Every Photo from Our Drive of the Audi e-tron GT Concept

Audi went so far as to install a chaperone in the car with us to ensure that the fun meter registered little movement. Even so, we came away with some impressions.

First, the e-tron GT retains its star power in a real-world setting. It looks every bit as low and sleek on the city streets as it appeared the day before under the spotlights on stage.

Onlookers gawked predictably, something they might have done even if we didn't have an escort convoy composed of a lead/photo vehicle and trio of motorcycle officers hired to keep the L.A. riffraff in their daily drivers from getting within striking distance of the e-tron GT concept's bodywork.

Entry through the front doors is a squeeze, considerably more than in the A7, which is close in size (the e-tron GT has a 114.0-inch wheelbase and is 195.6 inches long and 54.0 inches high).

Once settled in, we pushed the start button, selected drive, and moved out of a staging area in a parking garage and into the flow of traffic.

The interior features a modern, minimalistic approach and sustainably sourced fabric upholstery.

The pair of non-adjustable rearview mirrors—it's a concept, remember—conspired with a large rear blind spot to make every lane-change maneuver a leap of faith. (Here again, the police escort proved its value.)

With a top speed of approximately 45 mph, we only had a few opportunities to delve into the 590 horsepower and the well of torque provided by the pair of electric motors.

Suffice it to say that acceleration arrives with that same trademark EV swell of low-down thrust to which we've become accustomed in everything from the Chevrolet Bolt EV to the Tesla Model S.

Headroom is adequate for six-footers, and the view forward is similar to that in the A7.

The e-tron's regenerative brakes slow the vehicle and recapture energy during mild braking up to 0.3 g, while the ceramic-disc braking system comes into play when rapid deceleration is required.

In practice, the braking feels reasonably natural and free of any obvious changes in the pedal travel or braking force as the friction brakes step in to assist stopping.

There are three levels of regenerative coasting that can be controlled manually using paddles, or you can let the car control it automatically via a predictive efficiency-assist system, which attempts to guess your next move and plan for maximum regenerative effect.

With speeds kept in check and a chaperone guiding us, we only received cursory exposure to these functions. The same goes for exercising the car's four-wheel-steering system and its torque-vectoring capability.