Five things you need to know about Audi's 2019 E-Tron SUV

[MUSIC] Welcome to the heart of Africa. I'm here in Namibia on a salt pan to drive this guy, the 2019 Audi Etron. We're gonna take it out on a handling course today out here on the salt pans where it's gonna be a little bit like driving on snow. And also tomorrow we're gonna head off road. It won't be a full slate of driving impressions. But we're gonna get our first taste, of a very important vehicle. Here are five things you need to know. This is our first time getting behind the wheel of E-Tron, and I drove a prototype on a Kalahari Desert salt pan, which was actually a lot like driving in snow. The large 95 kilowatt battery back gives E-Tron an exceptionally low center of gravity which helps handling even when the air suspension is raised Audi says e-tron is the first EV where you can turn the stability and traction controls all the way off. Thanks to rear biased power delivery, you can execute big [UNKNOWN] drifts, like this, especially in dynamic mode. The e-tron is actually easier to drive than a typical gas SUV, thanks to linear power delivery and you don't have to worry about what gear the transmission is in. [UNKNOWN] is surprisingly fun to drive. Unlike most SUVs, in off road mode, the [UNKNOWN] hill descent control is automatically activated on steeper low speed downhills, and you don't have to use the cruise control switch gear to set your pace. Thanks for the inherently smooth nature of electric power, you use the pedals which are temporarily desensitized So that you can add or subtract speed in single mile per hour increments. It sounds a little strange but it seems to work. We've been pretty geeked out about the Etron's optional virtual exterior mirrors which replace conventional reflective glass with small cameras and door mounted displays. We finally got the chance to use them a little, and well, we're not sure we like them. They're neat. But we noticed glare can hurt visibility in bright sunlight. And the screens are located lower on the door than normal mirrors. So you have to take your eyes off the road a little bit more. Thanks to lawmakers, these aren't legal in the US right now anyhow. As an unexpected side bonus, EVs like e-tron are really, really great for seeing animals on safari. Their silent running ability means you can creep unobtrusively on all kinds of local fauna that might otherwise be spooked by a louder internal combustion engine. A full on road test is coming, but for now, click on over to the theroadshow.com for more e-tron details and early impressions. The all-new, all-electric Audi e-tron goes on sale this spring. But right now, we've got a little bit of time left. I've got all this space out here on the salt. No cops around, we're gonna have a little bit more fun.