don't think side mirrors contribute that much to be worth replacing
them with a camera based system.

Me either, but through a combination of people at various levels responding to
incentives here we are.

------
mrfusion
I don’t think I could pay Audi prices for 185 miles of range.

------
leowoo91
I don't understand why they wouldn't create a different brand first, wait it
to be matured, then acquire it. That looks like a famous brand is after
electric car dream.

~~~
ams6110
Audi is already a well-established brand that has immediate recognition in the
market. All established brands are working on EVs. All of them.

~~~
leowoo91
Yep, I exactly wanted to make a point that Audi shouldn't risk their
reputation on the matter (well aware of the brand value). IMHO, brands are
rushing EV little too fast without bringing something different or public
contribution.

~~~
mhh__
Audi - or more generally the VW - have enough money and other reputation to
completely fuck up their electric cars and then either reprogram the public
using advertising or (as you said) start a separate company

------
o2424307
Notice this vehicle is not related with the French vehicle also called É-tron
which use biomass for fuel.

------
lbriner
I still find the dashboards a total mess of design. They look like 8 different
people designed the separate parts and then stuck them together in the
factory. I don't understand why car designers don't take design as seriously
as some app developers and really get the joined-up feeling of really good
design.

