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Luxury brands have embraced electric vehicles, but they’ve typically been far from affordable.
Audi is working to change that with the 2023 Q4 e-tron, which is being billed as “approachable premium.” That’s more than just marketing hyperbole as the crossover starts at $48,800 and this makes it a steal, when you consider the entry-level Ford Mustang Mach-E begins at $46,895 and has a shorter range.
Thankfully, the affordable price tag is only part of the story as the Q4 e-tron combines a fantastic design with a high quality interior. The good news doesn’t end there as the model is surprisingly spacious and perfectly comfortable. Buyers can also get a head-turning Sportback variant, which is what we recently drove in California.
A Stylish Crossover And A Svelte Crossover Coupe
Fast Facts › › ›
› Model: Audi Q4 e-tron & Q4 Sportback e-tron
› Starting Price: $48,800
› Power: RWD: 201 HP AWD: 295 HP
› Range: 236-265 miles
While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the Q4 lineup is undeniably attractive as the crossovers have soft curves, sculpted lines, and muscular accents.
Designers unsurprisingly focused on aerodynamics and the entry-level Q4 e-tron has an impressively low drag coefficient of 0.28. The sleek Sportback variant isn’t far behind as it comes in at 0.30.
Helping to achieve these low numbers is a bold, fully enclosed singleframe grille that proudly communicates the Q4’s electric powertrain. It’s flanked by available Matrix Design LED headlights, which are notable for featuring customizable daytime running light signatures. That’s a world’s first and owners can select between four different designs by using the MMI infotainment system.
Audi
Further back, there are short overhangs and a rakish windscreen that flows into a sloping roof. They’re joined by muscular “quattro blisters” and 19- or 20-inch wheels. Buyers will also find LED taillights with dynamic turn signals.
The Q4 Sportback e-tron is similar, but the crossover coupe adopts a more adventurous roofline and a sportier greenhouse. The model is also notable for featuring a “two-part” rear window, which is partially obscured by a sizable spoiler.
While the dynamic design does have visibility drawbacks, they didn’t bother us much as the crossover coupe has large side mirrors and standard side assist with rear cross traffic alert. The model also sports a rearview camera and front/rear parking sensors.
It also goes without saying that both Q4s actually look like crossovers, instead of the glorified hatchbacks being produced by Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, and Tesla. That’s probably a wise move and it’s worth noting the roughly 7.1 inches (180 mm) of ground clearance is more than many other EVs.
A Spacious And Upscale Interior
Moving into the cabin, drivers will find an edgy and high-tech cockpit that sports a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and an 11.6-inch infotainment system. The latter display is 1.5 inches larger than in last year’s model.
While we drove a 2022 Q4 Sportback e-tron, the infotainment system is fairly fast and intuitive as there are dedicated buttons on the left side of the display that pull up commonly used screens for radio, media, phone, and vehicle information. The only issue we had with the infotainment system was a slow response to voice commands as there was a lengthy delay between speaking and action.
Putting the screens aside, the cabin has a futuristic design with minimalist wood trim and switchgear that is angled towards the driver. These include dedicated climate controls as well as physical buttons for operating the standard heated front seats.
Further below, there’s a gloss black chin with a minimalist shifter, a drive mode selector, and iPod-esque audio controls. The latter is notable for featuring a touch volume controller that increases or decreases the volume as you move your finger around the outer edge of the circle.
Despite being compact crossovers, the Q4 e-trons are surprisingly spacious and comfortable. Up front, there’s a standard eight-way power driver’s seat which is wrapped in leather and features four-way power lumbar support.
Rear seat passengers will find a flat floor and an impressive 37.2 inches (945 mm) of legroom. That’s almost as much as the Q5, despite the Q4 e-tron being 3.6 inches (91 mm) shorter. Headroom is also adequate and this 6’ 2” reviewer had no problem getting comfortable in the second-row.
In the Q4 Sportback e-tron, things are unsurprisingly tighter due to the coupe-like roofline. Rear seat headroom drops by 1.3 inches (33 mm) and this makes it a pretty tight fit for taller folks.
That being said, the Sportback variant is actually more accommodating with cargo than the standard model. The crossover coupe can swallow 26.1 cubic feet (739 liters) of luggage and that figure increases to 54.4 cubic feet (1,540 liters) when the rear seats are folded down. That’s slightly better than the conventional Q4 e-tron, which can only hold up to 53.1 cubic feet (1,504 liters) of luggage. However, lowering the rear seats requires a tad of effort as there aren’t releases in the cargo area.
Pricing And Equipment
In terms of equipment, the entry-level Q4 40 e-tron Premium comes nicely equipped with the aforementioned features as well as a panoramic sunroof, LED interior lighting, a power liftgate, and a tri-zone automatic climate control system.
Customers can order a Convenience package for $1,800 and it adds auto-dimming mirrors, a hands-free power liftgate, and acoustic front side glass. The package also includes a power passenger seat, a memory function for the driver’s seat, and a wireless smartphone charger that pushes a clip against your phone’s display.
If that isn’t fancy enough, the $55,400 Premium Plus trim adds adaptive cruise control, an EV-focused navigation system, a heated steering wheel, and a Sonos premium audio system. Buyers will also find the contents of the Convenience package as well as a fancier digital instrument cluster and additional driver assistance systems such as park assist plus and traffic sign recognition technology.
Buyers looking for more power can upgrade to the Q4 50 e-tron, which starts at $53,800 and climbs to $60,400 in Premium Plus trim. The 50 variant also offers a range-topping Prestige trim that adds Matrix Design LED headlights and animated lighting sequences front and back. The range-topping model also boasts an augmented reality head-up display, which projects arrows into the driver’s field of view to show them exactly where to turn when using the navigation system.
