The Audi e-tron GT: A Futuristic Electric Estate

As we stand in the heart of Audi's aerodynamics division, we're surrounded by the latest innovations in electric vehicle design. The Audi e-tron GT is a family wagon that promises to deliver a unique blend of performance and practicality, with an added dash of futuristic flair. Our host, who wishes to remain anonymous, takes us on a tour of this sleek new model, highlighting its many features and quirks.

One of the first things we notice as we approach the e-tron GT is the absence of screens on the front grille. Instead, Audi has opted for a more minimalist design, with the screens relegated to the sides and rear of the car. This decision was made in an effort to reduce drag and improve aerodynamics, but it's clear that this is just the beginning of an ongoing battle to optimize the e-tron GT's airflow. As our host notes, "there's a reason you might want these" – namely, they offer significant improvements in range and efficiency, with 7 km of extra range per charge on their own.

But what exactly are these screens, and how do they work? According to Audi's team, the screens serve as virtual mirrors, providing drivers with an unobstructed view of the road behind them. They're positioned higher and further up in our eyeline than traditional mirrors, and feature advanced software that allows them to adapt to changing driving conditions. However, our host is skeptical about their effectiveness, particularly in low light or when rain is present – "I'm still not convinced," they say, "that this gives you as reliable a view as a mirror." We'll have to wait until we test the e-tron GT on the road to see if these screens live up to their promise.

As we step inside the e-tron GT, our host is immediately struck by the sleek and modern interior design. The materials used are of the highest quality, with premium leather and a unique denim fabric that stretches across the dashboard and doors. However, some of these touches feel slightly over-the-top – for example, the glossy piano black finish on one section of the dashboard looks decidedly 2010s-style after just 10 minutes of use. Audi's team assures us, however, that this is all part of their design aesthetic, and they're confident that it will wear well in the long term.

One feature that does feel particularly modern and impressive is the e-tron GT's infotainment system. The screens are incredibly sharp and clear, and offer a dizzying array of options for customization and control. Our host is particularly impressed by the speed and responsiveness of the system, which seems to spring into action with alarming rapidity whenever they try to interact with it. Of course, some might find that the lack of physical controls – namely, buttons and dials – feels a bit disorienting, but overall this system feels like it's been designed with the future in mind.

As we take a seat in the back of the e-tron GT, our host is pleased to see that there's still plenty of room for adults to stretch out comfortably. The boot remains huge, with space for the charging cable and numerous lashing points for luggage – a vital feature for families or road trippers. But what really sets the e-tron GT apart from its competitors is its ability to balance performance and practicality. With its advanced aerodynamics and efficient electric powertrain, this car feels like it's been designed specifically with the needs of real-world drivers in mind.

Of course, not everyone will be convinced that the e-tron GT is the right choice for them – after all, some might find the futuristic design aesthetic a bit too out-there. But as our host notes, "it can still do the family wagon thing" with aplomb. They've even had a quick test drive in the backseat to confirm this impression, and report that it feels solid and reassuringly substantial – just what you want from a car that promises to deliver on so many fronts.

