With the Q4 e-tron, Audi gets serious about EVs for the mass market. Jonathan Crouch takes a look at the most recent changes made to the enhanced version of this model and drives it.

Ten Second Review

The Q4 e-tron was the first production Audi built on the Volkswagen Group MEB platform for volume all-electric cars. This lower-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. Two years into its production life, it was usefully updated to create the car we're going to look at here.

Background

With Audi's first three all-electric e-tron full-electric designs, 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 mattered to Ingolstadt, this car, the Q4 e-tron. It was launched back in 2021, then improved in Autumn 2023 in an update coinciding with the movement of part of production to Audi's dedicated EV factory in Brussels (which previously had only made the larger Q8 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 Tavascan. 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

For both rear-wheel drive and quattro all-wheel drive versions of this updated Q4 e-tron, Audi has installed a permanently excited synchronous machine (PSM) on the rear axle. The update is supposed to release higher efficiency and greater power. And, sure enough, there's 286PS now on tap from the base rear-driven version now badged '45' (as opposed to the 204PS offered by the previous '40' model). Yet the driving range figure has risen over that previous variant, the Q4 e-tron 45 capable of up to 342 miles between charges (it was 316 miles with the previous '40' model). You can have the same powertrain set-up with quattro 4WD, but if you choose that, drive range falls to a best of 309 miles. Those range figures by the way, are for this standard SUV body shape; you'll do slightly better if you opt for the sleeker Sportback body style. Whatever Q4 e-tron 45 variant is selected, an owner of an earlier version of this car ought to find that performance is now noticeably perkier; rest to 62mph takes 6.7s (it was 8.5s before): and the top speed (as with all Q4 e-trons) is 112mph. As part of this update, Audi has decided that all Q4 e-trons should use the larger of the two previously available batteries; it's 77kWh in usable capacity and also features on the top Q4 variant we tried, another derivative that's been re-badged as part of this update. What's now the Q4 e-tron 55 quattro (it was called the 50 quattro before) in this updated form puts out 340PS (up from the 299PS figure of the previous 50 version). Which means that the 62mph sprint can be dispatched in just 5.4s (up from 6.2s before). Driving range for the top quattro model can be up to 320 miles. There are other Q4 e-tron changes we need to brief you on too. Audi says it has re-tuned the chassis across the range for greater driver involvement. As part of this, the steering's now sharper. The engineers have tinkered with the suspension, aiming for greater comfort and stability; as before it's 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. Audi's also created what it calls a new 'character sound', which is offered as an option and emitted via two exterior speakers at the rear and two interior speakers in the rear doors. This 'soundscape' varies according to load and speed. There's a new camera drive assist feature too, which allows assisted lane changes above 56mph. Otherwise, things are pretty much as before. 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.

Design and Build

There haven't been any visual changes as part of this model update. 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 was the first of the company's models to get new digital LED technology offering four different exterior lighting signatures the driver can choose between. And it was 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.

Market and Model

We've been telling you about the three powertrain combinations on offer - either rear-driven or quattro 4WD versions of the Q4 e-tron 45. Or the 4WD-only Q4 e-tron 55 quattro model we tried. All models now use the same 77kWh (usable capacity) battery. As before, there are three trim levels - 'Sport', 'S line' and 'Black Edition' - and prices range from around £50,000 and then on up to around £63,000. There's a £1,430 premium if you want to add the quattro drivetrain to the 45 model. For the 55 quattro version, budget from around £57,000 upwards. Across the line-up, there's a £1,500 premium if instead of this SUV body shape, you want the alternative sleeker Sportback body style, as many customers will. Base 'Sport' variants get 19-inch Graphite Grey alloy wheels, those rims upgraded to 20-inches in size with the mid-level 'S line' trim level most customers will choose. Even base 'Sport' trim includes LED headlights, front sports seats, 3-Zone air conditioning and an 'MMI navigation Plus' media system with an 11.6-inch centre screen. The later includes navigation, a WiFi hotspot and Amazon Alexa integration. There's also a 10.25-inch Audi Virtual Cockpit instrument screen, an 8-speaker 180-watt sound system, rear parking sensors and cruise control. Across the line-up, there's lots of sophisticated equipment available - much of it optional. Like the Matrix LED headlights with their 16 individually activated LEDs. And the bespoke Sonos sound system upgrade package. We'd also want to look at the optional heat pump, which rapidly heats and cools the interior using the thermal losses from the electric components and the temperature of the outside air. It uses eco-friendly CO2 as a refrigerant, which flows through the circuit at high pressure. The heat pump can reduce losses in range caused by usage of the climate control system, especially in winter. Its strengths come to the fore on long drives.

Cost of Ownership

What about replenishment for the 77kWh battery? For DC charging, standard rear-driven models charge at 135kW, while the 55 quattro version can charge at up to 175kW. With a rapid public charger, WLTP testing has confirmed that in only 10 minutes, the Q4 45 e-tron can recharge enough electricity to cover a distance of about 80 miles. Charging at 135kW, the battery can achieve an 80% state of charge from a 5% starting point in 29 minutes. As for AC home charging, well both variants have been engineered for charging speeds of up to 11kW. If you're using a conventional 7.4kW garage wallbox, a Q4 e-tron can charge 255 miles of range in eight and a quarter hours. Or receive a full charge in eleven and a half hours. However you choose to charge, it's worth noting that in this updated form, the Q4 e-tron now features post-conditioning. With that, the vehicle's thermal management system cools the battery, for example, if it exceeds a fixed temperature threshold after driving or charging. Using the myAudi app, owners can activate charging remotely using a smartphone. The app also provides access to the comfort remote preconditioning system, which enables remote adjustment of the cabin temperature and seat heating functions to ensure that the cabin climate is always comfortable well before a journey begins. Not so good is the issue of depreciation; the Q4 e-tron doesn't hold its value anything like the way you would expect an Ingolstadt model to do - a problem afflicting so many EVs just at present. Accessing and paying for electricity while on the road can be easily taken care of using the 'e-tron Charging Service', which provides UK subscribers with one RFID payment card that is accepted at a vast number of charge points operated by 18 suppliers across the UK and Europe, and offers a choice of two fixed price charging tariffs.

Summary

The Q4 e-tron has the size of a lower mid-sized EV, but (if specified expensively) the finish, luxury and (to some extent) the driving dynamics of an electric crossover from next class up - that for larger EVs like, say, the Jaguar I-PACE. In some ways, it's actually far more like a premium-badged model of that sort than the similarly-sized Volkswagen, CUPRA and Skoda models it shares its engineering with. And is a more credible contender in this usefully updated form. If you're looking at a premium mid-sized EV crossover like that Jaguar, we think you should be looking at a Q4 e-tron too because it'll satisfy you in much the same way. If that's your perspective, the quite ambitious prices being asked here further up the range will seem reasonable. If it isn't, you'll start to question just why a car which shares pretty much every significant aspect of its engineering with comparable Volkswagen, Skoda and CUPRA EVs can be worth so much more. A matter of perspective then. With Audi, it was ever thus.