The 82 kWh battery, with all of its power and engineering accuracy, is the heart of the Audi Q4 e-tron. quattro. Drive with confidence thanks to the outstanding adaptability and responsive handling of the standard quattro all-wheel drive.
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Does the Audi Q4 have four wheels?
Very observant. It almost seems as though the Audi Q4’s oddly bold front end and enormous grille-that-isn’t reveal its power source. You’re looking at the Q4 e-tron 50 Quattro, which is currently the fastest model available.
It’s the sole four-wheel drive option, the fastest, and also the fastest overall (again, for now). The 35 and 40, which are rear-wheel-drive Audis, are a very unusual breed, whilst the 50 is more in line with what we’re used to seeing with four rings and an S-line badge applied. Starting at 50,655, it costs 10,000 more than the most basic Q4 e-tron 35, or about 700 pcm instead of 550 on an usual leasing deal.
Is getting the quickest one not a bit silly?
Okay, possibly. But for now, it’s all about electric cars reaching out a welcoming hand to us petrolheads and luring them into their world. This explains why a disproportionate number of electric vehicles (EVs) seem to be 2,000 horsepower hypercars determined to turn the world’s axis in the opposite way.
a world that we are attempting to save with growing fervor. I had the good fortune to spend a few days in the Q4 e-tron right after the UN’s damning climate report had shocked everyone who had even a passing concern about how long Earth will continue to be even remotely habitable.
We both understand that EVs are not yet an ideal option because our electricity is still produced in a significant portion of environmentally bad ways and our charging infrastructure is irregular in its utility. However, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Q4 will aid in smoothing out our particular transition to a cleaner world.
What, an Audi SUV with an aggressive snout?
That’s exactly it. The Q4 was parked in almost every parking lot I used, and at one point, the only open spot was between a Q3 and a Q5. This made it possible for me to evaluate the Q4’s position in the Audi lineup much more thoroughly than I had anticipated. As you ask, which is 4 cm shorter than one of those and 10 cm longer than a Q3, it is closer to the Q5.
People adore these products to the point where Audi predicts the Q4 e-tron will quickly overtake the A3 hatchback as the second best-selling vehicle in its lineup. That’s big news for an all-electric vehicle.
Wouldn’t it be cleaner still if it was lower and lighter?
No doubt. But then perhaps people wouldn’t want it as much. SUVs are in style right now, like it or not. Given that its chunk better absorbs them, putting a load of batteries inside of them is not only easier physically than putting batteries inside of a standard hatch, but it may also have the unintended effect of bringing electricity to the driveways of skeptics. Automobiles like the Q4 may serve as a helpful tipping point.
Enough Greek. What’s the quickest Q4 like?
It’s unheard of to experience a tiny personal problem related to climate change here, that much is certain. And a quick one. I wouldn’t describe it as gobsmackingly fast unless you hook up all the power as you exit a roundabout, full speed and tight steering lock smoothly combining thanks to the ingenious power management underneath. Instead, it is incredibly sharp in the cut-and-paste of commuter flow.
Peak power and torque are 295 bhp and 339 lb ft, hot hatch-like numbers but constrained in a 2.2-tonne SUV. Its 0-62 mph time of 6.2 seconds feels about right, and its top speed of 111 mph will at least prevent any autobahn users from quickly draining its battery in the same manner as a Veyron at Ehra-Lessien.
Pricing
The recommended retail price (RRP) and on-the-road price (OTR) of the Audi Q4 e-tron 50 quattro are 52,445 and 53,160, respectively. The OTR Price includes delivery, VAT, the first year of VED, the initial registration charge for the vehicle, and number plates.
Drivetrain and Performance
A fully electric vehicle, the Audi Q4 e-tron 50 quattro (BEV). The Audi Q4 e-tron 50 quattro has a 220 kW maximum power output (295 hp). 339 lb-ft of torque is the maximum. All-wheel drive Audi Q4 e-tron 50 quattro has a 6.2-second 0 to 62 mph acceleration time. It can go as fast as 112 mph.
