Audi A3 E-tron Forum and Electric Vehicle News

I've been considering buying an A3 e-tron and have been finding dealers seem unprepared to try to sell this car. I emailed a dealer near me earlier this week and asked about coming in today to drive an e-tron. I stated that I'd driven A3s before, but was specifically interested in driving the e-tron.

I arrived today at the time I said I would, and we grabbed the keys for one of the e-trons on the lot. I started it up and the engine came on right away. The battery was already depleted. I asked if they had one with a battery charged and they said no. Is it too much to ask that if they are selling plug in hybrids, that they would keep one or more of them charged up so people could test EV and hybrid mode? I find this to be absolutely insane. If I do end up buying one, I'm probably going to go to another dealer.

I made an appointment to test drive the car so that they had sufficient time to charge the vehicle.

Where are you located? Some forum members may have dealer suggestions.

That happened to me too back in April here in Ontario, just north of Toronto. I asked Audi 2 days before I got there to make sure the battery is charged. No problem they said. When I got to Audi the battery had zero kms on it. I looked at the sales guy and said, "Really? I did ask for it to be charged, remember?" He apologized and offered me another test drive with the battery fully charged the next day at my convenience. He said that there's quite a bit of interest in the car and it's been driven a lot. Apology accepted.

I test drove it anyway that day (and the next). I drove it for about 40 kms and the battery recharged to 6 kms. I think I kept it mostly in sport mode and had some fun. I test drove a 2017MY.

In the end, I bought my 2017 A3 e-tron at a dealership in Toronto instead since they already had one on order to be shipped directly to their shop. The original place I went to said I couldn't get one until September, 2017 at best. I even offered to buy their demo model, but they turned me down.

Anyway, best car I've ever owned! Got it in May 2017 and now have over 10,000 kms on it. I'm averaging 6.0L/100kms, and that's having some fun too! Love the virtual cockpit.

Incidentally, it was this forum specifically that helped me decide upon getting my e-tron. Thanks! Lots of smart folks here.