As we wrap up our tour of the e-tron GT, our host can't help but feel a sense of admiration for Audi's efforts to create something truly innovative. The combination of advanced aerodynamics, efficient electric powertrain, and cutting-edge infotainment system makes this car feel like it's pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the world of electric vehicles. And with its unique blend of style, substance, and practicality, it's clear that the Audi e-tron GT is a car that will leave a lasting impression on anyone who gets behind the wheel.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwelcome back to the Top Gear Channel and welcome to the most aerodynamic Audi ever made for lots of reasons I'm about to tell you but mostly because it spent a lot of time in here where you're not normally allowed to be this is Ali's wind tunnel but don't be folded into thinking that aerodynamics only matters now because EVS are obsessed with range because actually the wind has been shaping cars for a lot longer than some people realize 90 years ago Audi's previous identity Alto Union was obsessed with what it delicately called Strom linan Ren vagain streamlined race cars this was decades before Motorsport had truly figured out that harnessing downforce was key to Quick lap times and had nothing to do with making the car more efficient no but as far back as the 1930s some car designers were realizing that if a car made a small smooth hole in the air it would go faster which is where we get stunning works of art like this a 1937 AO Union type-c strl basically a pre-war Formula 1 car with a stunning super low drag body shrink wraps over the top of it imagine taking a modern day Red Bull Formula 1 car and building it for a land speed record and you're not too far off pretty revolutionary for its day driver sits right in the nose and it's actually mid-engined but as you might be able to tell from the 16 exhaust pipes there's a monster under here a 6 L supercharged V16 engine putting out 560 horsepower that was hyper car power back in the 1930s but less than an R8 V10 today and yet the type C reached speeds of over 248 M an hour on the track it was specifically designed for the autoban based AVS circuit near Berlin purpose built streamliners from Mercedes and Alto Union cracked 275 mph during record attempts on the early Auto BS before the races and the record attempts were stopped by the Second World War back in the present the new A6 Advance rron has a drag coefficient of .24 I thought you'd like to see this one because well Audi is traditionally the home of the Posh estate car isn't it and also while there's loads of electric sedans or saloons to choose from there's really not that many of these e estate cars there's just the BMW I5 touring and the Porsche tyan sport Turismo which is kind of small but it's the Saloon or actually sportback version of the new A6 that's record- breakingly AO efficient the slipperiest Audi ever made in fact with a drag factor of 0.21 so here's what 42 years of progress looks like because here is what the future look like in 1982 this is the Audi 100 I know it doesn't look like much does it just a very boxy German saloon car that was styled only with a ruler but if you're actually paying attention you start to spot the attention to detail touches that made this thing massively ahead of its time things like the angle of what's called The Glass House the flush glazing even these Arrow mirrors I mean if you compare this to an equivalent bmw5 series that was on sale competing for the same buyers at the same time it still had its windscreen wipers poking up out of the Bonnet spoiling the air flow whereas Audi were already tucking them away under here and making this the most aerodynamic production car in the world Audi marketed the 100's sharp suited aerodynamics hard because it was coming from nowhere against the long established might of BMW and Mercedes sweating the aerodynamic small stuff was supposed to showcase the Audi took its V sprung dirch technique motto seriously so did obsessing over fuel economy and reducing wind noise have a heroic effect on sales um no but that actually wasn't the fault of the looks you see the 100 got caught up in an unintentional acceleration scandal in America caused by the design of the pedals in the automatic version apparently they were closer together than American drivers were used to and you know how it goes they were getting mixed up between the throttle and the break mashing the wrong one in a panic and the result was Audi sales tanked by 83% in the United States and meanwhile everyone else copied all the ideas and caught up so this car's quietly revolutionary Bodywork probably doesn't get the credit that it deserves but these days obviously arrow is very invogue as car makers desperately squeeze as much range as possible from battery powered cars the new A6 Advance claims over 720 km or 447 Mi the A6 Saloon or sportb claims 750 km which is 466 miles so let's get in close and see how it does it starting at the front where yeah Audi still can't let go of having a great big grill at the front can they except it's well it's not really a grill anymore is it it's all just completely blanked off there's just this Slither down here that's actually open and even that is shuted off most of the time it only opens when the car's ECU says I'm getting a bit hot could you give me some cooling please split headlights and running lights becoming a very common motif now as is this this what they call the air curtain smoothing air flow around the sides of the car over massive wheels these are the fiddly ones if you're really into the whole arrow thing you can have a more slippery streamline design and the car will help you out there as well because it's got air suspension Active Ride all that gubbin so it will squat down at speed create a smaller hole in the air speaking of which yes these are back virtual door mirrors which now fold away to try and make them well a bit less vulnerable when you're parkks now if you've driven any car that's got cameras for door mirrors you might have found some of the flaws particularly with Audi's application which is that they mount them to the Mount where the door mirror goes so you sat in there you go check the mirrors cuz that's where they've always lived and then you look at the camera and it confuses your caveman brain then you have to look back at the screen and in that time you've traveled 50 feet so Ali's recognized this and they have tried to solve it they've moved the screens round they're now on the doors they're supposed to be more in your eyeline we'll see if that's worked when we drive it but there is a reason that you might want these and you don't have to have them they are an option don't get them but if you do want them just had a chat with Dr Moone Islam the boss of Audi's aerodynamics division the king of the room that we're standing in and he said that these alone are so effective at cutting drag these give you 7 km of extra range per charge on their own just these might be the difference