[Jammy]

Has anyone been able to get an E-Tron loaner from their dealer when visiting service? I'm wondering how many loaners there could be out there. My local dealer is a pretty high volume dealer but they do not have an E-Tron in the service loaner fleet.

My dealer has one e tron loaner and they always try to give it to me because they know I won’t fill up the tank of an ICE loaner 🤣 also my e tron had a lot of issues in the first six months and so I think they’re trying to make up for that. My dealer is actually really great, I know not all of them are and I’m thankful that mine has been very helpful.

 

[deedub75]

We just got rid of our 2021 eTron Sportback Prestige today for a 2023 BMW iX 50. We were hoping to stick with Audi EVs but they are late to the party. The eTron is just too small for us and the range sucks and nothing that Audi has coming out soon is much better. Also, the resale value at least in my area is terrible. We took a hit trading it in but at least we got the $7500 tax credit when we bought it.

 

[MiaSanMia]

If you trade a car in within the first few years you are gonna take a hit, no matter what brand. Some lose 20% in the first year! After about 4-5 years it slows. Looking at trade in values vs Private party sales the etron looks like its about average for the brand.



"Cars lose the most value in the first year, and depreciation continues for about five years. A car can lose up to 20% of its value in the first year, and over the first five years fall to around 40% from the original price. That means it loses about 15% of the value each year after the first year."

 

[deedub75]

If you trade a car in within the first few years you are gonna take a hit, no matter what brand. Some lose 20% in the first year! After about 4-5 years it slows. Looking at trade in values vs Private party sales the etron looks like its about average for the brand.



"Cars lose the most value in the first year, and depreciation continues for about five years. A car can lose up to 20% of its value in the first year, and over the first five years fall to around 40% from the original price. That means it loses about 15% of the value each year after the first year."

Yes, I realize all of that. I was just shocked at how quickly and how much the used car market has dropped over the last 2 years. When I bought the eTron new, the used ones weren't much cheaper so they were holding their value very well as pretty much all used cars were. I had Audi dealers calling me trying to sell me used 2021 eTrons with like 10K or more miles for $80-85K. My eTron was the Prestige and had all the bells and whistles that could be ordered on it and it was around $92K. So with the $7500 tax credit it made no sense to buy a used one.

KBB has the values way off for eTrons. I was receiving offers from the dealership to basically swap out my 2021 for a 2023 eTron. They were offering up to $5000 off the 2023 and had estimated that I'd get $6154 from trading in my 2021. They estimated the trade in value at $61,242 and it only had about 13K miles on it. So with all this and an interest rate of 6.99% my monthly payment was going to go up by $214! Now, if the 2023 was a little bit larger, had more power, and a lot more range I may have considered it. The 2023 is essentially the same car though. The 2024 Q8 eTron looks promising with the Sportback having an estimated range of 300 miles but it's essential the same car.

 

[JNealCox]

Yes, I realize all of that..... with the Sportback having an estimated range of 300 miles but it's essential the same car.

....yes, isn't that great!?

 

[Sspddmn]

Without reading everyone's replies, my 2 cents since owning our 22 etron is purely the fact that range sucks. My 22 etron advertises 222 miles max range. What they dont tell you until after you buy it whether the salesman told you or your owners manual is dont always charge it to 100%. Only charge to 80%. If you are going on longer trips then charge to 100%. Well $#!+ now I only average 150-160 miles at 80% and that depends if its warm/hot outside. When it was cold, i was averaging 129-139 miles. Another good example, yesterday i had charged my etron to 100% due to a longer trip. In the morning when i unhooked the charger i was at a range of 202 miles. Thats the highest est range I've gotten since I've owned this suv. My first destination according to the GPS was 32 miles away. On the freeway 98% flat i reached my first destination with a remaining range of 152 miles left. Not using a/c or heater and driving in efficiency mode. I drive speed limit and i dont have a heavy foot especially with my wife, child, and elderly mother in the car. I was really disappointed that I ended up using 50 miles of range on a 32 mile trip. This happens a lot and not the only time. Because there were many other places we had to go to yesterday i ended up having to find someplace to charge before heading home as i was at 65 miles left of charge after we went and did all we wanted to do. Honestly, to me, this etron suv is not worth the money we spent. The tech is great (when its working) but even that is hit or miss from what I've read on the forums and groups posts. Many ppl are abandoning the etrons and going to tesla and other ev cars. I dont like teslas but i dont hate them either. Friends of mine have them and they are great range wise because of their regen capability. As soon as you let off the gas it starts to regen which is great both on freeway and city. With our etrons, regen happens only when brake is applied or you hit the left paddle. But seriously when are you going to slow down or hit the brakes on an open freeway with no traffic? With teslas, you are more often going to let off the gas many times to lower your speed or maintain speed etc. Friends tell me their range lasts pretty well even on the freeways.

