Should the German really be ahead of the Jaguar? On the plus side, you've got Audi's rock-solid build quality. Yet that has to be weighed against a styling that does its best to be as bland as possible. Audi achieved some major innovations with the new car, but decided to use the cookie-cutter styling of its Q5. It's infuriating when you consider all it had to do was take the gorgeous Q8 as the template and hey presto, a winner all round.
There are other annoying features, like the fact all the unique electric car data features are buried inside the usual control systems. And the E-Tron’s other major talking point - cameras replacing wing mirrors - turns out to be a wasted effort, much more expensive yet far less useful than a regular mirror.
For all that, it packs an electric punch in terms of performance, while the low centre of gravity due to the battery under the floor means it handles much better than your regular crossover fare. Like the Jaguar, price is a big issue. (You can read our full review of the new E-Tron at irishtimes.com/motors)
Best model: E-Tron 55 Quattro
Price range: €91,750 after grants. Finance from €POA per month.
Co2 emissions: 0g/km
Sum up: Taking the lead on fellow German rivals but could be better looking.