Voltaic E-S Touring review

The short version

Electric sedans have largely solved range and acceleration; what they keep getting wrong is the boring stuff — charging that is slower than the brochure, software that fights you, a ride that trades comfort for a spec-sheet number. The Voltaic E-S Touring gets the boring stuff right. It goes a real 600km, tops up in the time it takes to drink a coffee, and the screen does what you ask the first time. That is what makes it special.

Range and charging

We ran the long-range pack from 100% to flat on a mixed highway-and-urban loop and saw just over 605km — close enough to the 690km WLTP figure to call the estimate honest, which is more than most rivals manage. The headline, though, is charging. On an 800V DC charger we went 10–80% in 18 minutes, adding roughly 400km. That is the difference between an EV that reshapes a road trip around charging stops and one that slots a stop into the trip you were already taking.

Driving

The E-S is tuned for serenity rather than thrills, and it is the better for it. The ride is quiet and composed, soaking up coarse-chip country roads that unsettle stiffer rivals. There is 4.9s of straight-line pace when you want it, but the car would rather waft. The driver-assistance suite is among the more trustworthy ones — lane centring that holds a confident line and adaptive cruise that does not brake-check you in traffic.

Interior and software

The cabin is clean and well-built, with good materials and a 520-litre boot plus a 70-litre frunk for cables. The infotainment is the pleasant surprise: it is fast, the menus are logically arranged, and over-the-air updates have actually improved it over our test period rather than just shuffling buttons around. Wireless phone projection connects instantly every time.

The one real misstep

Climate control lives entirely in the touchscreen. There is no physical temperature knob, no fan dial. You learn the shortcut, but adjusting the temperature while driving still demands more attention than a simple dial would. It is the single change that would take this car from very good to faultless, and it is increasingly the industry’s worst habit.

Practicality and value

Rear-seat legroom is generous; headroom is tight for taller passengers thanks to the sloping roofline. At AU$74,990 to start it is fairly priced for what it delivers, but the premium trims and option packs climb quickly — go easy on the configurator and the base long-range car is the sweet spot.

Should you buy it?

If you want one car to do everything — commute, family duty, the occasional long trip — and you can charge at home, the E-S Touring is the easiest electric sedan to live with right now. The range is honest, the charging genuinely changes road trips, and the software finally respects your time. Forgive the touchscreen climate and it is close to the complete package.

Full specifications