author: Manish Kharinta   

German luxury carmaker Audi's much-anticipated e-tron SUV will hit the markets in the middle of next year. Over the last year, British carmaker, Jaguar's I-Pace SUV also received much critical acclaim. Tesla, a pioneer in the electric car segment, obviously had a head start on these premium car manufacturers and therefore the Tesla Model X might just be the most advanced electric SUV offered today. 

But with the entry of these new contenders in the market, we felt there is a need to take a closer look to find out if there is indeed one truly ultimate battery-powered SUV. 

Power

The Audi e-tron is powered by a 95 kWh battery pack feeding two asynchronous electric motors producing a maximum power output of 355 horsepower and 440 lb-ft of torque. The e-tron also comes with a "boost mode" which increases the power output to 402 hp and helps the car accelerate from a standstill to 60 mph in just 5.5 seconds, which happens to be the slowest of the three. 

The Jaguar I-Pace leads the chart at 4.5 seconds followed by Tesla Model S P70D, which offers a 0-60 mph time of 4.9 seconds. 

Range

The all-electric driving range of 2019 Audi e-tron is 248.5 miles, which is highest of the three, with the base Tesla Model S offering a 237-mile range and Jaguar I-Pace, which offers 234 Miles electric driving range. 

Charging Interval

Using a DC fast-charging station, the battery pack of Audi e-tron can be charged to 80 percent in under 30 minutes. The Tesla Model X charging at one of the company's Superchargers takes 30 minutes to reach 70 percent, while the Jaguar I-Pace takes 45 minutes to get to an 80 percent charge. 

The Audi e-tron all also offers an electric Quattro AWD setup, which sends 56 percent of the power to the rear wheels and the rest of the remaining power to the front wheels. The e-tron also uses regenerative braking, with 90 percent of braking being carried out by regenerative mode and 10 percent is carried out by the mechanical hydraulic brakes. 

Also on offer is the adaptive ride-height adjustment thanks to e-tron's air suspension, which can lower the vehicle by 1 inch and increase it by 2 inches to offer better highway cruising and off-roading capabilities as required.

Price 

The interior of e-Tron gets a 5 seat layout and Audi offers its visual cockpit in the upcoming electric utility vehicle. The Tesla Model X is the most expensive option of the three, with the top-of-the-line variant priced at $140,000. Meanwhile, Jaguar's top-end variant is priced at $80,500 and the top-of-the-range variant of the 2019 Audi e-tron is priced at 88,000, and therefore sits in the middle. 

It is also worth mentioning that as of 2019, the Tesla Model X will not be eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit, which is ending Jan 1, as Tesla reached the 200,000 vehicle limit. Whereas the e-tron and I-Pace will still be eligible at the start of 2019.

Manish Kharinta

Manish Kharinta is a automotive writer based in the Los Angeles area. He has worked for automotive industry websites TheSmokingClutch.com, CarDekho.com and CarBikeindia.com. His experience ranges from covering auto shows, to car reviews and breaking automotive news. Manish aims to bring forth his unique perspective on automotive design and technological innovations in the automotive industry.