Why we’re running it: Can Audi, through this new electric family crossover, retain its premium appeal in the EV age?
Month 5 - Month 4 - Month 3 - Month 2 - Month 1 - Specs
Life with an Audi Q4 E-tron Sportback: Month 5
Has greater familiarity changed any of our feelings about this electric SUV? - 6 April 2022
This is now as many miles as I’ve put on a car since before you-know-what, as commuting has returned and there’s more opportunity to get on the road for work.
Those 8000-plus miles have come across two very closely related Audi Q4 E-trons, differentiated only really by the slope of the roofline, and with such use comes great familiarity and the chance to really get to know a car’s finer details, joys and quirks.
I’ve been very impressed with the amount of storage in the Q4. After all, Audi owners carry stuff and have families as much as, say, Skoda owners, so why shouldn’t Ingolstadt’s engineers cater to them? Examples include the very handy water bottle holders halfway up the inside of the front doors and a sizable storage bin below the central armrest, along with a big, deep boot with an adjustable floor, and further storage comes from two surprisingly deep areas tucked behind the wheel arches.
The slickness of the graphics on the two screens has been excellent, too. The user interface is very clear, and the infotainment display is one of the more acceptable faces of the touchscreen breed, due to its simple layout and big tiles that don’t require multiple finger stabs or anything too intricate to operate. Plus, physical buttons have been retained for the climate control, which is always a plus.
The Q4 has great seats, too. They’re really comfortable; I’ve done quite a lot of 150- to 200-mile journeys and have yet to experience any discomfort or the need to fidget around. I like the fabric on them, too; there’s no leather to be found here, which is more than okay with me, as I can never quite get used to the chill of sitting on a leather seat on a cold winter’s day before it has warmed up. That’s something a Q4 owner needn’t succumb to, though, as, leather or no leather, you can pre-condition the cabin to be toasty warm for your departure. Unlike in electric cars that I’ve driven previously, the Q4 needn’t be plugged into a charger to be able to do this, which is an even bigger boon.
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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