VIENNA, Austria – A few weeks ago deputy editor, Mike Fourie, spent some time behind the wheel of the Volkswagen Golf GTE. As is common practice within the VW Group there is often platform and powertrain sharing, which is why I write this in Austria while watching the German football team pummel the Brazilians in their own back yard (the scoreboard has just ticked over to a scarcely believable 7 – 0). Not to be left out of proceedings Audi has just launched its first ever plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), the A3 e-tron.
What is it?
Well, the name is pretty self-explanatory. This is an A3 – here in five-door, Sportback form – that boasts an electrified drivetrain. However, unlike most other hybrids on the market the A3 e-tron can be charged from a wall socket and from brake regeneration while driving. Plug it in at home and charging the battery from completely empty should take three hours and forty five minutes, use an industrial socket and this is reduced to two and a quarter hours (these figures are based on electricity supply in Germany and NOT South Africa).
The concept is based around the very simple inclusion of an electric unit that it bolted between the 1,4-litre TFSI engine and the six-speed S-tronic, dual clutch transmission. This motor is capable of delivering 75 kW of power and a more than handy 330 N.m of torque from the moment it starts turning.
Inclusion of the e-motor has necessitated the engine to be moved closer to the right hand front wheel by 58 mm. Total system power for the petrol and electric motor combined in 150 kW and 350 N.m; those are not insubstantial figures and Audi bills this as a performance-oriented A3.
While the benchmark zero-to-100 km/h sprint time is a less than searing 7,6 seconds (the performance potential is undoubtedly blunted by the additional 300 kg that the new bits and pieces add), the in-gear acceleration should provide for much better reading. Flat out expect to see the wrong side of 220 km/h.
Feeding power from the electric motor, which it does so by default from start-up (incidentally it starts the petrol motor as well, thereby doing away with the need for a traditional starter motor), the e-tron can attain 50 km of travel, or the average day of driving by anyone living in or near a large city. More so, a top speed of 130 km/h is achievable on battery power alone. Total range is quoted as 940 km.
Speaking of which, the battery is a high-capacity 8,8 kW/h unit that is stored under the rear seats. Interestingly, despite the relocation of the fuel tank there are no changes to overall storage volume or rearrangement of the rear suspension, which can only mean that this drivetrain was part of the plan for this platform from day one.
How does it go?
Like any hybrid that can run purely on electric power, setting off can feel a little odd. The instrument cluster lights up but there’s no engine rumble, just a “ready” symbol to give you the all clear. Slide the traditional gearlever into D and feed in some of the “loud” (quiet?) pedal and you just roll off silently.
From behind the wheel there is little to differentiate the e-tron from other A3s, apart from the absence of a rev-counter. From the outside, different bumpers – with cool detailing in the front bumper (on both ends), bespoke alloys and hidden exhaust tips herald the e-tron as something different.
As mentioned before, there is plenty of torque on tap from the get go. In fact, the A3 e-tron will zip from standstill to 50 km/h in 4,9 seconds, which should allow drivers to nip off the line at busy intersections. With the EV mode initiated one can keep cruising along in relative silence while cars around you pollute the air with both their engine noise and emissions.
When the need arises the engine will seamlessly feed in the petrol engine. Despite the internal combustion unit the combined cycle fuel consumption figure is a measly 1,5 litres/100 km, with a correspondingly low carbon dioxide emissions of 35 g/km.
When will we see it?
Audi SA representatives on the launch confirm that the A3 e-tron’s launch onto the SA market is hindered by a lack of infrastructure, but that the firm is aiming for a local launch in 2016.
