Audi Q4 E-tron: A luxury EV for the masses

Audi is out with its third electric vehicle, the compact Q4 E-tron, available in two forms.

The Q4 E-tron is a more traditional crossover, while the sporty Q4 E-tron Sportback features a rear roofline that dips more abruptly from the top, cutting visibility slightly. They will slot between the gasolione-powered compact Q3 and midsize Q5 crossovers in terms of size.

Both five-passenger crossovers ride on the same MEB electric vehicle platform as the Volkswagen ID3 and ID4, and as such, come equipped with the same 82-kilowatt-hour battery pack.

They are launching in the U.S. with a dual motor rated at 295 hp and 339 pound-feet of torque, with an estimated range of 241 miles on a full charge. A less powerful Q4 will arrive in 2023, with a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive layout and a driving range north of 260 miles — just like the ID4, Audi says.

One noteworthy feature: an optional augmented reality head-up display. The more interactive head-up display, a first for Audi, allows drivers to view vehicle information and navigation system instructions projected onto the windshield in a manner that permits the driver to see turn arrows and other navigation prompts as if they were situated in the natural setting outside the vehicle.

Reviews of the Q4 E-tron from automotive journalists continue to roll in, and we've sampled a few here.

"Regardless of body style, Audi says the Q4 E-tron will hit 60 mph in 5.8 seconds, but given the instant electric torque, it feels quicker most of the time. Forward thrust doesn't drop off at higher speeds, either — you can blast up a steep hill with a quick flex of your foot. Good sightlines and light steering make the Q4 easy to drive in the city, and while it doesn't have the same impressive 33.4-foot turning circle as the ID4, you can totally whip U-turns in the Audi without worrying about hitting a curb.

"The Q4 doesn't have an air suspension, adaptive dampers, rear-axle steering or any sophisticated chassis tech. But it's still nicely balanced and appropriately tuned for its intended purpose. Driving a Q4 E-tron Sportback through Southern California is a comfy experience, with a solid highway ride and controlled body motions. It's not what I'd call exciting, but I don't think that's a priority for its target buyers.

"Standard driver-assistance tech includes blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, parking sensors and rear cross-traffic alert. You have to step up to the Premium Plus trim in order to get adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assist, and cool technologies like matrix LED headlights and an augmented reality head-up display are reserved for the top-end Prestige. You can even change the daytime running light signature for the matrix lights. Pretty cool."

— Steven Ewing, CNET

"We've seen Audi's flashy, expensive electric flagship — the E-tron GT. But the luxury brand's electrified secret weapon is likely to be more mundane, like the pair of entry-level electric SUVs it plans to bring to market this year: the Q4 E-tron and the Q4 E-tron sportback.

"There are no surprises with the Q4 E-tron's exterior styling. Size-wise, the Q4 E-tron fits roughly between the Q3 and Q5 gasoline-powered SUVs and mimics their clean lines, stubby front and rear sections, and prominent grille. On the electric version, though, the maw is largely vestigial. Cooling air for the battery system comes in through a large vent in the front bumper just below the faux grille, improving aerodynamics and deflecting air toward the cooling intake. The vehicle's wheels will be large, between 19 and 21 inches in diameter.

"Audi says the short front on the two Q4 models end improves visibility, but it also means there will be no "frunk," the extra small storage cubby found under the hoods of a number of EVs. In the Q4, that space will be occupied by the electrical cooling, braking, and air conditioning systems. The more aerodynamic sportback version features a large rear window bisected by a spoiler.

"Along with the larger, more expensive E-tron SUV and E-tron sportback models, and the new E-tron GT, Audi is fleshing out its EV presence with a model at the entry-level end of its lineup. The automaker is undoubtedly betting that the lower-priced Q4 E-tron will help it gain the most traction in the EV market. It can't be an accident that it looks like an EV version of the automaker's two bestselling models — the Q3 and the Q5.

"The Q4's conservative styling and familiar appearance don't seem aimed at wowing the car-buying public with something new. That job falls to the electric powertrains and cutting-edge technology living beneath its skin."

— Consumer Reports

"The Q4 E-tron's driving range falls short compared with the 300-plus ranges boasted by the Tesla Model X, Cadillac Lyriq, and BMW iX. But it was the attention paid to the interior setup and build quality that made it feel superior to the Tesla and Cadillac, and on par with the BMW.

"For instance: Unlike the top of the Lucid Air (and Hummer EV, for that matter), the Q4 E-tron offers a clear glass top that opens and has a sunshade - critical elements the others missed and a welcome boon for those of us at all concerned about sunstroke, skin cancer, and generally overheating in a greenhouse of a car.