Another reason....Audi's resale value drops like a rock. That's surprising to me especially considering its a popular luxury brand.

 

[JNealCox]

Without reading everyone's replies, my 2 cents since owning our 22 etron is purely the fact that range sucks. My 22 etron advertises 222 miles max range. What they dont tell you until after you buy it whether the salesman told you or your owners manual is dont always charge it to 100%. Only charge to 80%. If you are going on longer trips then charge to 100%. Well $#!+ now I only average 150-160 miles at 80% and that depends if its warm/hot outside. When it was cold, i was averaging 129-139 miles. Another good example, yesterday i had charged my etron to 100% due to a longer trip. In the morning when i unhooked the charger i was at a range of 202 miles. Thats the highest est range I've gotten since I've owned this suv. My first destination according to the GPS was 32 miles away. On the freeway 98% flat i reached my first destination with a remaining range of 152 miles left. Not using a/c or heater and driving in efficiency mode. I drive speed limit and i dont have a heavy foot especially with my wife, child, and elderly mother in the car. I was really disappointed that I ended up using 50 miles of range on a 32 mile trip. This happens a lot and not the only time. Because there were many other places we had to go to yesterday i ended up having to find someplace to charge before heading home as i was at 65 miles left of charge after we went and did all we wanted to do. Honestly, to me, this etron suv is not worth the money we spent. The tech is great (when its working) but even that is hit or miss from what I've read on the forums and groups posts. Many ppl are abandoning the etrons and going to tesla and other ev cars. I dont like teslas but i dont hate them either. Friends of mine have them and they are great range wise because of their regen capability. As soon as you let off the gas it starts to regen which is great both on freeway and city. With our etrons, regen happens only when brake is applied or you hit the left paddle. But seriously when are you going to slow down or hit the brakes on an open freeway with no traffic? With teslas, you are more often going to let off the gas many times to lower your speed or maintain speed etc. Friends tell me their range lasts pretty well even on the freeways.

Another reason....Audi's resale value drops like a rock. That's surprising to me especially considering its a popular luxury brand.

Just to clear up one issue: Coasting is the most efficient way to move a car. With any regen you throw 25 to 30 percent of the kinetic energy away, lost as heat. So, if a car--such as Tesla--cannot coast, that is a NEGATIVE.

Regarding your 32 mi trip. ALL EV's, including Teslas, when you start out driving will initially "melt" away miles for 20 or 30 minute as the cabin warms/cools and as the battery warms to optimal operating temperature. You should charge your car on a Timer set for your departure time and include cabin conditioning as part of that charging cycle. (If on a timer, the energy used to condition the cabin is replenished to the battery from the wall) . That way you leave with a full, conditioned battery and cabin. I bet your 50 mi would have been MUCH closer to the 32.

 

[Sspddmn]

Just to clear up one issue: Coasting is the most efficient way to move a car. With any regen you throw 25 to 30 percent of the kinetic energy away, lost as heat. So, if a car--such as Tesla--cannot coast, that is a NEGATIVE.

Regarding your 32 mi trip. ALL EV's, including Teslas, when you start out driving will initially "melt" away miles for 20 or 30 minute as the cabin warms/cools and as the battery warms to optimal operating temperature. You should charge your car on a Timer set for your departure time and include cabin conditioning as part of that charging cycle. (If on a timer, the energy used to condition the cabin is replenished to the battery from the wall) . That way you leave with a full, conditioned battery and cabin. I bet your 50 mi would have been MUCH closer to the 32.

Thanks for some explanation on the regen. But with regards to the timer i always set timer to the time of departure. Weekdays timers are set to 7am as that is the time the wife takes my son to school. Yesterday timer was set to 10am which was my departure time so what you said didn't help me.

 

[JNealCox]

Thanks for some explanation on the regen. But with regards to the timer i always set timer to the time of departure. Weekdays timers are set to 7am as that is the time the wife takes my son to school. Yesterday timer was set to 10am which was my departure time so what you said didn't help me.

Do you include cabin conditioning in your timer? Interesting, I find that all helps a lot with that initial mileage drop.

