Audi e-tron GT: interior, dashboard & infotainment
The e-tron GT has a typically luxurious and well designed Audi interior
Interior quality in the e-tron GT is excellent, as you'd expect from Audi, and depending on the trim level you choose, there's the usual array of technology on hand, including a head-up display, keyless entry and go, a suite of modern driver assistance and safety systems and a Bang & Olufsen sound system.
Audi e-tron GT dashboard
The e-tron GT's dashboard design isn't too far removed from what you find in petrol and diesel-engined high-end Audis – which is a good or a bad thing, depending on who you ask. Sure, the e-tron GT isn’t available with the up to six screens configurable in the Porsche Taycan, but Audi’s slick Virtual Cockpit instrument cluster is definitely a selling point thanks to its clarity and configurability.
While the e-tron GT’s Porsche Taycan sister car uses a finicky touchscreen for all its climate controls, the Audi sticks with traditional and tactile buttons and switches that are much easier to operate on the move. Having said that, we do think the main way of adjusting the volume, which involves tracing your finger around a touch-sensitive circle, is a bit of an ergonomic oversight – especially given how foolproof the rest of the e-tron GT’s switchgear is.
Equipment, options & accessories
For a shade under £80,000, you can be at the wheel of the entry-level e-tron GT quattro, which Audi reckons will be the best-selling version of the car. This has everything you’ll really need including matrix LED headlights, heated leather front seats, tri-zone climate control, a wireless phone charger, cruise control, a reversing camera and a panoramic glass roof.
The Vorsprung trim level we sampled breaks the £100,000 barrier, for which you get 18-way adjustable vented and massage seats, Audi’s top-of-the-range laser headlights, adaptive cruise control with semi-autonomous driving capability and a head-up display, as well as adaptive air suspension and a four-wheel steering system.
Then there are the three RS e-tron GT variants – the regular version, the Carbon Black and the Carbon Vorsprung, which run the gamut from £110,000 to over £130,000. As well as boosting power (as discussed in the 'perfomance, motor & drive' section), they include styling enhancements that make the e-tron GT look even more sporty and aggressive than it does in standard form.
Our biggest issue comes with the fact that if you want a leather-free interior – whether that’s because you’re vegan or you just prefer the aesthetic of softer fabrics – Audi will do the typical Audi thing and charge you extra for it – £2,580, to be exact. While most buyers that are able to afford the e-tron GT won’t be too fazed by this extra expenditure, we do feel it’s an approach that’s perhaps a bit behind the times.
Infotainment, apps & sat nav
Audi's current in-car information and entertainment template is now well established, with a two-screen setup comprising a responsive 10.1-inch touchscreen and a 12.3-inch 'Virtual Cockpit' display facing the driver from behind the steering wheel. Unlike in some rivals, the two screens don't blend together to appear as one large display stretching across the dashboard – although some may prefer this and find it less distracting on the move.
Audi's 'MMI navigation plus' suite is standard on all e-tron GTs; this incorporates real-time traffic data as well as destination suggestions based on previously driven routes when it's generating sat-nav directions. A range of 'Audi connect' online services is also offered, including emergency calls; remote control of the locking system, charging and climate control; online traffic information; and Google Earth navigation.
Of course, if you’d rather use more familiar software, the Audi e-tron GT comes as standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. There’s also the option to use Amazon’s Alexa as a voice assistant, too.
