Test drive and opinion of the Audi Q4 e-tron: the electric SUV I would buy

At full speed, manufacturers continue with their electrification process. And Audi is one of those that is “accelerating” the most. The brand with the four rings recently surprised by announcing that from 2026 onward it will only launch new models with 100% electric propulsion. And after the Audi e-tron (in SUV and Sportback versions) and the Audi e-tron GT (and its sporty RS e-tron GT version), the new Audi Q4 e-tron shows they are heading in the right direction.

Now all that is missing is for those responsible for making sure users can have a charging post on every corner to hurry up just as much to prepare the charging infrastructure needed as they do in announcing the end of combustion engines.

We have already talked at length about the Audi Q4 e-tron, so we will not go into its technical specifications again, although we will review the range for the Spanish market. What we turn to now, and what this article will focus on, are the sensations this first contact gave us during the national presentation, where we were able to drive the Q4 40 e-tron and Q4 50 e-tron quattro versions.

Q4 e-tron: the entry model to the electric range of Audi

The new Audi Q4 e-tron becomes, for now, the entry model to the electric car offering from Audi. It is available from 44,460 euros in the Q4 e-tron 35 variant, with 170 CV, a 52 kWh battery and a homologated WLTP range of up to 340 km. For reference: a Audi Q3 35 TFSI S tronic with 150 CV costs 40,000 euros, and a Audi Q5 35 TFI S tronic starts at 48,480 euros.

I make this reference for two reasons. The first is to highlight that the Audi Q4 sits in the range just between the Q3 and the Q5; although I should already say that in terms of feel, presence and bearing, it is much closer to the Q5, which it even matches or surpasses in certain dimensions of interior space, despite being somewhat smaller.

Second, to make clear that price is no longer an excuse for not buying an electric car: even without considering the purchase aid from the Plan Moves, the Audi Q4 has a similar price to or is cheaper than an equivalent Audi Q5 with a combustion engine… and it is no less of a car. Remember also that most versions of the Q4 range can qualify for the purchase aid, which substantially reduces the bill: up to 7,000 euros less, in the best case.

Three entry variants, with range of up to 519 km

But let’s continue with the range. Above the Q4 e-tron 30 we have the one that, we can now confirm 100% after driving it, seems to us the most balanced version: the Q4 e-tron 40, with 204 CV, a 77 kWh battery and up to 519 km of range. Its price starts at 48,910 euros, about 4,500 euros more than the “basic” version, which is worth the investment for the extra range and performance, since in the end the greater weight of the higher-capacity battery “eats up” part of the power increase and there is not much difference in performance.

At the top of the range is the Q4 e-tron 50 quattro, which adds an electric motor on the front axle to provide all-wheel drive and reach 299 CV. The battery is the same as the 40 e-tron’s, allowing a maximum homologated range of up to 486 km. It is not available with the basic trim, and the Advanced version starts at 58,160 euros.

To wrap up the commercial offer, versions and prices, note that Audi has also just started selling the version with coupé-style bodywork, the Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron. Technically it is the same car, although the Sportback differs with its sportier image, more standard equipment and, surprisingly, a boot that even offers a few more litres of capacity than the Q4 SUV. The price difference between a Q4 e-tron and a Q4 Sportback e-tron with the same motor and battery is about 2,100 euros.

We had the chance to see a Q4 e-tron Sportback in person during the presentation and, I must say, I loved it. As a complement to this article, you can read a buying guide for the Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron, in which many of the things I describe also apply to the Q4 e-tron SUV range regarding choosing the engine, trims, options, etc.

Audi Q4: closer to the Q5 than to the Q3

I mentioned it briefly before, but I don’t mind insisting again: when you first approach the Audi Q4, it seems closer to the Q5 than to the Q3. It has the freshness and sportiness of the former… and the bearing, elegance and presence of the latter. Let’s recall its dimensions: 4.59 metres long, 1.86 wide and 1.63 high.