 

[Sspddmn]

Do you include cabin conditioning in your timer? Interesting, I find that all helps a lot with that initial mileage drop.

No I do not activate cabin conditioning. Yeah I am extremely not happy with the range of our ev. Both wife and I work from home. On average day taking son to school which is 18 miles round trip, with nowhere else to go in between, our Etron uses approximately 30+ miles of range. At 80% charge averaging 150 miles of range in the morning. end of day we are at 116-120 range left. great City driving though. No complaints there. But freeway totally sucks for my etron.

 

[deedub75]

....yes, isn't that great!?

Not really. I love Audis. My first Audi was a 2013 A6 Prestige. Absolutely loved that car as did my wife. We had been wanting to get an EV but really wanted an Audi so we got a 2021 eTron Sportback Prestige with all the bells and whistles. The $7500 tax credit helped make our decision too. At the time we were looking, used care prices were crazy and a used eTron wasn't much cheaper than a '21 mode and no tax credit on the used one. Really like the car, but hated the range and the lack of space inside. I figured Audi would come out with some much larger models with better range in maybe '23 or '24 and we'd trade the '21 in. Audi was late to EV party anyway and Volkswagen was focusing more on diesel as the future more so than EVs.

We could have waited a few more years, but with the uncertainty of the new tax credits and my wife starting a new job in a couple of months that will require a much longer drive, we decided to look around at other EVs. With the new tax credit rules, there weren't many to choose from. We looked at the Lyriq but the AWD version wasn't out yet. I have a friend who is pretty high up in sales at a large BMW dealership in the area and he had just gotten a new BMW iX xDrive50 and let my wife take a look at it. I was ok with spending less money for the base model but the wife wanted all the bells and whistles with expensive leather seats. We were able to lease it and they gave us the $7500 tax credit off the price of the vehicle because it doesn't qualify for the tax credit. We traded in the eTron and was shocked at the trade in value. We only got $61,500 for the '21 eTron Sportback with 14,896 miles on it and they are selling for exactly what we traded it in for.

Overall, I really like the BMW so far and my wife loves it. It has so much tech in it that it's taking me a while to figure it all out. It has tons of power and torque and a really smooth ride. The range is really good. I have a doctor about 1.5 hours from me that I see every 3 months. In ideal conditions, the eTron would barely make it there and back on a 100% charge. In cold weather, it was a no go and I'd have to stop and charge in order to make it home. Luckily, there is a great Italian restaurant there that has free charging for customers so I'd stope there to eat and charger for 30-45 minutes. The BMW made it there and back with plenty of range to spare. It does have a larger battery and I'm not sure if it's more efficient than the eTron but I had zero range anxiety.

I'm a truck person and I drive '21 GMC Sierra, but I still like Audi and hopefully that catch up to the EV party soon.

But really, these EV batteries need to get a LOT lighter and produce the same amount of electricity or more or this switch over to EVs will not work. To get more range, they are just adding more and more batteries, thus increasing the weight with little to no increase in efficiency.

 

[MiaSanMia]

"Cars lose the most value in the first year, and depreciation continues for about five years. A car can lose up to 20% of its value in the first year, and over the first five years fall to around 40% from the original price. That means it loses about 15% of the value each year after the first year."

Counting the $7500 tax credit I got for my 22 sportback there is no surprise in what these cars are worth. Getting that tax credit paid for a nice portion of the first two years of depreciation. It is not more than many cars out there! Plus what I sold my A6 for to the Nissan dealer was highway robbery in my opinion! If you got the tax credit and had a trade in during the peak I think you did just fine!

 

[JNealCox]

Not really. I love Audis. My first Audi was a 2013 A6 Prestige. Absolutely loved that car as did my wife. We had been wanting to get an EV but really wanted an Audi so we got a 2021 eTron Sportback Prestige with all the bells and whistles. The $7500 tax credit helped make our decision too. At the time we were looking, used care prices were crazy and a used eTron wasn't much cheaper than a '21 mode and no tax credit on the used one. Really like the car, but hated the range and the lack of space inside. I figured Audi would come out with some much larger models with better range in maybe '23 or '24 and we'd trade the '21 in. Audi was late to EV party anyway and Volkswagen was focusing more on diesel as the future more so than EVs.

