Why we ran it it: Can Audi, through the Audi Q4 e-Tron, its new electric family crossover, retain its premium appeal in the EV age?
Month 8 - Month 7 - Month 6 - Month 5 - Month 4 - Month 3 - Month 2 - Month 1 - Specs
Life with an Audi Q4 E-tron Sportback: Month 9
The Q4 E-tron is supposed to be Audi’s electric car breakthrough moment, helping the firm step beyond the ‘early adopter’ phase and into the mass market. With a range in excess of 300 miles and a ‘right-sized’ family package, plus Audi’s vast dealer network and enduring badge appeal behind it, the Q4 E-tron was tipped to be second only to the A3 in Audi UK’s sales this year, such was the view of it as a banker for success.
At the end of July, however, it sat ninth in Audi UK’s 2022 sales rankings, behind the larger E-tron and between the A5 and A6. The chip shortage (that again...) has prevented it reaching its full potential, which, Audi says, is very much still there due to significant pent-up demand.
Three different Q4 E-trons of two different bodystyles nonetheless passed through our hands over the past 11 months, so we’ve been able to get a good sense of what those waiting Q4 buyers can expect when the chips are no longer down.
Mostly, they will find a car that’s easy to get along with and live with, and one of the better premium family car options on the market, electric or otherwise. Yet it comes with one major f law that plagued in various ways all three cars we experienced, all of which we’ll come to.
The good first. The Q4 is indeed nicely sized and feels like quite a compact car rather than anything too wide and cumbersome, yet it retains plenty of space inside. It’s easy to manoeuvre and is quiet, comfortable and refined, with plentiful power and torque. It rides nicely and handles and steers precisely, if all rather somewhat inoffensively rather than engagingly.
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Sorry but Mark Tisshaw must surely be a full on Audi fan at heart - getting early excuses in for the interior quality (or lack thereof) and making the ~300 mile range, firstly into "well in excess of 300... " and then to try and make that range sound like such a strong point. To go as far as effectively saying one has not made a journey of over 300 miles in over 2 years surely brings any findings that may follow into serious question. This is a lightly disguised "advertorial" and Steve Sutcliffe would be horrified.
Surely the real price comparison ends up favouring the Audi. To decide whether the premium is worth it, you need the three cars (Audi, VW, Skoda) in as near the same spec as possible. This will add more to the Skoda cost just to get it into the base Audi territory. At any given level, this puts all three pretty close in price terms. Mid £40,000s. At that level, a few thousand more for the Audi starts to look cheap, given the likely residuals on the brand. It's a much smaller % than exists at present with ICE cars, (although that gap is only ever going to close going forward).
Having driven Audis (TT & A5) for the last 22 years I have to say the thing that attracted me and kept me loyal was the quality of the interior. The original TT in particular was special in its day. Something that made the car nice to sit in even when it wasn't moving. My concern is that in each generation since, Audi has made only marginal progress whereas its competitors have made the great strides necessary to catch up. Skoda too has closed the gap, more than keeping pace with its own brand competitors. As cars otherwise, I do not believe Audis did or do stand out in any way so this USP on interiors is an important thing to maintain. The whole thing smacks of Ford when the beancounters controlled the designers before the car guys saved them again. Cheaper interiors may save a few millions but if it destroys the brand cache that will lose them a few billion (just like the emmissions scandal did).
According to Bjorn's range tests this will do the claimed range of 316 miles....at a steady 56mph, in summer, on dry roads. If it really does have 77kph usable (which I'm not sure it does), and if you drive it from 100-0%, which you won't.
At a more normal 75mph, using 90% of the available battery, the range is more like 190 miles. Add rain and/or and you're closer to 160 miles.
In fairness it's similar to a Model 3 LR (which I have and love), so it's "competitive", but you will be disappointed if you expect to drive for more than 2.5 hours between recharging stops on a motorway journey in any electric car.
Well said.
Similar to a model 3LR other than in price, sorry it had to be mentionsd