Audi R8 e-tron

It’s the jewel in the crown of Audi’s electric plans! Auto Express drove the R8-based e-tron show car less than a year ago (Issue 1,094) – but now, we’ve tried an updated, production-bodied version, to be built in limited volume by 2012.

Despite familiar R8 bodywork, the concept’s basic layout has remained intact. Four electric motors – one at each corner of the car – deliver a total of 308bhp via a single-speed transmission. Acceleration from 0-60mph is claimed to be 4.7 seconds, and after one full-throttle run, we can confirm it feels even faster than that. 

Key for this updated version is the fact that the four motors have been shifted inboard, instead of inside the wheels themselves. This move means that the motors are now part of the vehicle’s sprung weight, rather than unsprung – which makes a significant difference to the handling. It feels much more nimble because the steered wheels are lighter.

As in the Mercedes SLS AMG E-Cell, the paddleshifters are carried over from the regular, combustion-engined version. But instead of changing any gears – there is only the one ratio, after all – they increase or decrease the level of energy recuperation from the brakes and axles while slowing down.

Notable differences from the V8 and V10 versions of the R8 include a lightweight composite rear window cover, slim competition-style Recaro seats, slick instrument cluster graphics (shared with the new Q5 Hybrid) LINK, an electric green-trimmed steering wheel and the absence of any exhaust tailpipes. 

The R8 e-tron is certainly a quality product, and has bags of potential. However, straight-line speed aside, the rest of the package isn’t quite as polished as we were hoping. The steering is lifeless – it brims with feedback in the petrol models – and the handling still needs fine-tuning to deliver the razor-sharp driving experience Audi customers have come to expect. 

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