The Q4 is Audi’s fourth dedicated electric vehicle, following the E-tron, E-tron Sportback and recently unveiled E-tron GT, and it's the first to be based on parent company Volkswagen Group’s MEB electric vehicle platform - as used for the Volkswagen ID 4 and Skoda Enyaq....
A udi has officially revealed its first car on the VW Group's MEB electric platform, the Q4 e-Tron. It's available as a regular SUV or coupe-like Sportback version, introduces some new technology and offers some choice in terms of price and range.
I need powertrain specs
There will be three variants of the new Q4 e-Tron from launch, the 35, 40 and 50 quattro. As you may have already guessed, the 50 Quattro features all-wheel drive as standard; the 35 and 40 versions are rear-driven only.
Keep reading for the stats you need to know about each version:
- 35: 168bhp, 229lb ft, 9.0sec 0-62mph, 52kWh battery, 211/216-mile range (SUV/Sportback)
- 40: 201bhp, 229lb ft, 8.5sec 0-62mph, 77kWh battery, 323/328-mile range (SUV/Sportback)
- 50 Quattro: 295bhp, 339lb ft, 6.2sec 0-62mph, 77kWh battery, 303/309-mile range (SUV/Sportback)
All competitive figures, then, and it leaves room for Audi to introduce potentially cheaper and faster variants at either end. Let's not forget, for example, that the e-Tron also has a hot S variant with an additional motor.
What about charging?
The Q4 e-Tron can support 11kW AC charging and up to 125kW DC charging, with Audi claiming around 80 miles can be zapped into its new EV in just 10 minutes using those fastest of chargers.
Audi also offers something called 'e-Tron Charging Service.' It's not an unheard of concept from manufacturers – you're essentially given an RFID card and sign up to a tariff that gives you streamlined access to chargers from different networks, saving you the pain of signing up to individual ones.
It looks like the concept!
Almost exactly like it, yes. The Q4 SUV's relatively boxy shape is emphasised by clean-cut wheelarch haunches, a blocked-out 'singleframe' arrangement for what would be the grille, and a single light panel stretches across the rear. Spec the optional matrix LED lights and you can customise the way the daytime running lights look, with four distinct patterns.
You can choose from a regular Q4 e-Tron SUV and a coupe-like Sportback variant – very predictable options from Audi.
What about the interior?
Details new to the Q4 include a steering wheel with a flat top and bottom (with haptic touch panel buttons) on S-line models and additional storage cubbies, including bottle holders in the door armrests. The central MMI touchscreen (10.1-inch as standard, 11.6-inch as an option) still has haptic feedback like most larger Audis, but there is only one touchscreen, with manually-controlled air-con switchgear below it.
Much like VW's ID.3 and ID.4, along with the latest Mercedes S-Class, the Q4 will be available with an optional augmented-reality head-up display. The AR-HUD actively displays navigation directions in your field of view, gives you markers for the car in front when you have the adaptive cruise system active and even flags up the edges of your lane if you stray out of them.
Given the all-electric MEB platform underneath, Audi is particularly promoting the space aspect of the new Q4, saying that while it has the rough exterior dimensions of a Q3, it has space inside akin to the Q5 and quality like a Q7. The Q4 has a sliding rear bench, allowing for a boot volume of 520 litres in the non-Sportback variant.
Audi Q4 e-Tron: prices and release date
Pick from either the SUV or Sportback versions when it goes on sale in June 2021. Expect a price tag for the entry-level Q4 e-Tron 35 to start at around £37,000.
