Road test: Audi Q4 e-tron, a new affordable German EV benchmark?

Wednesday, 1 November 2023

Audi’s introduction of the Q4 e-tron marks the fourth local variant of the Volkswagen MEB platform, following the Skoda Enyaq, Volkswagen ID.4/ID.5 and Cupra Born. Generally speaking we’ve quite enjoyed the more affordable German electric offerings, although they haven’t been perfect. However, Audi’s take on the matter should improve things in one key metric.

The interior of those other MEB vehicles has never quite landed with me. It’s not that quality is lacking or they’ve been down on features (though not having over-the-air updates is a bit of a miss), it’s more the excessive cramming of apps and shortcuts on the screen and the infatuation with touch-based haptic feedback buttons.

Thankfully, the Q4 gets Audi’s standard interior layout, which means the much cleaner MMI infotainment system and lovely, clicky physical air-conditioning controls. There are still haptic steering wheel controls, but they seem a lot more accurate and easy to use than other VW products. I’ve always enjoyed the e-tron models’ two-spoke steering wheel (or is it four-spoke?) too.

The touchscreen is quite susceptible to fingerprints, however, and I had a few iffy moments with retaining a connection to my phone, mainly on startup.

While there’s not much that can be done about fingerprints, the infotainment system can be updated over-the-air (OTA) to fix little bugs like the connection thing. Well, it could be if we lived in Europe. New Zealand doesn’t get OTA capabilities because our networks aren’t ready for it yet. This also means our Q4s aren’t ‘connected’ – not a fault of Audi or Volkswagen, more a result of New Zealand not being able to support it at the moment.

This Q4 is the entry 40 model but with a few boxes ticked, namely the Style Pack and the Sonos premium audio system. The former adds a panoramic sunroof, 21-inch Audi Sport wheels, black accents dotted around the exterior, and privacy glass. It adds $7000 to the price, but considering you’re already knocking on the door of $100,000, it’s not a bad thing to consider. Markedly ups the premium factor of the vehicle, especially with those wheels and glass roof.

I’d absolutely recommend the Sonos audio as well. Another common gripe I have with modern VW products is the basic stereo has an irritating habit of automatically adjusting itself if it thinks the music is too loud, or the bass is too heavy. Paying two grand for the upgraded system is absolutely worth it if you like blasting tunes without hearing yourself sing (like me).

As for the drive, the Q4 could be the best of the MEB bunch. The 40 gets a single, rear-mounted electric motor making 150kW/310Nm, just like the ID.4/5 and Enyaq, enough to hit 100kph in about 8.5 seconds. It’s remarkably well planted, with electronic assistane only really needed when booting it out of a corner in the wet, and even then it’s pretty unintrusive. Of course, if you want more poke and more wet-weather assurity, the Q4 50 quattro gets another electric motor for a combined 220kW/460Nm of output and all-wheel drive.

The steering is accurate and nicely weighted depending on what drive mode you select (heavier in Sport, lighter in Comfort) but it’s really more at home cruising on the highway or in the city.

All Q4s get an 82kWh battery, enough for a maximum claimed range of 511km, or about 480km in the real world. It doesn’t start with a five but that’s still plenty to get you around for a week or two.

Things are quiet in the cabin as you might expect with an electric powertrain, but road and wind noise are also kept to a minimum. The seats are a bit flat though, they could do with a bit of extra bolstering. That 50 model mentioned above also comes in S line trim by default, which includes better seats, among a bevy of other things.

But what if we expand comparisons beyond the Volkswagen Group? There are lots of electric SUVs sitting around the $100k mark these days, from the ever-popular Tesla Model Y ($97,500 in Performance trim) to the exceedingly attractive Hyundai Ioniq 5 ($99,990 in Elite 2WD trim), as well as the more powerful BMW iX1 xDrive30 at $98,200.

Of those, the Model Y is the fastest, the Hyundai (arguably) looks the best, and the BMW is the best for driving. And those are just the first three I thought of, there are plenty more out there. Kia’s EV6, Volvo’s XC40 Recharge, the Mercedes-Benz EQB… Competition is hot in this segment, which also indirectly shows that the electric niche is no longer really a niche.

And that means Audi has its work cut out for it. The Q4 might be the best of the VW bunch but it’s a big bad world out there, and the New Zealand market doesn’t have much space for sharing. Particularly if that Clean Car Discount lifts and we see more circa-$100k variants popping up…