When you see the rings, you likely know the name automatically.

Audi is one of the most historically impactful and well-respected names in the German luxury auto industry. But this car company goes beyond a big name – their manufacturing excellence is evident across all 11 global production facilities.

Audi has achieved their level of success through a combination of three factors – experience, timing, and experimentation.

The experience factor is self-evident. The company’s original headquarters was established in 1910, with their modern headquarters being established in 1969. Decades of experience have helped them master timing, which involves capitalizing on market demand.

This leads to experimentation with new concepts. Today’s fastest growing new concept in the auto industry is the electric engine. It has merits and successful examples – one being the Audi e-tron.

Today we’ll take a look at Audi’s electric offering, and cover what you should know as a prospective buyer, or simply as a car aficionado who likes to be in-the-know about the industry’s latest models.

This vehicle may be one of the latest electric options on the market – but is it one of the greatest?

Most people know a bit about Audi. They’re a luxury auto manufacturer who also has a history in motorsports. This means that while their cars are designed to look good, they’re also designed for nimble maneuvering on the road or track.

The essence of the e-tron isn’t abandoning Audi’s regular design habits to make an electric car. Instead, it’s about transferring those same design concepts into an electric mindset. The electric trend in the auto industry is less about creating electric cars with their brand’s well-known design habits. It’s more about continuing to pump out new designs, some of which just happen to be electric.

The e-tron is built with a few things in mind. First off, it’s an SUV – one that is set to hit the market in mid-September 2018. There are concepts ready for a Sportback and a GT, but today we’ll be looking mostly at the SUV model.

If it’s an SUV, we know it should have a few qualities – durability, space, and hauling power. But we also expect certain things from Audi like sleek looks and luxurious driver-centric consoles. There’s another burning question – how reliable is the electric powertrain?

For our review here, we’ll look at each of the following categories:

Covering these will show off the versatile appeal of the e-tron while also letting prospective buyers see how it ranks across categories. People wonder how they should rate the unique combination that is an electric Audi SUV?

Why not all three? Let’s start off with the Audi standards? What does this vehicle look like, inside and out? And is it built to make life comfortable for the driver?

The Audi e-tron SUV offers a unique athletic body style that can seem a lot different than their larger luxury cars.

When some people think about Audis, they think about curvier, more robust bodies that are designed to get a lot of attention on them. The e-tron could fall into that category, somewhat. It gets attention, but this is because it’s a sportier looking model that still brandishes the iconic rings.

The design of most sport utility vehicles favors an ergonomic approach – one that makes the roomy vehicle look likes rotund from the outside. With curves and bends in the right places, the e-tron SUV looks like a much smaller vehicle than it actually is.

It performs like one, too. What does the e-tron offer in terms of the interior features? This is an important part of the category, too. While Audi vehicles look good, they must also be luxurious on the inside.

Audi’s e-tron is advertised as being a vehicle about personalization. It is promoted as a reach you can personalize from the palm of your hand. Using Audi’s mobile app, users can control and monitor their vehicle, including the wide array of smart services included to make it safer and more relaxing during every trip.

From simple features like remote starting with temperature controls to auto-piloting features, drivers are equipped with techs to help them stay more comfortable and more secure. But what about the space available? After all, SUVs are known for their use in cargo-heavy endeavors.

When we think of SUVs, we think of capacity. Perhaps next to pickup trucks, they’re the passenger vehicle type known most for their seating and cargo capacity.

The e-tron SUV has multiple rows of seats and plenty of room to haul groceries, vacation gear, work supplies, and any other type of cargo a person may have. For the sake of showing off some variety in our e-tron line, let’s look at how the now available A3 Sportback stacks up in his category as well.

That one has a five-seat capacity with dimensions just a bit bigger than the SUV, but the catch is it is only half-electric. The same for the SUV may be limited compared to some other models that can seat seven or more.

But don’t forget that a slight reduction in capacity can be beneficial in other areas. It makes the vehicle easier to move along via electrical components – and it gives Audi time to work up to bringing even larger capacity vehicles to the market with electric powertrains.

Now we need to review what could be the most important thing to know about the Audi e-tron. How can this vehicle fare when compared to gas vehicles? Does it have a good range? Is it efficient? And does the design of the electric components bode well for the future of Audi electric vehicles?

We know the Audi line always brings looks and comfort – but how do they do in the area of electric energy-efficiency?

How closely you consider buying a car is directly proportionate to how reliable that car is. Drivers seek functionality above all – they want something that does what it is intended to and does it well.

For starters, the Audi e-tron is built with the all-new Quattro electric all-wheel drive, and works with 150 kW high-speed charging peripherals. The 95 kWh battery offers users the chance to charge up to around 80 percent battery in about 30 minutes and go for long trips on a single charge.

There’s also an advanced cooling system to help keep the battery chilled during long periods of use. But despite its impressive power, you won’t have to hear electric buzzing. That is because Audi’s engineers did a lot of work in the areas of soundproofing, both in adding materials to the cab and making the engine as quiet by design as possible.

But one of the biggest perks of the e-tron is the regeneration system. This is a one-of-a-kind system that is created to recapture almost all the energy from intense applications like braking and store it for reuse. Collectively, it increases mileage by about a third, offering a lot more efficiency without as much stress on the electric engines themselves.

Audi has managed to create such an efficient vehicle because they rely on rigorous tests. The e-tron has been through about 250 different test phases to help the final design work as efficiently as possible.

One question about the e-tron is how reliable it is when compared to the competition. Everyone from Tesla to Chevrolet have created impressive electric vehicles. The range and power of the e-tron is in the same area as the X and Bolt, respectively, but it also offers that unique Audi touch.

While some drivers may be inclined to go with other models for the promise of a bit more engine performance or a little longer of a trip between charges. But for those who swear by Audi and want to go with it for its style and features, the electric components hold up fine.

We’ve examined the Audio e-tron SUV’s looks, features, capacity, and energy efficiency. We’ve also taken a brief look at some of their other models, as well as a couple of their main competitors. So what’s the final verdict?

As mentioned, this is the perfect vehicle for lifelong Audi fans who want to go electric. It has the trusted name and iconic rings buyers trust, with an efficient electric powertrain tucked within. Even for those who have never driven an Audi, this is a great place to start.

The e-tron’s current offerings and future concepts will be popular in the electric market. As the industry moves closer to a complete adoption of electric cars, Audi will be remembered as one of the main pioneers of this line of vehicles.