I joined the forum earlier this year when I put a deposit down on a 2017 e-tron. It's almost arrived at the dealer but in the last week I had a complete change of heart and decided to buy another VW TDI instead of the e-tron...here's why!
- The e-tron has amazing technology and in my opinion is the best looking (non-S/RS) Audi out there right now (ok, I am biased toward the wagon look!) but I decided that I wouldn't be able to take full advantage of its EV abilities. Most of my trips to work (where there is no charging) are around 100km a day, and sometimes over 200km. There's a diminishing return when you drive that far in the e-tron as you are only getting 25 or so kilometres of full EV. I am really stoked on EV technology and I have driven the e-tron extensively (had it as a media test vehicle for a week - I also work as an auto journalist occasionally) and loved it, and I fully support the tech behind the cars.
- I found out that I have to jump through a few hoops with electrical permits and my townhouse strata (like an HOA for you Americans) as far as installing the NEMA 6-50 plug goes. I also may not even be able to install it as I only have a 100-amp panel and the panel total load has to be rated for the outlet, even if the charger only draws 10 amps at 240v. I wouldn't want 120v charging since I usually do lots of smaller trips during the weekend when I'm not working. All of this would equal about $1200-1500 in costs which would negate any fuel cost savings for about 3 years of ownership...
- Audi Canada is being very quiet about whether they will enable Audi Connect for 2017 models that "support" it. Officially they are only supporting two models for '17, and we are almost to the 2018s coming out so I doubt it'll be added to earlier vehicles. They also don't offer certain options that I thought were essential in a high performance hybrid, namely paddle shifting and the sport steering wheel
- The price. It's a $50,000 car (in the spec I wanted) after all. In order to make the numbers work I'd have had to take on a balloon payment at the end of a 3 or 4 year finance and put down a ton of cash. This is my personal experience - some people are trading in paid off TDIs and other vehicles to get the e-tron. I don't think it's overpriced at all since you get GTI-like performance out of it, but with the Audi tech features, as well as the EV capabilities for not much more than a fully loaded GTI - plus there are varying government subsidies.
- Again with the price. In my situation if I buy something in the $30k range I can do zero-down and pocket nearly $9000 from my TDI settlement, instead of forking over all my cash for some tech goodies.
- I found a brand new old-stock 2015 Golf TDI Highline with every option. I narrowly missed out on a similar equipped wagon but so it goes. VW is offering $6000 off MSRP with 0% financing for terms up to 60 months, so that made the money a no-brainer. It's also going to have the same warranty as a new Audi would have, and the fuel economy is very similar (diesel is 10-20 cents per litre cheaper than gas here, also)
So in conclusion... I am really a fan of the e-tron and I can't wait to see what Audi has next - I also want to see how the tech plays out. At the end of the day the decision was more financial - I can keep the same payment but don't have to compromise on the loan, and I get to pocket some cash out of the VW buyback. Your results may vary and I know a lot of you are getting the most out of the e-tron and I fully support that! I may try to convince some friends who have an A3 TDI to trade that in for my e-tron order, since they do a lot of smaller trips in town and would probably fill up every 3-4 months!
Hopefully I will find myself in an electric Audi some day, because I do really like the cars. (And having that EV sticker for HOV lanes would be pretty sweet!)
- The e-tron has amazing technology and in my opinion is the best looking (non-S/RS) Audi out there right now (ok, I am biased toward the wagon look!) but I decided that I wouldn't be able to take full advantage of its EV abilities. Most of my trips to work (where there is no charging) are around 100km a day, and sometimes over 200km. There's a diminishing return when you drive that far in the e-tron as you are only getting 25 or so kilometres of full EV. I am really stoked on EV technology and I have driven the e-tron extensively (had it as a media test vehicle for a week - I also work as an auto journalist occasionally) and loved it, and I fully support the tech behind the cars.
- I found out that I have to jump through a few hoops with electrical permits and my townhouse strata (like an HOA for you Americans) as far as installing the NEMA 6-50 plug goes. I also may not even be able to install it as I only have a 100-amp panel and the panel total load has to be rated for the outlet, even if the charger only draws 10 amps at 240v. I wouldn't want 120v charging since I usually do lots of smaller trips during the weekend when I'm not working. All of this would equal about $1200-1500 in costs which would negate any fuel cost savings for about 3 years of ownership...
- Audi Canada is being very quiet about whether they will enable Audi Connect for 2017 models that "support" it. Officially they are only supporting two models for '17, and we are almost to the 2018s coming out so I doubt it'll be added to earlier vehicles. They also don't offer certain options that I thought were essential in a high performance hybrid, namely paddle shifting and the sport steering wheel
- The price. It's a $50,000 car (in the spec I wanted) after all. In order to make the numbers work I'd have had to take on a balloon payment at the end of a 3 or 4 year finance and put down a ton of cash. This is my personal experience - some people are trading in paid off TDIs and other vehicles to get the e-tron. I don't think it's overpriced at all since you get GTI-like performance out of it, but with the Audi tech features, as well as the EV capabilities for not much more than a fully loaded GTI - plus there are varying government subsidies.
- Again with the price. In my situation if I buy something in the $30k range I can do zero-down and pocket nearly $9000 from my TDI settlement, instead of forking over all my cash for some tech goodies.
- I found a brand new old-stock 2015 Golf TDI Highline with every option. I narrowly missed out on a similar equipped wagon but so it goes. VW is offering $6000 off MSRP with 0% financing for terms up to 60 months, so that made the money a no-brainer. It's also going to have the same warranty as a new Audi would have, and the fuel economy is very similar (diesel is 10-20 cents per litre cheaper than gas here, also)
So in conclusion... I am really a fan of the e-tron and I can't wait to see what Audi has next - I also want to see how the tech plays out. At the end of the day the decision was more financial - I can keep the same payment but don't have to compromise on the loan, and I get to pocket some cash out of the VW buyback. Your results may vary and I know a lot of you are getting the most out of the e-tron and I fully support that! I may try to convince some friends who have an A3 TDI to trade that in for my e-tron order, since they do a lot of smaller trips in town and would probably fill up every 3-4 months!
Hopefully I will find myself in an electric Audi some day, because I do really like the cars. (And having that EV sticker for HOV lanes would be pretty sweet!)