The platform on which the Q4 e-tron is built is the same one used by the other two electric SUVs in the VW Group: the Skoda Enyaq and the Volkswagen ID.4. With identical mechanics, a Q4 is around 4,000 euros more expensive than its “cousins”. Lacking a drive of the ID.4 and Enyaq, which I have only seen in a static first look, I would happily pay the difference. Especially if the comparison is with the Volkswagen model, since the Enyaq seems to me another of those great surprises this 2021 has brought us.

And since we are talking about rivals, other alternatives to the Audi Q4 would be the Volvo XC40 Recharge that we recently tested, the new Hyundai Ioniq 5, the Lexus UX 300e and the Mercedes-Benz EQA. Of all of them, and lacking a test of the Ioniq 5, which will play the card of a lower price, the two cars I would put in my personal ranking after the Q4 e-tron when buying an electric SUV of this kind would be the Skoda Enyiaq and the Volvo XC-40.

The Audi Q4 e-tron inside: quality and quantity

Examining the cabin of the Audi Q4 e-tron is no surprise: we find the level of finish quality and attention to detail that Audi gives all its models. Undoubtedly, we are in a Audi, and that shows whichever way you look at it.

I really liked the floating layout of the centre console, now without a gear lever, which is increasingly common. And also the fact that Audi does not repeat with a third digital screen below the multimedia system, instead using conventional buttons to operate the climate control. Both the 10.1-inch multimedia screen (an 11.6-inch one, the largest fitted to any Audi model to date and with higher resolution, will be offered later) and the instrument display, which reaches 10.5 inches, are spectacular.

And not only for size, but also for display quality, configuration options, menu layout and ease of navigation… It is clear that Audi still pays special attention to user experience in this area, and seems to have taken the lead. In the case of the instrumentation you can even choose a “plus” version with more functions than the standard one, although I don’t see it as necessary.

New steering wheels and head-up display with augmented reality

Another novelty announced with great fanfare by Audi for the Q4 e-tron is the steering wheel flattened at the top and bottom, with new touch multifunction buttons. There’s little to say about the design of the wheel itself. It doesn’t seem to offer any advantage beyond aesthetics compared with the flat-bottomed wheels Audi uses in its sporty versions, mainly to ease getting in and out of the car. But in an SUV like the Q4 I don’t see advantages… nor disadvantages serious enough to reject it, although I think a completely round wheel is easier to handle.

As for the control groups with touch-sensitive surfaces instead of conventional buttons, I am one of those who think touch is… for tablets and mobile phones. The rotary and push controls Audi has used until now in the rest of its models are an example of precision and ease of use, without taking your eyes off the road to see where and what you’re touching. On the Q4 they seemed too sensitive to me, and did not let me scroll through menus with the ease of the “traditional” multifunction steering wheel buttons on Audi cars.

I also briefly tried the new head-up display in its top-of-range version, with augmented reality function. The difference from conventional HUDs is that it can project some signals away from the car, in areas where they serve better as a reference. For example, besides the usual 2D arrow indicating an upcoming right turn, the system places a 3D arrow “floating” ahead of the car that indicates with great accuracy the turn you must take, which makes navigation easier.

Other projections include horizontal bars when you get very close to the vehicle in front, or indications that line up with the lane markings if the lane-keeping assist detects that you are crossing the line too much, warning you to take control of the wheel.

Q4 e-tron interior space: the new interior dimension of electric cars

If you have not seen inside a new-generation electric car, with a platform developed for this type of propulsion, you will be surprised by what the cabin can offer. Keep in mind that electric motors are very compact, and the battery is flat and placed under the floor. This allows a long wheelbase and very short overhangs.

In the Audi Q4 the centimetres available in every dimension confirm the theory. It is a very spacious car for its external size, allowing four adults to travel with the same comfort or more than in a Audi Q5. The advantage of the latter is that it has a sliding rear bench with backrests whose recline is adjustable, which the Q4 does not have. On the other hand, the Q4 has a flat floor that greatly improves comfort in the rear seats, and even makes the middle seat usable.

