Publications
Partners
• The RoadTrip team undertakes a sojourn to Route 62 in Audi's forthcoming e-tron 55.
• The e-tron 55 is one of six all-electric Audis to be launched in South Africa this year.
• Driving range on this all-electric SUV is between 369 and 440km.
• For more motoring stories, visit Wheels24
A gateway to the popular Route 62 driving meander that links Worcester with the Eastern Cape via Oudtshoorn, the Robertson Valley, has been finding new and innovative ways of tempting tourism to its parts for a number of years.
Home to no fewer than 36 wineries in picturesque towns including Ashton, McGregor, Bonnievale and, of course, Robertson itself, these include annual events like the popular-despite-the-inevitable-bad-weather Wacky Wine Weekend and somewhat more sophisticated Wine on the River event.
These festivals serve as an ideal showcase for both the beauty of this region and its world-class harvest, but also the fun-filled, easy-going nature of the people that make it all work. While both these events and other popular venues in the valley await a return to 'normality', it is worth remembering that the valley of wine and roses can be reached by car from Cape Town in under two hours - and via any number of scenic routes.
To read the original article, click here.
Fresh technology
Compared with the first-generation electric vehicles that filtered into South Africa over the past decade, the appeal of the "fresh batch" of cars about to make landfall - including offerings from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz - is that they are built around fast-evolving battery technologies.
Not only does the latest innovations in electric transportation deliver significantly greater operating ranges compared with previous models, but crucially, they deplete their charge in an altogether more predictable fashion than before. With this in mind, and with the Daytona Grey Audi e-tron 55 offering a distance-to-empty of more than 350km, I felt comfortable taking the long way around to reach our overnight stop in Robertson.
WATCH: What it's like driving Audi's electric e-tron 55 SUV ahead of its SA launch in 2022
Of course, affording my wife, especially, the opportunity to take in the sights and sounds of a Saturday morning in Franschhoek also meant a trip up and over the always spectacular Franschhoek Pass en route to join the R43 as it bisects Villiersdorp and eventually enters Worcester from the South.
Built on the MLB evo platform of the Volkswagen Group, the e-tron is the first all-electric vehicle from Ingolstadt. Together with its newer Sportback variant (a pair of low-slung e tron GT derivatives are expected later), this essentially fully-fledged member of the Q family of SUVs forms part of bold Audi plans for electric mobility, both globally and in South Africa.
Available in Advanced and S line specification, the 55 badge on the tailgate denotes the inclusion within this package of a 95kWh battery system, good for a claimed operating range of up to 440km (in optimal conditions). With all-wheel-drive delivered by an electric motor on each axle, this entry-level e-tron boasts a combined output of 300kW and 664Nm of torque while in boost-mode (essentially a launch control).
Impressive power
While real-world driving figures of 265kW and 561Nm remain impressive on paper, it must be remembered that the e-tron tops the scales to the wrong side of 2.5 tonnes. Still, for a vehicle that closely mimics its combustion-engine Q7 sibling in terms of character and versatility, the e-tron feels suitable planted on the road.
Thanks to a combination of standard adaptive air suspension and no doubt its huge overall mass, the family-focussed SUV remains impressively comfortable over most road surfaces, including gravel. However, it is disappointing to note the nav system in this Audi does not include the same useful estimated-remaining-range-at-destination readout featured in its Porsche Taycan relation.
I appreciated the "anticipated regeneration" feature - recuperating energy gained from braking while still automatically maintaining a distance to the vehicle ahead. By "trusting the process" and allowing the vehicle to manage steady deceleration, the operating range actually increased at times.
The inclusion of a Dynamic driving mode felt somewhat out-of-place in a vehicle of this size and weight, but the nature of its all-electric drivetrain, including its Scalextric-mimicking delivery of torque, meant it was no slouch when it came to overtaking manoeuvres.
Overnight charge
Arriving in Robertson with still more than enough range remaining for some wine farm visits and a spot of lunch, I was still nevertheless grateful for the sight of the charging station installed in the reception parking area of theLAB guest house.
Mated with an impressive array of roof-mounted solar panels, the free-to-use station offered a charge rate close to the GridCar's-installed Wallbox at home (7kWh). That said, while my wife and I argued over who's voice commands worked best for activating the wide array of automated functionality in our room (my comment that hers can, at times, come across too stern was not appreciated), the e-tron enjoyed an overnight recharge to maximum capacity.
Homeward bound the following day, the conversation in the car inevitably turned towards whether we, as a family of four, might one day consider an e-tron 55 as a daily commuter. The answer? Not while the asking price of all-electric vehicles destined for our market remains uncomfortably dependent on government appetite towards this form of mobility.
However, what remains impressive is the pace at which manufacturers, now committed towards an emissions-free future, are moving forward. While the e-tron 55 offers a compelling (but high) entry-point into the all-electric future of Audi, it does so without losing any of the quality of packaging and materials the brand has become renowned for.
Besides remaining every bit as comfortable and versatile as the largest member of the established Q family of Audi, the operating range of the e-tron 55 - the highest I noted during my time with the vehicle was 380km - unlocks more possibilities one may have initially considered.
With forthcoming products, including those from Audi, already set to break through the psychologically significant (in my opinion) 500km mark, it may just make a full week of daily commute duties possible - or indeed, a weekend away at a valley filled with wine and roses.