Battery and Charging
The Audi Q4 e-tron 50 quattro’s battery has a total energy storage capacity of 82 kWh. The available energy is 76.6 kWh. A fully charged battery has a potential range of roughly 240 kilometers. The actual driving range will be determined by a number of variables, such as the environment, the topography, the use of climate control, and driving habits.
For instance, maintaining high speeds in a chilly environment might result in a range of about 170 miles. However, if you drive slowly in good weather, you can go an additional 345 miles.
The Type 2 connector is used for charging, and the on-board charger can produce a maximum power of 11 kW. This takes about 8 hours 15 minutes to fully recharge a totally discharged battery. To do this, though, a 3-phase grid connection is required. Currently, this link is absent from the vast majority of houses and charging stations. The average maximum charging power is 7.4 kW, which translates to a charge time of 12 hours and 15 minutes and a charge speed of 20 mph. The typical wall plug will take about 39 hours and 15 minutes to fully charge the car.
A CCS connector enables rapid charging. 135 kW is the greatest quick charging power. At this power, the battery cannot be charged continuously. The average charge power during a rapid charge session will be close to 103 kW. This takes about 35 minutes to fully charge the battery from 10% to 80%. This kind of quick charging will increase range by around 165 miles.
Energy Consumption
The Audi Q4 e-tron 50 quattro’s estimated combined (city and highway) energy consumption is 319 Wh per mile. In contrast, 127 mpg of gasoline would be consumed by this amount of energy in a conventional petrol vehicle.
The actual energy use will vary on a number of variables, including the climate, the topography, if climate control systems are used, and driving habits. For instance, maintaining high speeds in cold conditions may require about 451 Wh of energy per mile. However, efficiency will rise to roughly 222 Wh per mile when traveling at modest speeds in comfortable conditions.
CO2 Emission
Driving the Audi Q4 e-tron 50 quattro results in no CO2 emissions. Only the vehicle’s own direct emissions are included in this. The usage of fossil fuels may have (partially) produced the energy required to charge the battery. CO2 emissions from internal combustion engines are a constant while driving. Additionally, fossil fuel production and transportation result in CO2 emissions.
What distinguishes the Q4 e-tron from the Audi e-tron?
The Audi Q4 e-tron features a more upright rear end than its brother, giving it the more SUV-like appearance of the two vehicles. When you compare the rears of the two automobiles, the differences are clear, but if you looked at them from the front, you couldn’t tell which was which.
The practicality improvements this provides are comparatively little, but if you are a practical consumer, we still recommend the regular version because the Sportback is more expensive. The Sportback actually has a larger volume with the back seats in place than this version’s overall boot room.
The versions 35, 40, and 50 come with 52 kWh or 77 kWh batteries and motors that range in power from 168 hp to 295 hp. The battery and motor options are identical. The 35, 40, and 50 versions have respective ranges of 208 miles, 316 miles, and 298 miles.
Can Q4 match Q3 in size?
Audi may not have the luxury small SUV market largely to itself anymore, but with the Q3 and Q4, it is still one of the top competitors. There is lots of choice while preserving the four rings on the snout because both are offered as traditional “SUV estates” or slightly less practical Sportback variants. Since the EV is more expensive to lease but less expensive to run, the choice between gasoline and electricity is not as clear-cut.
With the original Q3, Audi was one of the first automakers to provide a stylish compact SUV, but the market has changed significantly since then. Competitors include the Volvo XC40, Mercedes GLA, Range Rover Evoque, and the BMW X1 and X2 models. Additionally, the all-electric Q4 E-Tron and the Sportback versions of the Q3 and Q4 with their steeper sloping tailgates are competitors within its own ranks.
The Q3 is available with the typical gasoline and diesel engines in addition to a gasoline-electric hybrid option for the drivetrain. Audi has converted to its E-Tron all-electric motor for the Q4, and like the most of the vehicles in its lineup, buyers must choose between 2- and 4-wheel drive. But that’s a choice that just affects drivetrains. The more powerful Q4s stick with 2-wheel drive, while the top-of-the-line Q4 50 has a quattro 4WD. Even so, things are a little different because these are rear-drive instead of front-wheel drive, which is Audi’s customary preference. This is so because the Q4 shares a platform with the Skoda Enyaq and the Volkswagen ID.4.
