08/25 2025
442
The electric sedan market braces for another thrilling duel in 2025. As the Audi E5 Sportback makes its dazzling debut with a presale price range of 235,900-319,900 RMB, positioning it as the first German luxury electric vehicle priced below 300,000 RMB, the Tesla Model 3 Long Range counters with a price tag of 269,500 RMB.
These two electric sedans, with overlapping price points, embody two distinct automotive visions. The Audi E5 Sportback carries forward the brand's luxury heritage, demonstrating the technological prowess of German luxury electric vehicles through its 800V high-voltage platform, 100kWh ternary lithium battery, and quattro all-wheel drive system. On the other hand, the Tesla Model 3 adheres to its minimalist design ethos, leading the practical trend in electric vehicles with its exceptional electric drive system and intelligent driving technology.
This rivalry transcends a mere model-to-model contest; it's a head-to-head battle between traditional luxury brands and emerging electric vehicle manufacturers in the mainstream 250,000-300,000 RMB price bracket. For consumers, it's not just a comparison of technical specifications but a holistic evaluation encompassing design aesthetics, intelligent experiences, and driving quality.
Comparable Power and Range
The Audi E5 Sportback underscores the sincerity of German luxury cars in terms of performance. Built on an 800V high-voltage platform and equipped with a CATL 100kWh battery pack, it boasts a maximum CLTC range of 773 kilometers. Its dual motors at the front and rear deliver a maximum power output of 579 kW, achieving a 0-100 km/h acceleration in just 3.4 seconds—performance on par with million-yuan supercars.
Even more remarkable is its fully equipped handling system: quattro all-wheel drive, rear-wheel steering, air suspension, CDC variable damping suspension system, and Brembo four-piston calipers. These features, typically reserved for top-tier luxury cars, are introduced for the first time in the 300,000 RMB segment.
The Tesla Model 3 Long Range version adopts a different technical approach. Although it houses a 78.4kWh battery pack, it achieves a range of 753 kilometers under CLTC conditions due to its superior energy management, making it the longest-range Tesla model. With a total motor power of 331 kW and a 0-100 km/h acceleration of 3.8 seconds, it may not be as rapid as the Audi E5 Sportback but still leads the pack in its class.
In terms of charging efficiency, the Audi E5 Sportback's 800V platform holds a significant edge, adding an extra 370 kilometers of range in just 10 minutes. Tesla, however, leverages its expansive Supercharger network to offer practical charging convenience.
Emotional Interaction vs. Minimalism
Stepping into the Audi E5 Sportback, the standout feature is the industry-exclusive Ultra-Wide Screen, suspended above a soft-touch Microfiber dashboard. This intelligent cockpit system integrates the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 digital cockpit chip, delivering a multi-dimensional interactive experience.
With a simple voice command "HEY, Audi!", the voice assistant, deeply customized based on the Volcano Engine's large language model "Doubao", responds instantaneously. Boasting a MOS score of 4.65 for voice naturalness (out of 5), it supports fully controllable, speakable, and executable scenarios. Remarkably, the system offers over 20 contextual avatars: it transforms into a compass during navigation, celebrates high karaoke scores with fireworks, and displays themed animations during holidays.
The Audi Smart Island system supports over 50 customizable shortcuts, complemented by two roller buttons reminiscent of mechanical watch crowns, providing the perfect balance of damping and a crisp clicking sound. This blend of technology and emotion imbues a cold intelligent device with a sense of warmth.
Conversely, the Tesla Model 3 adheres to its iconic minimalist style: a 15.4-inch central touchscreen integrates almost all control functions with minimal physical buttons. This design appeals to tech-savvy users but may seem overly "cold" to family users.
The two cars also differ in their ecological integration. The Audi E5 Sportback is deeply tailored to Chinese user needs, supporting interconnection with mainstream mobile phone brands such as Apple, Huawei, OPPO, Xiaomi, and VIVO. Tesla, on the other hand, offers a consistent global experience but falls short in localized services.
A Clash Between Luxury Appeal and Ultimate Efficiency
The Audi E5 Sportback blends classic and innovative design elements. Inspired by Audi's iconic wagon styling, it adopts an outward-expanding unibody design, harmoniously melding the coupe and wagon body styles. The vehicle is adorned with a circular starlight curtain at the front and rear, comprising 942 light beads, along with three personalized welcome light animations, showcasing the "light factory's" unique understanding of light and shadow art.
With 13 aerodynamic optimizations, the Audi E5 Sportback achieves an ultra-low drag coefficient of 0.25Cd, exceptional for a wagon model, adding over 50 kilometers to the vehicle's range. The three high-end paint colors—Dawn Purple, Sharp Green, and Ripple Blue—utilize a precise five-layer paint process, revealing a delicate and sparkling luxury quality under sunlight.
Inside, the Audi E5 Sportback features North American oak and chestnut wood trim, and its 30-color gradient ambient lighting adopts a diffuse light source design that "shows light but conceals the lamp," creating a cozy, homely ambiance. The aviation-grade dimming sunroof offers a 99.99% UV blocking rate and effectively isolates infrared rays, ensuring in-cabin comfort.
The Tesla Model 3 continues its minimalist design language: a closed grille, sleek body lines, and highly integrated taillights. The interior eschews all unnecessary decorations, focusing solely on functionality. While this design lacks warmth, it achieves exceptional space utilization.
In terms of driver assistance, the Audi E5 Sportback collaborates with Momenta to create a "German Electric Luxury Standard + Flying Wheel Large Model" solution, equipped with 27 sensing hardware, including lidar, 3 long-range millimeter-wave radars, 12 ultrasonic radars, and 11 cameras, supporting city, highway, and parking scenarios.
Tesla relies on its mature autonomous driving technology, continuously evolving functions through OTA updates, and has amassed extensive real-world data globally.
Conclusion:
Upon comparison, it becomes evident that for users prioritizing luxury appeal, robust performance, and localized intelligent experiences, the Audi E5 Sportback offers a perfect fusion of German precision and Chinese manufacturing. Its 800V high-voltage platform, 787 horsepower performance, multi-dimensional intelligent interaction system, exquisite interior craftsmanship, and locally optimized intelligent driving assistance features provide an unprecedented luxury electric driving experience.
For users favoring minimalist design, ultra-long range, and a global intelligent ecosystem, the Tesla Model 3 Long Range version, with its 830-kilometer range, consistent global experience, mature autonomous driving technology, and minimalist design aesthetic, remains a compelling choice.
Ultimately, the decision for consumers will hinge on the value they are willing to pay for. Is it a future-forward, all-around luxury electric vehicle? Or a market-proven, minimalist smart sedan? In the 250,000-300,000 RMB pure electric sedan market, these two products each showcase distinct technical routes and design philosophies, offering genuinely differentiated options for consumers.