2021 Audi Q4 e-tron review:
If i could ask you to name one thing just off the top of your head that you would commonly associate with an electric car what do you think you would say environmentally friendly maybe low running costs perhaps luxury refinement well how about all of those things plus a 300 odd mile range to top it all off this is the new audi q4 e-tron and it has all of those
Things in a very lovely practical suv body so if you’re driving around in an audi q3 or any of the number of countless rivals like that could this be the car that you’ve been waiting for could this be the model that could make you make the switch to electric or have no fear nicola is here and i’m going to tell you everything that you need to know about the
Audi q4 e-tron but before that make sure you subscribe to the carbi youtube channel and you see that little bell icon tap that and then you get notifications every time a new video goes live this is technically the fourth pure electric audi to wear the e-tron badge first there was the self-titled e-tron suv followed rather quickly by the sportback version and
More recently the flagship e-tron gt saloon based on the volkswagen group’s meb platform the q4 we have here is mechanically very similar to the volkswagen id3 and id4 as well as the skoda enyak iv and the forthcoming cooper born it gets the same batteries and the same electric motors but as we’ll find out in this review there is plenty to separate it from
Its siblings so do you like how the car looks from the outside because i’m not going to tell you how to think but it all feels really nicely proportioned in the metal it feels more cohesive than an id4 and it feels less dumpy than an enyak but in here this is where the audi’s personality really shines i mean you’re instantly drawn to this optional squared off
Steering wheel that looks and feels really nice also don’t if you notice but it matches the nose of the car i also love this central screen which is integrated into the dash rather than plonked on the top it just makes it so much easier to use the quality is just really nice it is an easy match for the mercedes eqa and while basic sport models only come with
Fabric seats i don’t mind and i know leather seats will look a little bit more plush but this all feels very nice and soft and very cushy on my bum storage is very good now this is because the electric specific platform frees up so much space so you’ll just find like holes and cubbies bits everywhere lots of places for your kids to lose toys and food and all of
The things you have been warned but my personal favorite thing unlike volkswagen and skoda’s you don’t have to go anywhere near that screen to change the temperature one button hula warmer arf i know that is the future i’m telling you this believe it or not is the entry level model okay it’s got a few options like bigger wheels matrix led lights and a few packs
That bundle up various accessories but even without those items it offers you most of the kit you realistically need you get the big screen with satnav plus apple and android connectivity the digital dials heated seats and three zone climate control the usual s-line and vor sprung trims are also available alongside a limited run edition 1 model these add extra
Luxury and tech but are quite expensive while those after a bit more style can opt for the sleeker sportback version for around fifteen hundred quid more four specs are available on carbide code uk just search for the audi q4 e-tron via the drop-down menus on our home page now we spoke earlier about luxury and refinement and that is the first thing that hits you
The moment that you set off it is really nice and quiet when you’re around town and the best thing is that doesn’t change the faster you go remember this is a 40 000 pound-ish family suv this isn’t a 75-grand rival to a jaguar i-pace or a mercedes eqc and it drives really nicely as well now we have the optional 20-inch wheels but the adaptive suspension means
That it softens the lumps and bumps in the roads really nicely if you’re driving around and you’re arming and arring as to whether you want to go for that option we would recommend test driving the q4s standard setup just to double check that you’re happy regardless the fact that the majority of the q4’s weight is quite low down because the battery is located
In the floor it means that the center of gravity is exactly where you want it to be which makes it that little bit more fun doesn’t really roll much in corners i mean yeah the steering is reasonably light but it still feels nice and agile it feels like you can place it on the road really well performance as with most vw group cars is satisfactory rather than
Spellbinding i mean this 40 badge model sits right in the middle of the range in terms of price and performance it’s got a single motor and 201 brake horsepower now there is a 35 badge version which is slightly less powerful and a 50 badge version which is slightly more powerful and that one has four wheel drive the naught to 62 time and this 40 badged car is
8.5 seconds and it’s got a speed limit of 99 mile an hour i know i know some of you are going to sneer at that but it gets up to motorway speeds fine and sits very comfortably up there as well and it’s got a nice decent shove when you put your foot down the fact is if you’re going to be thrashing this about all over the shop and you’re going to be sitting at that
Top range that top speed a lot of the time then the official figure of 316 miles range is going to be a lot less than 316 miles isn’t it since taking delivery we’ve seen around 3.5 miles per kilowatt hour out of this audi q4 e-tron that equates to a real-world range of around 270 miles more than enough for most family buyers beware however that the entry-level
Q435 gets a smaller 52 kilowatt-hour battery with closer to 200 miles of range from a single charge charging itself couldn’t be easier unlike the basic version of the vw or skoda every e-tron comes with at least 100 kilowatt rapid charging with the q440 and q450 models getting even quicker kilowatt capability so quick top-ups on the go are perfectly feasible
Think 80 miles of range in just 10 minutes topping up a home via a 7kw wool box takes seven and a half hours for the smaller battery q435 or 11 and a half hours on the bigger battery 77 kilowatt hour 40 and 50 models i’ve said it before and i’m going to bloom and well repeat myself if you set out to build an electric car right from the start rather than turning
A petrol or a diesel car into an electric like they did with the mercedes eqa then you get to avoid a lot of the packaging constraints like a bulky transmission tunnel right down the middle because look at the results there is so much space back here i’m five foot six i’ve got loads of leg room i’ve got loads of headroom it’s a flat floor so i can quite happily
Sit in the middle seat i mean this is supposed to be smaller than the original e-tron but it feels a lot bigger that means there is loads of room for child seats while those in the back will benefit from their own climate controls plus usb slots for charging phones and ipads the door bins will take bottles and there are nets in the back of the seats and the
Practicality advantages continue here in the boots we’ve got 520 liters of space which isn’t as big as the skoda enyak but this is still a very usable space we’ve got the charging cables underneath the boot floor a couple of cubbies either side and if you fold down the rear seats you’ve got 1 490 litres of space which again isn’t as big as the skoda but it’s a
Perfect size for a family so shall we have some deal makers and deal breakers for the audi q4 e-tron yes yes is the answer the audi feels special alongside its vw and skoda siblings going some way to justify its higher price it’s not as spacious as the skoda but the audi’s clever packaging makes it a practical suv the bigger battery models tick all the right
Boxes when it comes to long range and fast charging the sport model is pretty good value but straight towards the s-line or vorsprung cars and you’ll pay rather too handsomely for the pleasure you know what having driven the original e-tron which was a car that was based on the diesel version of the q5 my expectations for this weren’t exactly high but building
It on a bespoke electric platform has made this a very accomplished car overall you’ve got more range better interior packaging and just as much luxury i mean it seems a little bit silly if you’re going to spend any more on an electric family suv than this if you like this video then why not watch our review of the mercedes eqa or our electric cars playlist thanks for watching
Transcribed from video
New Audi Q4 e-tron in-depth review: the best electric Audi! By Carbuyer