We could have waited a few more years, but with the uncertainty of the new tax credits and my wife starting a new job in a couple of months that will require a much longer drive, we decided to look around at other EVs. With the new tax credit rules, there weren't many to choose from. We looked at the Lyriq but the AWD version wasn't out yet. I have a friend who is pretty high up in sales at a large BMW dealership in the area and he had just gotten a new BMW iX xDrive50 and let my wife take a look at it. I was ok with spending less money for the base model but the wife wanted all the bells and whistles with expensive leather seats. We were able to lease it and they gave us the $7500 tax credit off the price of the vehicle because it doesn't qualify for the tax credit. We traded in the eTron and was shocked at the trade in value. We only got $61,500 for the '21 eTron Sportback with 14,896 miles on it and they are selling for exactly what we traded it in for.

Overall, I really like the BMW so far and my wife loves it. It has so much tech in it that it's taking me a while to figure it all out. It has tons of power and torque and a really smooth ride. The range is really good. I have a doctor about 1.5 hours from me that I see every 3 months. In ideal conditions, the eTron would barely make it there and back on a 100% charge. In cold weather, it was a no go and I'd have to stop and charge in order to make it home. Luckily, there is a great Italian restaurant there that has free charging for customers so I'd stope there to eat and charger for 30-45 minutes. The BMW made it there and back with plenty of range to spare. It does have a larger battery and I'm not sure if it's more efficient than the eTron but I had zero range anxiety.

I'm a truck person and I drive '21 GMC Sierra, but I still like Audi and hopefully that catch up to the EV party soon.

But really, these EV batteries need to get a LOT lighter and produce the same amount of electricity or more or this switch over to EVs will not work. To get more range, they are just adding more and more batteries, thus increasing the weight with little to no increase in efficiency.

When selecting an EV, you need to make sure the range is "good enough" to meet your needs...no doubt about that! My 2019 etron quattro worked fine for me and it had only 215 mi range. My revelation about the buying experience is that you cannot assume anything, especially in trying to compare an EV with a comparable ICE. You have to do your homework and balance the need and desire for range, fit and finish, comfort, driving mode and price. With my lease coming due, I'm moving on to a Q8 etron Sportback with 296 mi range--definitely brings added security! The Q8, by the way, increased battery capacity by 20% but only added 60 pounds to the vehicle. Carmakers are getting more savvy about things. I have been really pleased with the comfort, fit and finish, and especially the execution of the Audi Coast/Regen driving mode strategy. I'm happy to keep that and pay $10K + less if I were to move to the iX.

 

[JNealCox]

No I do not activate cabin conditioning. Yeah I am extremely not happy with the range of our ev. Both wife and I work from home. On average day taking son to school which is 18 miles round trip, with nowhere else to go in between, our Etron uses approximately 30+ miles of range. At 80% charge averaging 150 miles of range in the morning. end of day we are at 116-120 range left. great City driving though. No complaints there. But freeway totally sucks for my etron.

You should add cabin conditioning to your Timer.

 

[deedub75]

When selecting an EV, you need to make sure the range is "good enough" to meet your needs...no doubt about that! My 2019 etron quattro worked fine for me and it had only 215 mi range. My revelation about the buying experience is that you cannot assume anything, especially in trying to compare an EV with a comparable ICE. You have to do your homework and balance the need and desire for range, fit and finish, comfort, driving mode and price. With my lease coming due, I'm moving on to a Q8 etron Sportback with 296 mi range--definitely brings added security! The Q8, by the way, increased battery capacity by 20% but only added 60 pounds to the vehicle. Carmakers are getting more savvy about things. I have been really pleased with the comfort, fit and finish, and especially the execution of the Audi Coast/Regen driving mode strategy. I'm happy to keep that and pay $10K + less if I were to move to the iX.

I researched EVs extensively before purchasing the 2021 eTron. It was pretty much at the peak of used car prices and even the new eTrons were in short supply. At the time, the 2021 eTron was "adequate" for my wife's daily commute to work. She's going to be starting a new job soon that's much further away and that car was no longer "adequate." It also wasn't a good family vehicle with the backseat space being so small. We looked at getting the 2024 Q8 Sportback but it's essentially the same car with 114 kWh capacity instead of the 95 kWh of the 2021 model we had. The dimensions are the same. I would occasionally drive it to my doctor's appointment that's 93 miles one way and I couldn't make it there and back on a 100% charge.

I was immediately sold when I drove the iX. It is a complete night and day difference from the eTron! The power is ridiculous. The backseat is way more spacious and my 3 boys can comfortably fit in it. The SQ8 eTron would be more comparable to the iX though.

