If there’s one flaw that plagues the Audi E-Tron electric crossover SUV, it’s the model’s middling EPA-estimated driving range. Rated at 204 miles, the Audi falls notably short of the more than 300 miles certain Tesla models manage.
Fortunately, the 2020 E-Tron Sportback improves upon its squarer sibling’s shortcoming—albeit, not by much. Audi estimates its fastback crossover EV manages a driving range of 218 miles on the EPA’s testing cycle. Admittedly, the E-Tron Sportback offers plenty of range for the average driver, even if it still fails to compete with the longest range EV’s available today. (For what it’s worth, we came up slightly short of the EPA’s range estimate in a 2019 E-Tron.)
The E-Tron Sportback has other tricks up its proverbial sleeves, though, and its ability to charge at 150 kilowatts on a high-speed charger allows the crossover to add approximately 58 miles of range to its 95-kilowatt-hour battery pack in 10 minutes. Keep it plugged in for another 20 minutes, and the E-Tron Sportback welcomes an extra 116 miles of charge (for a total gain of approximately 174 miles).
The E-Tron Sportback’s ability to add charge isn’t the only quick bit about it, and the fastback crossover sprints to 60 miles per hour in an estimated 5.5 seconds with its Boost mode engaged. Expect even better performance in the real world, too, considering the standard E-Tron hit the mile-a-minute mark in 5.1 seconds in our testing.
As its name implies, Boost mode ups the power from the E-Tron Sportback’s front and rear electric motors to a total of 402 horses. The powertrain makes a maximum of 355 horsepower without Boost mode engaged. Such acceleration matches the model’s racy looks, which includes body-color wheel-arch trim, door sills, lower bumper trim, and exterior mirror caps on U.S.-spec models.
Of course, good looks and high performance aren’t cheap and the E-Tron Sportback wears a $78,395 starting price, or $2,600 more than the company charges for the squarer 2019 E-Tron. Then again, given the model’s 14 extra miles of range and arguably more attractive looks, the E-Tron Sportback is possibly the better value of Audi’s two E-Tron crossover SUV models.
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