Leasing costs for the Q3 and Q4 are comparable, however when comparing vehicles of the same trim and quality, the Q3 fueled by fossil fuels is significantly less expensive. Will that affect your choice? We shall see.
Design Differences
The Q3 and Q4 share a lot of the same design cues because they both come from the same styling department. However, it’s obvious that the Q3 is more conventional in appearance, as Audi was unwilling to lose a loyal client base that had been amassed over the course of more than a decade. The Q4 comes from a bolder pen, on the other hand. With a massive (even by Audi standards) grille that appears to be pressing the headlights out of the frame, it has a more aggressive appearance. All of the cooling air for the batteries is brought in through the vents below, thus this grille serves just as decoration.
The Q4 is once more more style-driven at the rear and down the sides, which is not necessarily a good thing because the Q3 has much simpler lines that feel far less “look at me.” The Q3 uses a more subdued approach to integrating the Volkswagen Group twin-screen dash into its interior, which is also true outside. With the elevated center console and angular steering wheel that feels curiously bumpy as it passes through your hands when you maneuver, Audi has pushed the dial up to 10.5 for the Q4. The inside of the Q4 is annoyingly sensible in most aspects and irritatingly stupid in others. We simply wish Audi had turned up the design dial all the way.
We can clearly notice the technical changes between Q3 and Q4 when we put on our X-ray glasses. Depending on the model you choose, the Q3’s engine is positioned in the usual transverse configuration to drive either the front wheels or all four. We chose the all-wheel drive quattro model with the 190hp 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine and 7-speed automatic transmission for our comparison.
With the R8 supercar serving as its sole actual antecedent, the Q4 is the first rear-wheel-drive Audi model to be built in significant quantities. Due to the usage of the same platform as the Skoda Enyaq and VW ID.4 for cost savings, Audi has been obliged to make this significant change despite its longstanding aversion to rear-drive. All-wheel drive is an option for the Q4, but you’ll need to spend more money on the 50 model because it’s not available for the 35 or 40 models, which are both less potent.
Driving Differences
Here, we’ll start with the Q4. This EV is among the best of its kind for controlling the tug-of-war between the body and the wheels over bumps on a normal British A-road. It rivals the Skoda Enyaq’s level of comfort and outperforms the Jaguar I-Pace by a significant margin. The adjustable suspension, which enables you to customize its responses to the road ahead, is a must-have addition if you want the highest level of comfort in the Q4. The Q4 is significantly more polished than a Ford Mustang Mach-E in how it deflects noise away from the cabin, even with the stock setup, which is still quite impressive. The Q4’s 2-wheel-drive models have a surprisingly small turning circle, and they handle in a typically Audi manner with reassuring amounts of grip without ever seeming to engage much with the driver.
Depending on the model you select, the Q4’s acceleration ranges from passable to “cor blimey.” The 50 is hot-hatch quick, while the 35 is sufficient for the majority of purposes. With the 40, we’d choose a vehicle in the middle that has sufficient oomph for all circumstances without rapidly depleting its battery.
Here is the Q3. The petrol-powered Q3 in this comparison did not lag behind the refinement of its Q4 sibling by a significant margin despite having an internal combustion engine and all the fiery explosions that comes with it. At all speeds, the engine has a little bit more growl, although at higher speeds, road noise is effectively muffled and wind rustling is not a problem.
In order to provide a fair comparison, the 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbo engine with 190 horsepower was chosen instead of our recommended 1.5-liter 3-cylinder petrol engine for the Q3. It moves at a quick pace comparable to the Q4 50, and its 7-speed twin-clutch automatic transmission is so seamless that you don’t notice when it shifts gears.