 

[JNealCox]

I researched EVs extensively before purchasing the 2021 eTron. It was pretty much at the peak of used car prices and even the new eTrons were in short supply. At the time, the 2021 eTron was "adequate" for my wife's daily commute to work. She's going to be starting a new job soon that's much further away and that car was no longer "adequate." It also wasn't a good family vehicle with the backseat space being so small. We looked at getting the 2024 Q8 Sportback but it's essentially the same car with 114 kWh capacity instead of the 95 kWh of the 2021 model we had. The dimensions are the same. I would occasionally drive it to my doctor's appointment that's 93 miles one way and I couldn't make it there and back on a 100% charge.

I was immediately sold when I drove the iX. It is a complete night and day difference from the eTron! The power is ridiculous. The backseat is way more spacious and my 3 boys can comfortably fit in it. The SQ8 eTron would be more comparable to the iX though.

Good to hear! For 10K more than a Q8, you are getting the range and backseat space that you need.

 

[deedub75]

Good to hear! For 10K more than a Q8, you are getting the range and backseat space that you need.

I wouldn't say it's $10,000 more than the Q8 though. As far as performance and price, the SQ8 e-tron is more comparable to the iX and a fully loaded iX is roughly the same price.

 

[JNealCox]

I wouldn't say it's $10,000 more than the Q8 though. As far as performance and price, the SQ8 e-tron is more comparable to the iX and a fully loaded iX is roughly the same price.

Nope it is $10K. I have priced them out. The SQ8 is comparable to the iX mainly in price. It gets lower mileage than the Q8 etron SUV.

 

[deedub75]

Nope it is $10K. I have priced them out. The SQ8 is comparable to the iX mainly in price. It gets lower mileage than the Q8 etron SUV.

That's cool. Everyone prices things differently based on their preferences. The base 2024 Q8 (not Sportback) is $77,800 and the base 2023 iX that I got was $84,100. There weren't any changes from the 2023 and 2024 iX other than a price increase of $3,000 in the base price.

I just built both a 2024 Q8 (non sportback) and 2024 iX. For me to get a comparable Q8, I'd have to get the Prestige model and it came out to $88,990 and the iX came out at $91,800. I would have gotten the Q8 Sportback Prestige and that prices out at $92,390. The iX does come with included maintenance for 3 years, but I don't know the cost of that. The Q8 doesn't have included maintenance, but I think if you prepay it's like $1,500. So for me to get all the bells and whistles I'd want on either vehicle, there's less than an $3,000 difference in the price, and that's not counting the include 3 year maintenance on the iX.

The horsepower difference is huge though. The iX has 516 hp and 0-60 is 4.4 seconds, while the Q8 has 402 hp and 0-60 in 5.4 seconds. The iX has true one pedal driving which I use all of the time, but my wife is afraid to use it. It does take some getting used to. Both companies are offering $7,500 off to cover the tax credits if you lease the vehicle vs. buying it.

I ended up getting an iX that has almost every upgrade that was offered on it and after the $7,500 rebate, I got it for $92,980. They had another more stripped down model on the floor but my wife didn't like the seats. She wanted the way more expensive upgraded seats and all of the bells and whistles even though she never uses any of the technology.

I see now that Audi is charging extra for the 2nd charging port. I'm assuming they did this to keep the costs down. The iX only has one charging port anyway. I really hope Audi fixed that wireless phone charging because it never really worked on my 2021 e-tron. Hopefully, by the time my iX lease is up, Audi will have a larger EV so I can switch back. I really loved my 2013 A6 and my favorite car was the Audi TT and I wish they'd make and EV version of it since it's discontinued.

 

[Zn_Saucier]

Another good example, yesterday i had charged my etron to 100% due to a longer trip. In the morning when i unhooked the charger i was at a range of 202 miles. Thats the highest est range I've gotten since I've owned this suv.

Wow, 202 is the highest you’ve seen? Think 250 is my max (this past weekend), and in the temperate weather I’m regularly getting in the 230-240 range. Might want to look at what’s driving your consumption. There’s a menu option in the vehicle section of the MMI (think it’s efficiency or something) that will tell you what you could do to increase range. Some people have reported that their rear air has been set to max AC or max heat, which could also draw some power.

Thursday we did a 186 mile drive without charging and arrived with 44 miles of range. Average speed was in the mid 50’s, which was probably equally split between 70+mph highway, 55mph smaller highway/state routes, 25-35mph back roads/traffic