Tested: 2025 Audi RS E-Tron GT Performance

Yahoo

03-04-2025

The 2025 Audi RS E-Tron GT Performance, the brand's flagship EV, looks mighty similar to what's been on sale from the beginning, but this sleek sedan has been heavily revised underneath the surface. It is the quickest Audi road car ever produced, features one of the most technologically complex suspension systems in existence, and is just as at home on a canyon road as it is on a road trip. Yes, the Porsche Taycan was treated to virtually every upgrade this Audi gets, but being able to choose between two different, if closely related, extraordinary performance cars is not a bad thing.
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Two versions of the E-Tron GT are available for 2025, the entry-level S E-Tron GT and the one tested here, the RS E-Tron GT Performance. The regular RS E-Tron GT (sans Performance moniker) is dead, replaced by this more potent version. Just like before, the Audi models take after their Porsche Taycan J1 platform-mates, with the S E-Tron equivalent to the Taycan GTS and the RS Performance to the Turbo S. Just like the Taycan, the E-Tron GT models are thoroughly revamped for 2025.
A new electric motor in the rear is credited for much of this Audi's huge increase in output by 275 ponies to a grand total of 912 hp peak from the dual-motor powertrain. That full power is on tap when using launch control, but you can also get 10-second increments of an extra 94 hp by tapping the new Boost button on the steering wheel. On Audi's numbers, the RS Performance is one-tenth slower than the Taycan Turbo S to 60 mph with a 2.4-second claimed time, and the top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph.
Thanks to revised cell chemistry and increased energy density, the battery pack takes up the same physical space as before but offers more capacity. That means the Performance model has 29 miles more range, putting the final EPA estimate at 278 miles. Similar to the Porsche, charging performance is greatly increased with the max rate now at 320 kW (previously 270 kW) if the car is hooked up to a sufficiently potent DC charger. Audi claims a 10-to-80 percent charge only takes 18 minutes now, chopping 3.5 minutes from the previous time.
Vehicle Tested: 2025 Audi RS E-Tron GT Performance
Base Price: $168,295
Price as tested: $190,190
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Powertrain: Dual-motor, all-wheel drive
Power: 912 hp (combined)
0-60 mph: 2.4 seconds
Battery Capacity: 105 kWh (97 kWh usable)
Weight: 5137 pounds
EPA Range: 278 miles
Many of the above updates sound like game changers on their own, but the biggest treat of all is Audi adopting Porsche's mind-warping Active Ride suspension system. The system is only available as an option on the RS E-Tron GT Performance, the active dampers (paired with air springs) eliminate the need for anti-roll bars and take suspension technology to a new dimension by working to practically cancel roll and pitch. This works exactly like it does on Porsche products—each damper gets its own dedicated hydraulic pump to tweak pressure in real time—only with some minor Audi calibration tweaks.
For example, the Taycan's Active Ride is tuned to keep the car perfectly flat in a corner even as you exceed the grip level afforded by the tire. Chief technical engineer of the E-Tron GT, Stephan Reil, said that Audi doesn't abide by that philosophy and instead tuned the suspension to allow for minor body roll as you approach the limits of grip, giving the driver the natural sensation they're accustomed to at the edge.
Comfort is as much a feature of this suspension system as ultimate cornering performance. You can also have the car compensate for lateral acceleration with a lean function, which gives it the behavior of a motorcycle as it leans into corners. The same can be done for acceleration or braking, so wave goodbye to squat on launches and dive under braking. It goes against your natural expectations. Instead of seeing the nose pitch down under braking, I was met with the sensation of the front end rising. Even getting in and out is made easier by the suspension instantly raising the car by two inches every time I opened a door, providing a more crossover-like entry height.
The roads around Las Vegas are far too smooth to really put the Audi's bumpy-road chops to the test, but the open desert landscape sure makes for a tempting place to unleash full fury. Acceleration is effortless, and the two-speed transmission on the rear motor continues to offer up the odd sensation of a detectable shift as speeds climb. Reil told me Audi made one change with the transmission for 2025, with Comfort mode essentially locking the car into second gear during steady-state cruising. Before, a full-throttle application would trigger a downshift, but the new calibration favors smooth acceleration.
A couple of launch-control starts (up to 133 mph) at Speed Vegas proved that calm and easy is not what the new Performance model is all about, however. Despite its 5137-pound weight, it felt as if it wanted to head straight to its 155-mph limiter every time I opened the taps. Fortunately, carbon-ceramic brakes on my tester proved well able to yank it down in a hurry. I would have preferred a more robust brake-pedal feel on track, but the progressive response is well suited to smoothness on the road.
Steering is weighty but not annoyingly so, and another 2025 change is a quicker rack and a revised rear-wheel steering tune for a crisper turn-in. The active suspension treats you to a car that virtually never feels flustered on the road and keeps it on rails when pushed on a racetrack. Porsche might take the same basic package to a greater level, but this RS E-Tron GT Performance is a gobsmackingly good sports-sedan experience.
One place Audi barely touched for the 2025 update is the interior. The new squircle-style steering wheel unfortunately feels like a downgrade, with the haptic-touch buttons on it just as annoying as on every other VW Group product they're applied to. The one plus to the new wheel is the addition of the Boost button, as well as an RS drive switch for easy swapping between the different dynamic modes.
The rest of the interior looks generally the same as before, although buyers can now spec massive forged carbon inlays to really spice things up. Unlike the Taycan's array of screens for primary controls, Audi has kept hard buttons for the climate functions. Porsche's infotainment system is faster, offers more features, and behaves a generation ahead, but there's charm to be found in the Audi's simplicity. The only true head scratcher is the awkward iPod Nano–like volume scroll wheel that should just be replaced with a small knob.
The relatively scrawny rear seat is still a problem too. This sedan might be longer than an A6, but it has much less utility. The wide and tall sill combines with a tight door aperture to make getting in and out of the rear seat a hassle. And then, once you're back there, things aren't much more comfortable. The sleek looks do no favors to cargo space either, but the solution to these problems already exists with the Taycan Cross Turismo. As it stands, the RS E-Tron GT Performance is more a personal luxury supersedan than a family hauler.
Buying any EV as expensive as this Audi has proven to be a great lesson in severe depreciation. The as-tested sticker of $190,190 is hard to stomach, but the Porsche-equivalent Taycan Turbo S starts $20,000 higher than the max-spec Audi. That kind of logic might be the only thing that works in making the E-Tron GT look like a deal.
The value over pre-refresh RS E-Tron GTs is definitely there with the notable performance, range, and charging upgrades. And if you're going for the new Performance model, you'd be negligent not to spec the trick Active Ride suspension that comes in the $11,000 Dynamic Plus package (which also nets you carbon-ceramic brakes). Even the appearance is vastly improved, with an Audi Sport–like honeycomb grille and the ability to throw $8400 worth of forged carbon parts at it. That sort of appearance package is typically one I'd advise skipping, but the added presence of the carbon around the entire car is enough to warrant a double take.
Spectacular acceleration barely lets up as speed rises.
Active Ride suspension combines ride comfort and magically flat cornering.
Keeps physical buttons for key interior controls.
Massively expensive, with a nearly $200,000 sticker when fully loaded.
New touch steering-wheel buttons are a usability downgrade.
Tight rear seat and poor luggage space limit practicality.
The RS E-Tron GT Performance offers a carbon roof option. Guess what car doesn't? That's right, the Porsche Taycan. Even the Turbo GT version with the lightweight Weissach package doesn't have the Audi's exposed carbon roof as an option. And sure, the Taycan is more extreme in other ways, but you can only get that carbon roof with the Audi.
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