Which model you choose will determine how well the Q3 handles rough roads. The adaptive suspension found on the Q4 is available if you choose the top-tier Vorsprung, and the same is true for the Q3. You can obtain the stiffer suspension that Audi plainly deems as sch-porty if you choose the S line or Edition 1 models. However, we have to say “Nein Danke” because it’s frequently too jiggly and unsteady, which has a negative impact on refining. The Sport model we have here has a basic suspension that is much superior. It performs admirably for this class of vehicle, striking a similar balance between comfort and body control to that of a Volvo XC40 or Hyundai Tucson.
Practicality Differences
The change between the Q3 and Q4 is most noticeable from the driver’s seat more so than everywhere else. In the Q3, you sit slightly higher than any hatchbacks around you, but in the Q4, you sit upright and have a better view of most other vehicles. Although you won’t be looking directly at van drivers, the Q4 gives off a greater sense of SUV freedom of view and has better all-around vision for parking.
The digital dash from Audi is programmable in the Q3 and Q4. Is it useful? Perhaps, however unless using the satnav, we’ve discovered that we choose a screen we like and keep with it. Both vehicles have a 10.1-inch screen with a crisp and logical infotainment display. Oddly, despite the fact that they are all from the same general automaker, Audi’s approach to this is simpler and better to use than those found in the Volkswagen ID.4 or Skoda Enyaq. In order to make regulating the temperature while driving easier, we also appreciate that Audi equips each of its vehicles with physical buttons for the heating settings.
When you climb into the back seats, the larger Q4 is ideal for taller passengers and gives adults greater space in all directions. Your children will be more than content in the Q3, but your friends will only want to stay for a maximum of an hour. They’ll be content in the Q4 all day if you put the same friends in the rear.
The Q4 has a somewhat smaller trunk than the Q3, which is a compromise made because of the rear-mounted electric powertrain that takes up some space. The Q3 has 530 liters of room with the seats up and 1525 liters with the back pews folded down, so you can pack it to the brim. In the same configurations, the Q4 can hold 520 and 1490 liters, respectively.
Running Cost Comparison
The Q4 E-Tron is in a lower insurance classification than the petrol Q3 in a break from the norm. Choose the EV, whose premium is based on a group 29 rating, as opposed to our preferred Q3, which is in group 30. With its Vehicle Excise Duty of 555 as opposed to $0 for the Q4, the Q3 continues to be financially burdensome. Additionally, the Q3 will cost a low-rate tax paying company driver 2666 per year whereas the Q4 is only 84 over the same time period.
The Q4 E-Tron 40, according to Audi, can drive 317 miles on a single charge. The Q3 40 TFSI quattro can travel up to 490 miles on a full tank before running out of gas. The gasoline vehicle requires a service visit every 9000 miles or 12 months, whereas the electric vehicle may travel twice as far and for twice as long before requiring a dealer visit. The Q4 has an additional 8-year, 100,000-mile battery warranty, and both vehicles are covered by Audi’s 3-year, 60,000-mile warranty.
Living With the Electric Car
The 40 model we choose here, in contrast to the entry-level Q4 E-Tron 35, can use chargers of up to 125kW, allowing you to recharge the battery from 10 to 100 percent charge in as little as 35 minutes. In addition to a cable to connect the car to a domestic 3-pin socket in case of an emergency, Audi also includes a Mode 3 cable for use with Type 2 public chargers, albeit doing so will take a lot of time.
With the Q4, you can use the MyAudi app to perform all of the standard smartphone tasks, like checking the battery charge, charging progress, and remaining range remotely. Additionally, it allows you to find the vehicle in crowded parking lots, download locations to the satnav, and even monitor the level of the screen washer fluid. The ability of the app to locate nearby charging stations and pre-warm the cabin to your preferred temperature while connected to a charger to extend driving range may be more practical on a daily basis.
In our most recent review, Matt Robinson, our resident automotive expert, tests out the Audi A5 Coupe, Sportback, and Coupe.
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In his most recent review, Matt Robinson, our resident automotive expert, examines the Audi SQ7.
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