Audi Q4 e-tron In-Depth Review 2022 - Better than the BMW iX3?

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The first production Audi built on the Volkswagen Group MEB platform for volume all-electric cars is this model, the Q4 e-tron. This compact-to-mid-sized crossover is pricier of course than other similarly-sized full-battery-powered SUVs from the Wolfsburg conglomerate, but it delivers a much more up-market feel that'll help ease you into your new electrified phase of motoring ownership.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00​​​​ Introduction
00:39 Background
02:55 Driving Experience
13:57 Design & Build
30:08 Market & Model Range
50:46 Cost of Ownership
01:10:57 Summary

Background

With Audi's first three all-electric e-tron models, we saw what the brand was capable of with EV technology. These three models though - the e-tron, the e-tron Sportback and the e-tron GT quattro - were merely preludes to the BEV model that really matters to Ingolstadt, this car, the Q4 e-tron.

It's tempting to merely dismiss this model as Audi's version of other similarly-sized VW Group crossover EVs like the Volkswagen ID.4, the Skoda Enyaq iV and the CUPRA Born. Certainly, all the engineering bits that matter are common between the four cars, namely the MEB platform and the battery tech. Yet Audi claims to have put its own stamp on the way this car drives and feels. Let's see.

Driving Experience

The Q4's pretty straightforward to get to grips with behind the wheel. You select drive using a slider-type shifter situated on the centre console and once underway, there's the kind of instant throttle response you'd usually get from an EV of this sort. In terms of powertrains, there's nothing we haven't seen before in Volkswagen Group EVs. Most of these tend to be chosen with the 52kWh battery that's used by the base Q4 35 e-tron, which uses a 170PS rear-driven electric motor and makes 62mph in 9.0s and has a range of 208 miles. Next up is the Q4 40 e-tron, which has a bigger 76.6kWh (net) battery and a more powerful 204PS rear-driven motor, making 62mph in 8.5s and offering a 316 mile driving range.

The flagship Q4 50 e-tron also uses the 76.6kWh battery, but has both front and rear-mounted electric motors developing a combined 299PS. Which means 62mph in just 6.2s and a range of 295 miles. Plus, with this top performance variant, the top speed is lifted from the usual Q4 maximum of 99mph to 111mph. Across the range, there's the same kind of suspension set-up you'd find in other mid-sized Audi SUVs - a MacPherson strut front and five-link rear arrangement, with sports suspension available (which lowers ride height by 15mm) and adaptive damping offered further up the range.

Design and Build

You can't really see the Q4 e-tron as either an EV Q3 or an EV Q5 because its size dimensions don't fit with either of those two established combustion crossover models. As with those two cars, the Q4 comes in both regular SUV and swept-back coupe-style forms, the latter known as the Q4 Sportback e-tron. The regular model's dimensions (4,588mm long, 1,865mm wide and 1,632mm tall) place it neatly between a Q3 and a Q5 size-wise and visually, this car has its own bespoke look. This is the first of the company's models to get new digital LED technology that offers four different exterior lighting signatures the driver can choose between. And it's the first of Audi's smaller cars to get a full-width LED tail light bar at the back.

Inside, the Q4 gets its own unique dashboard and cabin architecture, though this incorporates the company's usual screen technology. There's a 10.25-inch instrument display and an 11.6-inch central monitor. Premium materials are generously applied around the cabin and Audi's keen to highlight the extensive interior storage areas. To accommodate the battery, the back seat is mounted 70mm higher than the front. Boot space meanwhile, is rated at 520-litres, extendable to 1,490-litres when the 40:20:40-split seatback is lowered.

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