between getting home and having to charge in a service station there's a lot more that you can't see underneath the floor is fully sealed up because of course there's no gearbox to cool and there's these bumps these ramps at the front to steer air flow around the turbulent Wheels with a spoke shape for the saloon and the event it's all very trick for a boring Family Estate car and at the back which is crucial for leaving the air as tidily as you found it the roof spoiler these curtain spoilers here and the diffuser which has actually been stored on the A6 evant to help the air flow from under the car meet more gracefully with the air coming over the top that all works together to reduce the turbulence where I'm standing really oh couple of other things to point out we got a light up Audi logo before we got GTA 6 and you might have noticed that these tail lights have a slight mind of their own there you go they just seem to light up angrily and go from twinkling to red and Furious this this is Audi's new anti-tailgating feature the car senses when something is following it a little bit too closely and the lights get brighter to tell you to back off so it doesn't get rear ended kind of ironic really isn't it because um remind me which cars do the most tailgating it seems weird Audi left it so long to combine EVs and advance but maybe that was smart it's had time to see that if you overdo Arrow design like the slug smooth Mercedes E QE and eqs no one really buys it so since Audi thinks you're going to be able to do many miles sat right here we should probably have a look inside it screens basically that's what it is there's one two three 4 five screens to be getting on with let's start with these for the virtual dorm mirrors yes they've moved them higher and further up into your eyeline I don't know we'll have to wait until we drive it to see if that's solved the issues with using it I'm still not convinced that in the dark or when it's raining this gives you as reliable a view as a mirror but we'll have to see later on what we can test is well for a start nice use of materials in here yes good leather as always but this kind of denim fabric that they've stretched across the dashboard all over the doors and here I really like but this come on Audi you're better than this we can do better now than glossy piano black which looks 10 years old after 10 minutes look at the smears on that um but all this is really sharp and clear you can adjust all of the displays how you like this one very very Snappy which it needs to be because as you can see no physical controls up here airon is in the screen D misting it's in the screen heated seats yeah it's all in there I'd like some physical buttons even just a home button to get back to the start but you kind of can't fault how quickly this does all react and look at this Top Gear YouTube channel fantastic of course the passenger won't worry about that because they'll be watching their own screen over here or will they will they just use this for 5 minutes and then go back to watching Tik Tok on their phone I suspect they might but they've got the option does it feel ultimately like a futuristic and modern premium car inside yes absolutely it does but it can still do the family wagon thing just had a quick sit in the back behind my driving position and you can easily get an adult comfortably behind another 6ot adult plenty of head room plenty of leg room and the boot is still huge with space for the charging cable under the floor and lots of lashing points for all your kit so the most important thing was worried about was making this new electric estate and very aerodynamic shape gonna compromise the kind of Audi Advan core values no it feels solid in here to me anyway thanks for watching they haven't kicked us out yet so um I wonder how aerodynamic the human face iswelcome back to the Top Gear Channel and welcome to the most aerodynamic Audi ever made for lots of reasons I'm about to tell you but mostly because it spent a lot of time in here where you're not normally allowed to be this is Ali's wind tunnel but don't be folded into thinking that aerodynamics only matters now because EVS are obsessed with range because actually the wind has been shaping cars for a lot longer than some people realize 90 years ago Audi's previous identity Alto Union was obsessed with what it delicately called Strom linan Ren vagain streamlined race cars this was decades before Motorsport had truly figured out that harnessing downforce was key to Quick lap times and had nothing to do with making the car more efficient no but as far back as the 1930s some car designers were realizing that if a car made a small smooth hole in the air it would go faster which is where we get stunning works of art like this a 1937 AO Union type-c strl basically a pre-war Formula 1 car with a stunning super low drag body shrink wraps over the top of it imagine taking a modern day Red Bull Formula 1 car and building it for a land speed record and you're not too far off pretty revolutionary for its day driver sits right in the nose and it's actually mid-engined but as you might be able to tell from the 16 exhaust pipes there's a monster under here a 6 L supercharged V16 engine putting out 560 horsepower that was hyper car power back in the 1930s but less than an R8 V10 today and yet the type C reached speeds of over 248 M an hour on the track it was specifically designed for the autoban based AVS circuit near Berlin purpose built streamliners from Mercedes and Alto Union cracked 275 mph during record attempts on the early Auto BS before the races and the record attempts were stopped by the Second World War back in the present the new A6 Advance rron has a drag coefficient of .24 I thought you'd like to see this one because well Audi is traditionally the home of the Posh estate car isn't it and also while there's loads of electric sedans or saloons to choose from there's really not that many of these e estate cars there's just the BMW I5 touring and the Porsche tyan sport Turismo which is kind of small but it's the Saloon or actually sportback version of the new A6 that's record- breakingly AO efficient the slipperiest Audi ever made in fact with a drag factor of 0.21 so here's what 42 years of progress looks like because here is what the future look like in 1982 this is the Audi 100 I know it doesn't look like much does it just a very boxy German saloon car that was styled only with a ruler but if you're actually paying attention you start to spot the attention to detail touches that made this thing massively ahead of its time things like the angle of what's called The Glass House the flush glazing even these Arrow mirrors I mean if you compare this to an equivalent bmw5 series that was on sale competing for the same buyers at the same time it still had its windscreen wipers poking up out of the Bonnet spoiling the air flow whereas Audi were already tucking them away under here and making this the most aerodynamic production car in the world Audi marketed the 100's sharp suited aerodynamics hard because it