I had zero expectations of the Audi Q4. I hadn’t driven one before, let alone an electric one. I later learned Q4 comes only as an EV and is available in compact SUV and Sportback coupe form.
Launched in 2021, the five-seater shares a platform with sibling the Q5 e-tron along with cousins the Skoda Enyaq, Cupra Born and Volkswagen ID.4.
Interestingly, the Q4 e-tron is the first Audi to be built in the city of Zwickau since the pre-war era of the company. It is here that Audi and its predecessor Horch were founded before the two brands merged to become Auto Union way back in 1932.
There endeth the history lesson.
STYLING
Audi says the Q4 e-tron is more than just a new model; “it represents the future of driving”. It also happens to be the smallest and most affordable of its EVs so far, and as such has a big job to do.
The Q4 was a long time in gestation and Audi has played with the spec so it could duck the Luxury Car Tax and qualifies for an exemption under Fringe Benefits Tax. As a result of this manoeuvring the price is enticingly low, starting from $84,9000 plus on roads for Q4 45 e-tron (524km); the Sportback from $86,500 (540km).
The Sportback is extra presumably because it gets the S line treatment.
Moving further up the ladder we come to the higher performance Q4 55 e-tron quattro (488km), priced from $105,900; Sportback 55 e-tron quattro (503km) from $107,500.
Our test car the Q4 Sportback 45 e-tron was also fitted with the optional $2200 Comfort package which adds electric front seats, 360 degree camera, adaptive cruise assist with stop and go, active lane assist and emergency assist, park assist plus, with memory settings for driver’s seat and exterior mirrors, bringing the price to $88,700 plus on-roads.
The S line interior package is a no cost option, consisting of sports front seats, combination fabric and artificial leather, black cloth headliner, dark aluminium inlays, stainless steel pedals, illuminated front door sills and a flat bottomed sports steering wheel. Metallic paint is also a no cost option.
The Sportback is a sexy beast, with a stubby front end, sloping back and a muscular stance.
The coupe-like roofline adds a healthy dose of style, finishing in a spoiler that splits the rear window horizontally — a la the first Eclipse Cross.
Our test vehicle was finished in Pebble grey and rides on 20-inch, five-spoke alloys, with the S line body kit, a radiator grille finished in titanium black with horizontal aluminium slats, and lower air intakes in matt platinum.
Although it’s an EV, the design of the Q4 has not made the complete transition to electric vehicle as it retains a blanked out radiator grille. Why? Ditto the old style instrument cluster and inset touchscreen inside which remain separate entities. And the instrument cluster is somewhat cluttered and difficult to read.
Range could be a deciding factor, stretching from 488km to 540km (the latter for our Q4 Sportback 45 e-tron).
Standard equipment includes leather appointed upholstery, three-zone climate air, twin-spoke leather steering wheel, power-adjust driver’s seat, heated front seats with four-way lumbar support, ambient interior lighting and a power-operated tailgate.
There’s also LED exterior lighting, adaptive cruise control, 360-degree camera, auto dimming interior mirror, auto lights and wipers, front and rear parking sensors, plus auto folding/dimming/heated exterior mirrors with kerb-side dip on passenger side.
Q4 is covered by a 5-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, with 6-year roadside assistance and 8-year/160,000km coverage for the battery.
Service intervals are every 24 months/30,000km.
INFOTAINMENT
The MMI infotainment system is controlled from an 11.6-inch touchscreen with a separate 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster.
It offers the usual array of features, including Bluetooth, voice control, built-in navigation, AM/FM radio and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Audio is provided by an in-house eight speaker 180 watt audio system.
There’s also wireless phone charging, two USB ports in the front and another pair in the back plus a couple of 12 volt outlets (one in the boot).
Notice we didn’t mention DAB+ digital radio – the jury is out on that one.
SAFETY
Q4 scores a full five stars for safety but we were gobsmacked to see it is fitted with rear drum brakes. Remember them? WTF?
Driver support systems include Autonomous emergency braking (Car-to-Car, Vulnerable Road User and Backover) as well as a lane support system with lane keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning (LDW) and emergency lane keeping (ELK), and blind spot monitoring (BSM) are standard.
Not all safety systems are standard, however. Q4 55 comes with a more comprehensive form of adaptive cruise control, as well as active lane assist, 360 degree camera and park assist plus.
The Q4 55 can also be optioned with augmented reality head-up display, projecting new intuitive directions to the head up display within the driver’s eyeline.