The Q4 Sportback e-tron is available exclusively in 50 guise and it starts at $56,800. The Premium Plus comes in at $63,400 while the range-topping Prestige variant will set you back $64,900.
Two Powertrains And Up To 265 Miles Of Range
The entry-level Q4 40 e-tron features an 82 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which powers a rear-mounted electric motor that develops 201 hp (150 kW / 204 PS). While that doesn’t sound too impressive, performance should be adequate as the crossover accelerates from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 7.9 seconds and has a top speed of 99 mph (159 km/h). More importantly, the 4,674 pound (2,120 kg) EV has a range of 265 miles (426 km) and that’s pretty reasonable for its price point.
50 variants, like the one we drove, have a dual-motor all-wheel drive system that has an asynchronous front motor and a permanently synchronous rear motor. This setup maximizes efficiency as Audi noted the front motor doesn’t produce any drag while coasting.
In terms of performance, the dual-motor all-wheel drive system produces a combined output of 295 hp (220 kW / 299 PS). Thanks to the extra power and grip, the 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time falls to 5.8 seconds while the top speed increases to 112 mph (180 km/h).
Needless to say, the Q4 Sportback e-tron is impressively quick in the real-world thanks to the instantaneous response of the electric motors. It’s particularly fast off the line and power is delivered in a linear fashion without drama or fuss. All of this is done in near total silence as there isn’t much to hear other than the hum of the motors.
Unfortunately, the performance comes at a cost as the Q4 50 e-tron can only travel 236 miles (380 km) between charges and the Sportback variant isn’t much better at 242 miles (389 km). Those numbers aren’t great, but Audi noted premium electric vehicle buyers only travel around 30 miles (48 km) per day and 98% of single-trip journeys are less than 50 miles (80 km).
That being said, the entry-level Tesla Model Y Dual-Motor has 318 miles (512 km) of range and starts at $65,990. Furthermore, the $58,890 Genesis GV60 is more powerful and can travel 248 miles (399 km) between charges. The Korean luxury brand also offers a 429 hp (320 kW / 435 PS) performance variant for $67,890 and it offers 235 miles (378 km) of range.
There’s also the fantastic Cadillac Lyriq, which starts at $62,990 and offers 312 miles (502 km) of range. It will soon be followed by an all-wheel drive variant that packs around 500 hp (373 kW / 507 PS).
Putting the competition aside, Q4 e-tron owners will find a 9.6 kW charger that can fully replenish the battery in approximately nine hours. Audi has also partnered with Qmerit for home charger installations and this should help to streamline the transition to EVs.
Away from home, owners can use a 150 kW DC fast charger to go from a 5% to 80% charge in 36 minutes. That’s long enough for them to wish the Q4 e-tron had more advanced charging technology as the Genesis GV60 can go from a 10% to 80% charge in as little as 18 minutes.
A Comfortable Cruiser
While the Q4 Sportback e-tron is quick, consumers shouldn’t let the sporty styling fool them as the driving experience is so-so.
The model rides on the same MEB platform as the Volkswagen ID.4, and features a MacPherson strut front suspension and a 4-link setup out back. Most road imperfections are absorbed with ease and this results in a comfortable ride quality that is in line with customer expectations. That being said, we did encounter an annoying rattle coming from the front end while driving down a dirt road.
Back on pavement, the Q4 e-trons are pretty nimble and have the tightest turning radius among Audi’s crossover lineup. The Sportback is also a decent handler as body roll is minimal and cornering is flat, thanks in part to the hefty battery pack. Unfortunately, the experience isn’t very rewarding as we drove on some phenomenal backroads that would have been a blast in something else.
The steering is simply okay as it’s predictable and not too heavy or too light. The drive select system enables owners to change things up a little as it offers Efficiency, Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, and Individual modes. Before you get too excited about the latter, you should know it’s fairly basic and only allows customers to set the steering to Comfortable or Sport and adjust the drive settings to Efficiency, Balanced, or Sport.
One of the brighter spots is the energy recuperation system, which can be controlled by steering wheel-mounted paddles. Drivers simply tap on the paddle to increase regeneration and tap on it again to increase it further. One more tap will provide maximum regeneration, while hitting the other paddle will reduce regeneration one step at a time.
I wasn’t a fan of this approach initially, but grew to like it when coming down long, steep hills. If you start exceeding the speed limit, you simply tap a paddle to increase regeneration and slow down. When the terrain starts to level out, you hit the other paddle to reduce regeneration and speed back up.
A Good Value, If You Go Light On The Options
While the Q4 e-trons aren’t the fastest or most exciting crossovers on the market, they’re solid additions to Audi’s lineup. They’re also relatively affordable, if you go light on the options.
In particular, the Q4 40 e-tron Premium with the Convenience package seems like a bargain at $50,600. If all-wheel drive is a must-have, the Q4 50 e-tron starts at $53,800 and can be nicely equipped for $60,400.
Besides being value-focused, the Q4 e-trons have a stylish exterior, a comfortable ride, and an upscale interior with roomy accommodations. However, shoppers might want to skip the Sportback variant if they regularly have adult passengers.
Unfortunately, the low prices come with some tradeoffs including short ranges on all-wheel drive variants. The driving experience also isn’t remarkable, but it’s not bad either.
The end result is a pair of crossovers that should appeal to luxury buyers looking to go electric. That’s in line with the company’s goal of delivering everything customers love about an Audi, but with an electric powertrain.