Just Picked Up Our New 2018 E-tron A3 Sportback

[user 682]

We have had our E-tron for less than 48 hours and the learning curve will be steep but I feel first impressions are important.

This is our third Audi - the other two were A4s and we look loved both cars. Now for this car I am at the outset somewhat disappointed - why you may ask - a couple of things that will take getting used to.

First lack of storage space even for the owners manual in our A4s the book tucked away under the steering wheel very convenient, secondly the outside mirrors do not fold in without having to exit the vehicle and pushing them in - very inconvenient and one would have thought that a vehicle in this price range you would have the option of setting things up so that the mirrors would fold in when you locked the vehicle and finally the screen stays up all the time we would have preferred if we had the option of dropping it down while driving as. The display in front of the driver is just incredible and a pleasure to look at.

At this stage there are some things we really like - the car drives like a dream - we have been using the hybrid mode and are very satisfied, we opted for the Sports Package and the Technology Package and we can’t wait to really spend a couple of hours in the car “playing” around.

We will write further as we get to know the vehicle better.

Looking forward to other comments in this regard.

 

[iang]

Hi Bert1185,
quick note, i dont have the icon handy but there is a button near the hazards that will retract the center display. It's nice when driving in the dark.


Ian

 

[user 682]

Thanks Ian, the next time I’m in the car I’ll give it a try. The dealership said that there is a software update coming that will address the issue.BERT

 

[drmarko]

Hi Bert1185,

The A3 E-tron Prestige trim level is the only one that does have powered fold-in outside mirrors with the curb view feature. I had to order mine from the factory because most dealers don't have any new Prestige models available. What's up with this?

 

[rfortson]

I have a 2016 and really enjoy it, but the de-contenting you describe is noticeable. Mirrors, lack of storage, and a few other things just seem petty, but that's how they get you to move up I guess. Overall, I still enjoy this car a lot.

 

[RobertFL]

Hi
I will be receiving one of the few remaining 2018 A3 e-tron in about a week. Trim is PremiumPlus.

May I ask what type of Home charger is recommended and electrical specs, plug-in or hard wired, any electrical upgrade of panel required?

Also, I am in FL and with generally warmer weather, is it expected that the electric-only range could reach 20 miles or so?

Many thanks for the help.

 

[andymccrory]

Hi Robert,

So long as you drive sympathetically you should easily get 20 miles range is warm weather, in case of hot weather you will find that AC knocks quite a few miles off. Similarly in cold weather (we are at freezing in UK right now) the heater, wipers and other stuff limit range considerably below 20.

It was the same with my previous Chevvy Volt, but I did beat the published 52 miles a couple of times whereas I've never even acheived the published E-tron's 31 miles!

 

[RobertFL]

Thank you for that info.

Also, is the charger that is included with the car a "high performance fast charger" that can be used at home? How long to full charge at home - about 8 hours? I see many after market varieties.

Are there any chargers for use in the US that can charge faster than overnight (8 hours)?

Many thanks

 

[andymccrory]

I use my Audi supplied domestic charger unit to charge overnight at home, since I am usualy asleep for around 8 hours I'm not bothered how quick it charges but I think 6 hours (on 240volt) pretty much does it.

At work we have fast chargers which take about 2 1/2 hours so we can shuffle at lunch time.

I'm sure you can get faster chargers installed domestically (I don't know the US market) but the cost may mean you stay with slow charging.

 

[PHEVophile]

The charger that comes with the car, in Canada at least, has 2 cords, one for 110 and one for 240V. You have to install a 30 amp 240 volt plug in, but once you are set up, you can charge the car in 2.3 hours or less. The first time I used it (today!) it took less than an hour.

 

[pk9]

The US supplied charger also has 2 cords when you get the car (for 120v & 240v).

For the first 3 months I had my A3 etron I used the 120 and it took about 6-7 hours for a full charge.

Just had a 240v line run in to my garage last week and it now takes about 2 hours for a full charge.