POWERTRAIN
Motivation comes from a single electric motor that provides 210kW of power and 545Nm of torque in this model, with drive to the rear wheels through a single-speed two-stage planetary gearbox.
DRIVING
Sitting between the Q3 and larger Q5, the Q4 e-tron is Audi’s shooting star, quickly becoming its best-selling electric vehicle since its belated launch here late last year.
At 4591mm in length and with a kerb weight of 2240kg, it’s a mid-sized SUV in practical terms if not name, with a flat interior floor, generous legroom and good-sized boot that offers 535 litres of storage — plus underfloor storage for charging cables. However, there’s no spare tyre of any kind — just a puncture repair kit.
Dark tones produce an unnecessarily sombre atmosphere in the cabin, but this has been a complaint of Audi’s cars since the beginning of time.
Cabin storage is good with front bottle holders that are angled and located high on the inside of the front doors, instead of down low where you can’t see them. However, the floating centre console which juts out obscures the lower storage area, particularly the USB ports and 12-volt outlet.
The start button is located on the far side of the gear selector, with a similarly sized audio control of some kind on the near side. Further back is a small, difficult to reach drive mode selection button. Gear selection is achieved via a small fore and aft toggle with a separate button for park, but we were never quite sure whether the car was actually switched off when it came time to exit.
The steering wheel controls are touch sensitive and as usual the small cruise control stalk is difficult to see and work out once you’re driving, and takes some mastering.
Separate aircon and seat heat controls are provided below the centre screen, with separate controls in the back for rear seat passengers.
There’s a number of drive modes and regenerative braking can be modulated with paddles on the steering wheel. No, they’re not for changing gear.
Power is stored in an 82 kWh battery (77 kWh useable), with energy consumption that is rated at 16.9kWh/100km and a range of 540km for this model (WLTP). We clocked up 617km at a rate of 15.7 kWh/100km.
Charging from a household power point takes up to 30 hours, while a 7.2kW single phase AC Wallbox reduces this figure to 11 hours. DC charging capacity has been upgraded to 175kW and this means the car can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in as little as 28 minutes. Yeah, right.
The Q4 e-tron does not offer V2L functionality.
Rear-drive Q4 45 e-tron, SUV and Sportback, are capable of reaching 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds. The all-wheel drive quattro Q4 55 e-tron does it in 5.4 seconds.
It’s not what you’d call lightning quick, but it’s quick enough to be a bit of fun.
Ride quality is good, but tends to the wrong side of firm which becomes quickly apparent on our deplorable back roads.
Handling is also pretty good, but there’s those drums to consider, so we wouldn’t be going in too hard.
We’re surprised adaptive suspension is not fitted, but bearing in mind this is primarily a city-focused car, it’s hardly surprising.
Remember too Audi was focused on reducing the price — something’s gotta give.
SUMMING UP
If nothing else, the Audi Q4 e-tron is a great alternative to Elon Musk’s best-selling Tesla Model Y.
The range is almost on par with the Tesla and it is stylish, unlike Tesla’s lookalike range, particularly the bulbous Y.
The dynamic Q4 Sportback e-tron has come a long way since the first Audi to carry the e-tron tag.
It’s surprisingly spacious and sporty to drive, and quite frankly, we expected it would cost a lot more.
RATINGS:
Looks: 7.5
Performance: 7.5
Safety: 7.5
Thirst: 7.5
Practicality: 7
Comfort: 7
Tech: 7
Value: 7.5
Overall: 7.3
AT A GLANCE
MODEL LINE-UP
Q4 45 e-tron, $88,300
Q4 Sportback e-tron, $88,300
Q4 55 e-tron quattro, $108,500
Q4 Sportback 55 e-tron, $109,500
Note: These prices do not include government or dealer delivery charges. Contact your Audi local dealer for driveaway pricing.
SPECIFICATIONS
Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron, 210kW single electric motor, single-speed two-stage planetary automatic gearbox, RWD, five-seat SUV
POWERTRAIN
Maximum power: 210 kW
Maximum torque: 545 Nm
Battery capacity: 82 kWh
Combined efficiency (WLTP): 16.9 kWh/100km
Driving Range: 540 km
DRIVELINE: Single electric motor, single-speed reduction gear, rear-wheel drive
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT, AND CAPACITIES
Length: 4591 mm
Width: 2108 mm
Height: 1602 mm
Wheelbase: 2764 mm
Kerb weight: 2240 kg
Turning circle: 10.0 m
BRAKES
Regenerative (adjustable)
Front: Disc
Rear: Drum
STANDARD WARRANTY
5 years / unlimited kilometres
8-year/160,000km on the battery
