AUDI RS E-TRON GT

Claims of a broader operating window and improved EV stats for Taycan sibling

- JAMES ATTWOOD

Sometimes we will drive a new car under embargo, securing early access in return for not writing about it until a certain date. Usually, that's only a few days or so after the drive, but on occasion, event logistics and launch cycles lead to a gap of a few weeks. In the case of this Audi E-tron GT prototype, the embargo was so long that I actually drove it last year.

I mention this partly so you don't think the 'tested' date atop this page is a typo but mainly because it has created an unusual situation: I know more about this car now than I did when I drove it. I think.

Back in the heady days of last December (merry Christmas, by the way), Audi's engineers were tight-lipped about the technical details of the revamped E-tron GT. That's understandable: these were prototypes and development was still ongoing. I know this because a clipboard-armed engineer asked lots of questions to gather feedback.

Audi confirmed that there had been changes to the powertrain, battery system, suspension, driving dynamics and charging speeds but would share no numbers and few technical details. It wouldn't even confirm which model I was driving, although it was absolutely the range-topping RS.

"We don't start with the entry-level versions," said Stephan Reil, R&D chief at Audi's Neckarsulm site, who 'supervised' me from the passenger seat. Reil is one of the technical leads for the E-tron GT, which you should take as a good sign, because he was previously responsible for the R8 supercar.