Currently reading: Audi e-tron GT quattro: our top 8 favourite features

On our cross-country road-trip from Liverpool to Kielder Forest, we found lots of details to love in Audi’s sleek all-electric four-door coupé

They say that, in order to truly appreciate a car – all its little subtleties, wonders and moments of hidden joy – you have to live with it for a while. That’s why we recently took the Audi e-tron GT quattro on a ‘Grand Tour’ of the North of England.

Our main aim was to find out of it could live up to the iconic ‘gran turismo’ DNA of its GT badge. But, sometimes, the devil is actually in the detail. That’s why we’ve picked our eight favourite features that we discovered on the way.

Learn more about the Audi e-tron GT

#1 The Audi Drive Select system

Any good gran turismo needs to have a multi-faceted character that can suit all the different types of road that it will visit on any long cross-country journey. It should be refined, comfortable and potent enough to effortlessly devour miles of motorway with ease, but it should also be invigorating to drive on epic flowing A-roads.

So, being able to customise a variety of drive settings is a must. A lot of modern tech offers far too much customisation. Our Audi e-tron GT quattro got it just right, with three simple easily selectable hero modes – Comfort, Efficiency, and Dynamic – and the ability to create your own uniquely individual ‘Custom’ blend, using just the right amount of ingredients.

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On long motorway stints, we found ourselves favouring ‘Comfort’, with its softer suspension setting and more laid-back driving character, although we could quickly switch to ‘Dynamic’ using the buttons on the flat-bottomed multi-function steering wheel when we needed a quick burst of acceleration to navigate traffic.

In the city and suburbs, our drive mode of choice was ‘Efficiency’: maximising our range on slower-speed roads and in stop-start traffic with more regenerative braking, while also minimising the sound of the synthesised virtual engine note. Combined with our Audi e-tron GT quattro’s noise-insulating windshield and optional noise-insulating windows, it created a calming cocoon from the bustle outside.

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When we hit the amazing flowing roads of the Pennines, though, we needed something more specific. Using the ‘Custom’ option, we set the drive to ‘Dynamic’ for the most responsive power delivery, the suspension to ‘Comfort’ to soak up the crests and bumps, and the sound to ‘Dynamic’ to make the most of our Audi e-tron GT quattro’s engaging virtual engine note. The perfect recipe for driving pleasure.

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#2 The all-digital virtual cockpit

The standout feature of our Audi e-tron GT quattro’s interior was undoubtedly the all-digital display. Two large crisp high-definition screens – the 10.1-inch central MMI touch display and the 12.-3-inch all-digital Audi virtual cockpit – work together to let you balance the right mix of driving information, navigation and infotainment.

Using the touchscreen, the solid-feeling buttons on the large flat-bottomed multi-function steering wheel or Audi’s intuitive voice control, the all-digital displays were easy to use, quick to navigate, and vivid to view. They synced seamlessly with whichever smartphone we used, while the 3D Google Earth option for the navigation was a lovely detail that brought our surroundings to life.

You can also add an optional head-up display to the mix, projecting key information so that it appears to hover, virtually, two metres ahead of you on the road.

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#3 The smart e-tron route planner

One of the best all-electric-focused elements of our Audi e-tron GT quattro’s always-online navigation is Audi’s intelligent e-tron route planner. Using real-time traffic data and charging data, it did the hard work, so we didn’t have to – helping us pick the right blend of short stops at ultra-rapid chargers or longer stops at fast chargers. It could even recognise our plan and either pre-cool or pre-heat the Audi e-tron GT’s battery in advance, so that we were always charging at the optimum rate.

#4 Remote connectivity and the myAudi app

Thanks to our Audi e-tron GT quattro’s always-online connectivity, we could always stay in touch with our car remotely using the myAudi smartphone app. So, whether it was keeping track of our overnight charging from the hotel room, or our top-up charging from the coffee shop, or plotting our route in advanced before syncing it with the navigation in the car, it made every step of planning our trip a breeze.

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#5 Leather-free trim pack

Our Audi e-tron GT quattro’s interior was specced with the leather-free trim option, which meant it was upholstered with a wealth of luxuriously plush premium-feeling fabrics – many crafted from recycled materials. This was particularly true of the warm tactile wool-like Cascade seat material. Understated and premium-feeling in equal measure, it’s the very epitome of progressive modern sustainable low-impact luxury.

#6 The large panoramic sunroof

When crafting the Audi e-tron GT’s interior, Audi’s designers clearly said: “Let there be light”. And it was good. Our Audi e-tron GT quattro’s large panoramic sunroof uses darkened glass to prevent glare for the driver and passengers, but it also floods the interior with natural light to make it feel airier and more spacious. It’s particularly appealing when you’re driving through urban areas, giving you a new perspective on your surroundings, or when driving through woodland areas, with the dappling of light, shade and greenery adding to the calming effect of electric driving.

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#7 Lots of practical load space as standard

Think a sleek four-door coupé GT can’t pack much in? Think again. Our Audi e-tron GT quattro’s 350 litres of standard rear luggage space easily swallowed our bags with room to spare, while the 81 litres of front trunk storage was perfect for keeping the charging cables separate from the rest of our luggage and easily accessible, with lots of room for odds and ends.

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#8 Smart seating for even more load options

It wasn’t just the Audi e-tron GT quattro’s expansive standard load space that we loved. The 40:20:40 folding rear seat configuration was also a real boon. We could either use the central ‘ski’ hatch to slide long camera equipment through without significantly compromising the space for any rear passengers. Or, with just a quick flick of the two rear toggles, we could lower all the rear seats to create a huge luggage space.

So, that’s everything we loved about Audi e-tron GT quattro. Maybe it’s time to find out what you love.

Learn more about the Audi e-tron GT

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