Those of you who have followed me for a while know that I have had the privilege of driving a lot of cars, and fast cars at that. Without making a long list, I can still mention Koenigsegg, Pagani, W Motors and several Ferrari-, Lamborghini- and Porsche-models. But when I got to test drive Tesla Model X Plaid my view of what actually constitutes a fast car changed. When a car gives you, the driver, a real rollercoaster effect, then it is incredibly fast. The Tesla Model X Plaid, with its 1,022 electric horses and 0-100 km/h in 2.3 seconds, is just such a car. But being relatively large and heavy, at 2,445kg, the car gave way when the road started to curve. At that point, the car felt big and heavy. You can read the article about Tesla Model X Plaid here.

When I picked up this Audi RS e-tron GT Performance, I had already seen a lot from colleagues who also drove the very car I was lent. So my expectations were very high as many people have said good things about it and its performance. I test drove the first generation of the RS e-tron GT model just as it arrived, which was in early 2021. You can read that article here. In May 2021, I was allowed to take an RS e-tron GT to Gotland where I took pictures of it. Even then I thought the model was an electric missile. So my expectations for the new and updated version of the RS e-tron GT Performance were, as I said, very high.

The main difference between the new and updated Audi RS e-tron GT Performance and the old version is that it now has 925 horsepower, while the first generation had 646. Admittedly, there was no Performance version of the first one that came out, but still. There is a difference of 279 horsepower between the cars, which is a lot, more than many cars have in total. 0 to 100 km/h is done in 2.5 seconds, 0.2 seconds slower than the Tesla. But my expectations were still very high when I previously held this car model to the skies!

The new updated e-tron GT now comes in three different versions: the S e-tron GT, the RS e-tron GT and the RS e-tron GT Performance which I drive in this article. The RS e-tron GT Performance is the most powerful with its 925 horses and 1,027 Newton metres of torque. If you think that's a bit much, the 856 horsepower and 865 Newton metres of torque you'll find in the RS e-tron GT might be enough. If even that is too much, the 679 horsepower and 717 Newton metres of torque available in the S e-tron GT might be enough. Of course, the price tag of the different versions also differs. The price of the S e-tron GT starts at SEK 1,460,000. The RS e-tron GT starts at £1,695,200, while the RS e-tron GT Performance that I drive starts at £1,860,000.

The day I took the car out, I chose to drive it directly to Karlskoga. There I got to use the racing track Gälleråsen, thanks to the fact that I know Richard Göransson who owns it. The day I arrived there was a motorbike event, but I was allowed to use the track during the breaks and when they had finished driving.

The Audi RS e-tron GT Performance is also a relatively heavy car compared to many other cars, with a total weight of 2,430kg. So it is only 15kg lighter than the Tesla Model X Plaid. But the car is both smaller than the Tesla Model X Plaid and, above all, significantly lower. One detail about the height is that the car can rise 77 mm in an instant to make it more comfortable to enter. So I had some hopes that the Audi would behave better when the road, or track, started to turn than the Tesla could. I have driven a lot of laps on Gälleråsen, so I have a pretty good idea of how to drive there.

The first laps were of course calm to feel the car and that I was in the right "mode" for just bank driving. It showed after only a few laps, and my "mode" shifted to a more focused and aggressive mode, and boy did I have fun! I'm not a racing driver, but the number of laps I've done on various race tracks has still been quite a few over the years. I have actually tried Formula 1, not just once but twice. You can read the article from one of these events here.

Of course, you shouldn't compare an Audi RS e-tron GT Performance to an F1 car. But being able to accelerate out of corners the way you could with the Audi is really something else. When the corners come and it's time to start braking, luckily the RS e-tron GT is equipped with ventilated front and rear ceramic discs and a very good traction control system.

The updated RS e-tron GT has an optional feature: active suspension. The function can only be accessed via Comfort mode. The system works by pumping oil in or out of the damper to either raise or lower the car to always keep the car as level as possible. A convenient feature, for sure.

There are two very useful buttons on the steering wheel. On the right side is the button to quickly access the RS modes. You can quickly access the RS1 and RS2 modes and make the car extra sporty in its behaviour. You can also configure these modes to your liking. On the left-hand side is a button labelled 'Boost', and that's exactly what it is. Press it and you get 95 extra horses for ten seconds.

After my visit and time at Gälleråsen, I travelled up to Engelsberg Mill, where I would attend an event to take pictures. The road from Karlskoga to Engelsberg Mill goes through the forest and is very curvy. I may have been slightly above the prevailing speed, but boy was it fun behind the wheel of the Audi RS e-tron GT Performance! It is possible to drive incredibly fast and actively with full control in this car.

Since the Audi RS e-tron GT is a so-called four-door coupé, you can still fit relatively much. So if you have a family and you like to drive fast and the rest of the family also appreciates it, I really recommend the Audi RS e-tron GT Performance!

Audi RS e-tron GT Performance

Price: From SEK 1 860 000.

Motor: Electric. 

Transmission: Front and rear engines, four-wheel drive. Reduction gearbox.

Power: 925 hp (680 kW), max torque 1 027 Nm. 

Battery: 105 kWh of which 97 kWh usable. Charging power AC/DC 11/320 kW. Heat pump.

Acceleration: 0-100 km/h 2.5 s, top speed 250 km/h.

Range: Mixed driving 1.9 kWh/mile. Range 592 km.

Service weight: 2430 kg

Dimensions: (length/width/height): 4990/1900/1390 mm

Web: www.audi.com