Review – Audi RS e-tron GT (2023) at Circuit Zandvoort – Electric driving pleasure?

Most powerful version Audi e-tron GT

‘Electric cars offer no experience,’ you sometimes hear people say. Meanwhile, there are already plenty of models trying to prove otherwise. Tesla certainly offers a form of experience with its insane acceleration, and Porsche manages to offer a car that pays homage to the brand with the Taycan. Which brings us to its cousin: the Audi e-tron GT. We already had those in the regular driving test, now we take the most powerful version – the Audi RS e-tron GT – onto the track to see if the car manages to convince there as well.

Audi Driving Experience

For that, we were invited by Audi to Circuit Zandvoort. We do this driving test as part of the Audi Driving Experience, which will now be held at the Zandvoort circuit instead of the TT Circuit in Assen. The Driving Experience offers a choice of three cars: the RS 3 Sportback (294 kW/400 hp), the R8 V10 (419 kW/570 hp) and the RS e-tron GT with 440 kW (600 hp – and even 475 kW/646 hp in overboost). Guess which of these cars Audi used for the contestants with the least experience? Wrong, it’s the RS e-tron GT.

600 hp for beginners

It does not immediately sound logical to give the least experienced group the most powerful car. Incidentally, I myself belong to that least experienced group. Apart from a few kart tracks and a few laps in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, I have no driving experience of my own at any track. Or you have to count video games. After a short theory lesson (seating position, position of hands on the handlebars, ideal line and braking points), we are allowed on the track. Equal to 600 hp, in other words.

Taking to the track

Participants each drive in their own car behind the instructor, who assumes the role of pace car and gives tips via walkie-talkie. We start quietly to get to know the track, but already by the second lap the pace builds up considerably. Then, round after round, we go a little bit harder and harder.

Heading

It soon becomes apparent that it is after all quite understandable that Audi is giving us “beginners” the RS e-tron GT of all things. The car is quite forgiving. All-wheel drive, along with traction control, ESP and ABS, ensures that the car always stays on the track you want it to. As if on rails. Even if you actually brake just a little too late for the turn, have to apply the brakes in the turn anyway, or suddenly have to brake because the even less experienced competitor in front of you brakes at unexpected moments. Even at full acceleration cornering, the Audi gives full confidence that it will stay in the desired direction. Nothing seems to be able to move the Audi off course.

Of course, if you push the limit or do really crazy things the car will surely have its limits, but for a workout like this, the Audi RS e-tron GT proves to be perfectly suited. It lets you explore the track with confidence. When you are ready to pick up the pace, so is he.

What about that experience?

Good, fast acceleration and confidence-inspiring grip modern EVs can soon provide. We also wanted to discover if the Audi RS e-tron GT still manages to offer a bit of experience. The answer is yes. In steering feel, the car may not excel, but it is certainly fun to steer in the e-tron GT. The only thing you can’t ignore is the weight of the car. Empty, the RS e-tron GT already weighs 2,322 kg. On the one hand, he manages to mask his weight extremely well. You really don’t feel like you’re driving such a heavy car. At the same time, you do feel the weight, especially compared to the Audi R8 and RS 3 we drove shortly after.

What you might not immediately expect: the Audi RS e-tron GT even offers sound experience. The heavy, perhaps even somewhat menacing tone it produces at low speeds to warn pedestrians swells with brisk acceleration, and that especially in the interior. Okay, it’s an artificial sound that also certainly doesn’t live up to the real engine sound of Audi’s own five-cylinder, V8 and V10, but the dark tone does contribute positively to the driving experience.

We’ve actually already talked about the handling. Even a few laps later, when I and the other competitors dare and are able to pick up the pace, the Audi allows itself to be steered steadily around the track.

Conclusion

Returning to the first paragraph, the statement “electric cars offer no experience” is indeed something you still hear people say sometimes. I do feel that this is mostly said by people who have never driven an electric car themselves. Sure, there are electric cars that have little to offer for the car enthusiast, but so do plenty of fuel-engined cars. If I let the heart speak, nothing beats the sound of an American V8, or Audi’s own V10, in terms of experience. Still, electric cars like the Audi RS e-tron GT are really not a bad alternative.

Want to drive an Audi RS e-tron GT yourself?

Want to experience the Audi RS e-tron GT for yourself sometime? You can with the Audi Driving Experience. There are several variations of that. We participated in the Sportscar Experience, where you get to drive the Audi RS 3 Sportback, Audi R8 V10 and Audi RS e-tron GT. Besides at Circuit Zandvoort, this experience can also be booked at the Spa-Francorchamps racetracks, the Nürburgring, Bilster Berg Drive Resort and the Red Bull Ring. That would include hotel stays. Prices start at 1,295 euros for the experience at Circuit Zandvoort. So not cheap, but you get an unforgettable experience in return.