Audi Q4 e-tron review

STYLING

There is no mistaking that the Q4 e-tron is anything but an Audi. Which means defining lines, a few well-placed creases, and a big grille (that isn’t one) at the front, well proportioned, tight shut lines and distinctive lights, and nothing to frighten you. The optional Matrix LED headlamps of our test car just added to those handsome lines.

Around the side, it’s easy to see the influences with the swollen wheel arches bringing it in line with the e-tron GT, and therefore in turn, the original ur quattro. Alloy wheels start at 19-inches and are available up to 21-inches. Our ‘Sport’ trim press car was fitted with the mid-ground optional 20-inch wheels which suited the car perfectly. They looked just right in the arches, and not comically large. Thankfully for the Q4, Audi has abandoned the rear view camera system that you can option on the larger e-tron, relying instead on good old-fashioned mirrored glass to see behind you. Radical.

At the rear, an integrated light bar ties the design in with the aforementioned GT and larger e-tron stablemates (and every other electric SUV) with a lower diffuser area all encased in silver plastic. All very Germanic, all very clean and precise, and all very Audi. You can also order your Q4 as a ‘Sportback’ which is Audi’s take on the, frankly odd, trend for having a less practical version of a practical car. That being said, just like its larger sibling, Audi’s styling department do seem to make the better job of these cars than those over at BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

INTERIOR

Much like the exterior, there is a lot to like about the interior. Solidly built (albeit some of the plastics don’t feel as premium as they should), spacious and comfortable. Our test car had the £285 option of having a steering wheel that was flat at both the bottom and top. Given how uncomfortable it was to hold, I’d suggest it was £285 misspent. The plastic paddles for the brake regeneration also feel a bit of a cop-out, and I’d have liked to have seen better quality metal ones fitted. And the spokes are fitted with these infernal touch-sensitive buttons that Volkswagen Group seem so keen to push onto us. Oddly, no other buttons in the Audi’s cabin follow suit, and are all the better for it.

But it is well-equipped and features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, and a nice, clear infotainment screen which in itself is easy to use and sits well in your line of sight. And you do get physical heating and ventilation controls rather than having to search for them in some hidden menus. Audi’s ‘Virtual Cockpit’ makes an appearance too, and the optional head-up display means the driver is kept focussed on the road ahead. This is a well thought out and beautifully designed driving environment.

The ‘Sport’ trim has only manual adjustment of the cloth-trimmed seats, but the trade-off is a seat that is well-shaped, supportive and has a lot of adjustment. Much like all other Audis, the interior works really well, and is stunningly built, but perhaps just lacking a little flair.

PERFORMANCE AND HANDLING

Just like the styling and interior, the drive of the Q4 e-tron brings no surprises. But nor does it disappoint. It is a very smooth car to drive, with only a rustle of wind noise from around the mirrors to contend with. There is also a reasonable amount of suspension noise on more broken surfaces or those scarred with expansion joints and drain covers, but as they aren’t felt through the cabin, I’d suggest it was sound deadening (or lack of) that is at fault here, not the chassis’s ability to isolate them.

Performance is as you’d expect from a relatively heavy car with just 204PS, that is to say far from quick. Which in the case of the Q4 is a good thing. Despite the drive heading towards the rear wheels, the car will lose front end grip if pushed along at a speed close to being ‘enthusiastic’. Understeer is the prominent factor here, and whilst we continue to admonish these cars for not being sporty, two facts remain. First, if Audi are intent on calling the car ‘Sport’ then to keep any sporting pretensions from it is as misleading as a PPI salesman. Secondly, some of the car’s main rivals such as the Mercedes-Benz EQA and Mustang Mach-E are more enjoyable to steer when the road stops being anything but arrow straight.

Aside from that, the Q4 e-tron acquits itself admirably in simply providing you and your family with a smooth and refined place in which to travel. It’s easy to get a decent driving position, visibility is excellent, and the only blight for me in terms of this, was the slightly awkwardly shaped and uncomfortable (and thankfully optional) steering wheel. Otherwise, the car was simple and effective at what it was doing.

There are five settings in terms of drive modes, including an ‘Individual’ mode where you can tailor it to suit you. In all honestly, given the shortcomings in power and grip, I left it out of ‘Dynamic’ and let the car simply get on with the job of sorting itself out in the normal setting.

The brakes, much like the other cars on this platform, lacked an initial bite, but they didn’t feel as wooden as the one’s in the ID.4. You can, of course, dial in levels of regeneration via two wheel mounted paddles, and also by shifting the transmission selector into the ‘B’ setting.

In terms of where the Q4 e-tron feels comfortable, it is simply when going about the job of being mere transport. Like almost every other Audi, ask too much of it in terms of dynamics, and the shortcomings are all too evident. But as a dependable, smooth, quiet, comfortable family tool, then it is one of the best. Just don’t go looking for any excitement.

COMPETITION

The Q4 e-tron enters a market that is bustling with talent already, and there is even more to come. Main contenders come in the shape of the Mercedes-Benz EQA, Ford Mustang Mach-E and, of course, from within its own family with the Volkswagen ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq. It also must contend with the very desirable Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 who are very serious players in this sector. You also must consider Nissan’s Ariya too.

Perhaps a little more left-field and harder to justify with its smaller cabin, lower range, but exemplary build quality and unrivalled refinement is the Lexus UX300e. Notable by their absence in this size of car, however, is BMW. However, their larger iX3 might be a considered contender if you were looking towards the top end of the Q4 e-tron range.

CONCLUSION

Let me start by saying that the Audi is superb, and in almost every way, I prefer it to the larger e-tron. I don’t think it actually gives much away to that car in terms of dynamics, is almost as spacious inside despite its smaller external dimensions, looks a lot better, is more efficient and is just nicer to drive. But it is just more of the same from Audi. And with a gun to my head, I’d have to say that the Skoda Enyaq is, for me, the better of the MEB platform cars giving Audi levels of quality in a stupendously practical package for a lot less money.