 

[user 494]

The US supplied charger also has 2 cords when you get the car (for 120v & 240v).

For the first 3 months I had my A3 etron I used the 120 and it took about 6-7 hours for a full charge.

Just had a 240v line run in to my garage last week and it now takes about 2 hours for a full charge.

I can confirm that. With a 240 V line (like for an electric dryer) the charger that comes with the car works like a Level 2 charger (need to switch to the right cord) ... full charge in about 2 hours.

 

[PHEVophile]

Since the 240 volt charger has a 100% setting and a 50% setting, which is the default, I have been wondering if there is any long term effects on the battery to charging at 100%, which takes about 1/2 the time. I finally inquired at the dealership. The technician said that there is no official opinion on this from Audi, but his feeling is, if you aren't in a hurry, you should charge at 50%, as that is probably better for the battery life in the long term. Just use the 100% if you need a full charge in a couple of hours. Makes sense to me. I'm usually charging over night, so there's no hurry.

 

[etronTom]

pk9 - Can you give me the Audi part number from your 240v power cord?

 

[rickbessex]

Here in North America, as we know, the two cables that come with the 2018 Audi A3 charger is a 5–15 P (household socket 10A) and a 6–50 P (16a industrial socket). Where R stands for receptacle and P stands for plug. I have a 6–15 R receptacle in my garage, this is a 220V 15 amp line. In a previous Santa Fe plug-in, with the mobile charger (5-15P) that came with the vehicle, I set it to 12 A and plugged into that receptacle via an adapter (5-15R to 6-15p) by doing this it cut the charging time in half at 2.3kw/h.

My plan on the A3 e-tRon will be to use the same adapter and let the Audi mobile charger decide what to do as the owner manual said the household socket (plug) at 230v /10 A takes 3.8 hours. Or 3 h 45 m at 2.3kw/h.

My other option in order to take advantage of the 16 amp industrial socket is to upgrade to a 20 amp breaker along with a 6-20R. (instead of the current 15 A breaker and 6–15 R) and then switch to use the other cable, which is the industrial socket cable in order to take advantage of the 16 A ability of the charger. As the cable that comes with the cars charger is a 6-50 P I would again have to find an adapter. (6-50R to 6-20P). By jumping onto this 16 amp flow, the manual says in that situation it is 2.3 hours to charge 100% or the 3.7 kw/hr maximum of the car.

 

[DrOptiks]

My Audi charger was giving me issues so I purchased a new Emporia charger and ran a 40amp line. I set up the Emporia charger to 16 amps and I get a full charge in just about 2.5 hours. The average range is 21-22 miles without the heater running. The Emporia charger is great as it adjusts for peak energy prices with my Utility.

One aspect I wish was available with my 2018 was the ability to schedule remote start and heating so I could pre-heat the car while plugged in. In my manual, I see this feature but I assume it's only avaliable on the prestige models.

 

[rickbessex]

I was able to grab the order guide for both the 2018 A3E-t Ron USA and then the corresponding Canadian order guide. The scheduling feature you mentionedis on the higher trim levels.

 

[DrOptiks]

yeah, premiums are pretty basic in their technology interface options. No charging data, no power usage, no scheduling. I wonder if this could be upgraded or changed if we change the MMI.

 

[dlinkA3]

yeah, premiums are pretty basic in their technology interface options. No charging data, no power usage, no scheduling. I wonder if this could be upgraded or changed if we change the MMI.

There used to be more data available when Audi A3 Connect still worked, but that was 4 years ago when G3 connectivity ended and we could no longer use our app. Audi USA upgraded 4 and 5 series models, but NOT the A3 Sportback e-tron, even though it cost more than many of the ICE 4 and 5 series vehicles. Our 2018 Tesla Model 3 gives us ALL that data, plus it can connect with RecurrentAuto.com to watch our battery pack life. Recurrent can not connect to our A3 e-tron, because connectivity is gone. Thanks for cheating out with old tech, Audi!