Audi has also worked hard on storage spaces in the cabin for placing objects, not only with the tray below the floating console, but also under the centre armrest or in the doors, which can even hold large bottles. Otherwise, there are characteristic details already familiar from the brand’s models: excellent seats with different designs to choose from, and configurable ambient interior lighting worthy of a club.

When it comes to assessing luggage space, the Q4 e-tron again earns a high mark. It offers 520 litres, which leaves rivals like the EQA behind (almost 200 more than the Mercedes EQA, to put it briefly) or the Lexus UX 300e. It does not reach the Enyaq’s, which, as is usual for Skoda, sets a benchmark with a boot of almost 560 litres, although the Czech model also has larger external dimensions.

The options for using the boot are limited to folding the backrests in sections (in a 60/40 ratio or, optionally, also split into three parts, 40/20/20) and placing the floor at two heights. Charging cables can go underneath, since none of the Q4 versions, whether or not they have a front motor, offers a space under the bonnet.

On the road with the Audi Q4 e-tron

As happens every time we test a new electric car, driving it hooks you with its comfort and pleasantness. And if, in addition, the quality of the ride over bumps offered by the suspensions and the cabin insulation are at the level this Q4 offers, the result is a car ideal for covering distances… although this still forces you to plan the journey carefully, even with cars like the Q4 40 e-tron, with its range of more than 500 km.

This intermediate version is precisely the most recommendable, as we noted at the beginning. Its 204 CV go a long way despite the car weighing 2 tonnes, thanks to the immediate availability of its 310 Nm of maximum torque. It is not a car that will surprise you with its performance, but it moves with agility in any circumstance. The Audi drive select lets you choose between different programmes, with a clear difference in throttle response between the one focused on using little energy and the one oriented to sportiness.

This version claims acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds, half a second less than the 170 CV e-tron 35, which weighs 160 kg less. In both cases the top speed is limited to 160 km/h. While driving you can use the paddles on the steering wheel to switch between three levels of energy recovery. Depending on the selected driving programme, the system memorises and maintains the chosen recovery level when we accelerate or brake, or deactivates it as soon as we accelerate again to use the coasting mode when we lift off the accelerator, until we touch the paddles again.

During the test route I was able to measure on the trip computer different stretches, with average consumption of about 19 kWh/100 km in the most favourable case, and almost 25 kWh/100 km in sporty driving. Without being too careful with energy recovery or driving with an efficiency focus, it is not difficult to reach real ranges of 350 km. If you do not do much motorway driving and drive smoothly, or activate and follow the recommendations of the predictive efficiency assistant, it is feasible to plan a 400 km journey without having to stop at a charging post.

The latter can be done with alternating current at 11 kW with the standard charger (7.4 kW on the e-tron 30), and up to 125 kW with direct current (100 kW on the entry model). An advantage Audi offers through its e-tron Charging Service is that it allows its customers to charge their plug-in hybrid or electric cars using a single card, and during the first year (afterwards it can be contracted for a monthly fee) it includes a discount of almost 60% on the price per kilowatt-hour when charging on the Ionity fast network.

I also got to drive a Q4 e-tron 50 quattro, with a sporty trim and firmer suspension. In practice I did not expect as much difference in performance with the e-tron 40 as the spec sheet suggests, which says this version is capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.2 seconds. But there is, and it is much greater than the one between the 35 and 40 versions. Above all because besides almost 100 more CV, we have 410 Nm of torque available almost instantly. But I insist that the e-tron 40 seems to me the most balanced.

As a curious technical detail, all of them use wider tyres on the rear axle (255 vs 235), and all of them use drum brakes on the rear axle. Neither of these is noticeable for better or worse when driving them; if you were not told, you would not notice. Something that can be considered positive, since the brakes, which usually need an adaptation period in electric cars, work wonderfully on the Q4.