was coming from nowhere against the long established might of BMW and Mercedes sweating the aerodynamic small stuff was supposed to showcase the Audi took its V sprung dirch technique motto seriously so did obsessing over fuel economy and reducing wind noise have a heroic effect on sales um no but that actually wasn't the fault of the looks you see the 100 got caught up in an unintentional acceleration scandal in America caused by the design of the pedals in the automatic version apparently they were closer together than American drivers were used to and you know how it goes they were getting mixed up between the throttle and the break mashing the wrong one in a panic and the result was Audi sales tanked by 83% in the United States and meanwhile everyone else copied all the ideas and caught up so this car's quietly revolutionary Bodywork probably doesn't get the credit that it deserves but these days obviously arrow is very invogue as car makers desperately squeeze as much range as possible from battery powered cars the new A6 Advance claims over 720 km or 447 Mi the A6 Saloon or sportb claims 750 km which is 466 miles so let's get in close and see how it does it starting at the front where yeah Audi still can't let go of having a great big grill at the front can they except it's well it's not really a grill anymore is it it's all just completely blanked off there's just this Slither down here that's actually open and even that is shuted off most of the time it only opens when the car's ECU says I'm getting a bit hot could you give me some cooling please split headlights and running lights becoming a very common motif now as is this this what they call the air curtain smoothing air flow around the sides of the car over massive wheels these are the fiddly ones if you're really into the whole arrow thing you can have a more slippery streamline design and the car will help you out there as well because it's got air suspension Active Ride all that gubbin so it will squat down at speed create a smaller hole in the air speaking of which yes these are back virtual door mirrors which now fold away to try and make them well a bit less vulnerable when you're parkks now if you've driven any car that's got cameras for door mirrors you might have found some of the flaws particularly with Audi's application which is that they mount them to the Mount where the door mirror goes so you sat in there you go check the mirrors cuz that's where they've always lived and then you look at the camera and it confuses your caveman brain then you have to look back at the screen and in that time you've traveled 50 feet so Ali's recognized this and they have tried to solve it they've moved the screens round they're now on the doors they're supposed to be more in your eyeline we'll see if that's worked when we drive it but there is a reason that you might want these and you don't have to have them they are an option don't get them but if you do want them just had a chat with Dr Moone Islam the boss of Audi's aerodynamics division the king of the room that we're standing in and he said that these alone are so effective at cutting drag these give you 7 km of extra range per charge on their own just these might be the difference between getting home and having to charge in a service station there's a lot more that you can't see underneath the floor is fully sealed up because of course there's no gearbox to cool and there's these bumps these ramps at the front to steer air flow around the turbulent Wheels with a spoke shape for the saloon and the event it's all very trick for a boring Family Estate car and at the back which is crucial for leaving the air as tidily as you found it the roof spoiler these curtain spoilers here and the diffuser which has actually been stored on the A6 evant to help the air flow from under the car meet more gracefully with the air coming over the top that all works together to reduce the turbulence where I'm standing really oh couple of other things to point out we got a light up Audi logo before we got GTA 6 and you might have noticed that these tail lights have a slight mind of their own there you go they just seem to light up angrily and go from twinkling to red and Furious this this is Audi's new anti-tailgating feature the car senses when something is following it a little bit too closely and the lights get brighter to tell you to back off so it doesn't get rear ended kind of ironic really isn't it because um remind me which cars do the most tailgating it seems weird Audi left it so long to combine EVs and advance but maybe that was smart it's had time to see that if you overdo Arrow design like the slug smooth Mercedes E QE and eqs no one really buys it so since Audi thinks you're going to be able to do many miles sat right here we should probably have a look inside it screens basically that's what it is there's one two three 4 five screens to be getting on with let's start with these for the virtual dorm mirrors yes they've moved them higher and further up into your eyeline I don't know we'll have to wait until we drive it to see if that's solved the issues with using it I'm still not convinced that in the dark or when it's raining this gives you as reliable a view as a mirror but we'll have to see later on what we can test is well for a start nice use of materials in here yes good leather as always but this kind of denim fabric that they've stretched across the dashboard all over the doors and here I really like but this come on Audi you're better than this we can do better now than glossy piano black which looks 10 years old after 10 minutes look at the smears on that um but all this is really sharp and clear you can adjust all of the displays how you like this one very very Snappy which it needs to be because as you can see no physical controls up here airon is in the screen D misting it's in the screen heated seats yeah it's all in there I'd like some physical buttons even just a home button to get back to the start but you kind of can't fault how quickly this does all react and look at this Top Gear YouTube channel fantastic of course the passenger won't worry about that because they'll be watching their own screen over here or will they will they just use this for 5 minutes and then go back to watching Tik Tok on their phone I suspect they might but they've got the option does it feel ultimately like a futuristic and modern premium car inside yes absolutely it does but it can still do the family wagon thing just had a quick sit in the back behind my driving position and you can easily get an adult comfortably behind another 6ot adult plenty of head room plenty of leg room and the boot is still huge with space for the charging cable under the floor and lots of lashing points for all your kit so the most important thing was worried about was making this new electric estate and very aerodynamic shape gonna compromise the kind of Audi Advan core values no it feels solid in here to me anyway thanks for watching they haven't kicked us out yet so um I wonder how aerodynamic the human face is\n"