"The steering wheel's rounded square shape, and a healthy mix of touchscreens, buttons, and knobs, gave the Q4 E-tron a futuristic but familiar feel. Over-the-air software updates to refine such things as the entertainment are forthcoming; so is a RWD version, in 2023.

"It all feels more high-end than the Cadillac Lyriq I recently drove, though less fussy than some of the Mercedes SUVs can feel. The Q4 E-tron is the first vehicle to offer a sound system from the well-regarded home audio company Sonos. You can customize the headlights to illuminate in the shape of a handful of designs. Cruising through the hills in Topanga Canyon, I decided had found the Goldilocks of infotainment setups.

"There were lots of practical considerations, too. Bottle holders set flush to the inside of each door. The sideview mirrors are shifted out and down, to allow more sightlines around the front and sides of the vehicle. Ample head- and legroom even in back of the Sportback — yes, of course I tried it — all felt derived from people who had known and lived with this SUV in real-life settings on a daily basis."

— Hannah Elliott, Bloomberg

"On the road, the one thing that stood out about both the crossover and the Sportback version is the way they handle undulations in the road at slow speeds. For some reason, both feel ungainly and awkward when you go slowly over rooted roads or strangely shaped speed bumps, and both tend to jostle occupants and packages around more than you'd expect. After a bit of stop and go, I arrived at my first destination to find that my neat pile of boxes was now a jumbled mess in the cargo area.

"A few things make the 2022 Audi Q4 E-tron an interesting early entrant into the compact electric crossover space. For one, it's the first Audi with a heads-up display with integrated augmented reality. While other brands like Mercedes and BMW have integrated AR into their navigation systems, this is the first Audi with a heads-up display and integrated AR. It's only available in the top-level Prestige trim, though.

"When I set off for my afternoon errands with the Sportback, I turned on the lane-keeping assist and used the excellent voice control system to set my destination. I then switched on the adaptive cruise control and let the system do its thing. When the system is engaged, a green line appears on the heads-up display underlining the car in front of you. The Q4 E-tron will slow down or speed up based on traffic and come to a complete stop. When your turn is coming up, a blue arrow will appear directly in your eyeline and tell you which direction to go. It's very easy to use, and it makes you feel like you're playing some kind of futuristic video game as you drive along."

— Abigail Bassett, ARS Technica

"It drives neatly given its hulking mass. While it stops short of being a driver's car, there's inherently tidy handling and you can feel the power spread bias towards the rear axle if you're especially keen. It's clear that a reconfiguration could – perhaps inevitably will – bring an S or RS version with more flamboyant moves.

"But much of the satisfaction comes from how amiable the Q4 is day-to-day – and how, by Audi standards, there's a welcome amount of squidge in its suspension. Better to lean back in your seat, calm your pace and listen to the terrifying news reports emanating from the radio while sipping the battery's juice, not gulping it.

"The main dynamic black mark is that the regen braking level is only adjustable when the powertrain is in its most Dynamic mode, which seems like a missed opportunity given you're more likely to care about accruing extra energy when you're not driving with gritted teeth. If you want regen, you're best having the full gamut of it by nudging the powertrain from D to B, like you do in a Nissan Leaf.

"It's a slightly less than glamorous Audi, but in ways I really rather like. The interior feels like it's prioritized practical touches over chintzy ones; rather fittingly, all four doors swallow a standard size reusable water bottle as if born to do that very thing.

"Based upon the Volkswagen ID4 platform, the Q4 E-tron is similarly vanilla in a number of regards. A car to please the people rather than knock them dead. It perhaps feels more like a VW sprinkled with Audi glitter than most other models in the range, but that's not stopped the stodgy Q2 from proverbially flying off shelves. Again, people love this stuff. And if the Q4 helps them love electric stuff, perhaps it has a more useful role to play in the car world than most other bluffly nosed crossovers."

— Stephen Dobie, The BBC's Top Gear

"Left to its own devices in the default auto drive mode, our German-spec Q4 Sportback E-tron did a lot of the thinking for the driver, anticipating speed restrictions and junctions, automatically increasing the level of regen as you approach them while prompting you to lift off the throttle to reduce speed and improve efficiency—all while making sure you stay in the right lane.

"But if you're the DIY type behind the wheel, every time you start the Q4 Sportback E-tron (you just get in, buckle up and select a gear; with the key in your pocket you don't have to press the start/stop button), you'll want to disable the lane keeping assist to stop red and green lines from floating into your field of vision in the augmented head-up display. This also kills the aggressive reactions through the steering wheel that make the steering feel truculent if you want to do something this Audi doesn't like.

"You'll also probably want to play with the three levels of lift-off regenerative braking — low, medium, and high — or let the Q4 Sportback E-tron simply coast when you lift off the accelerator. The levels are activated by the paddles on the steering wheel, though, confusingly, the plus paddle means less regen and the minus paddle gives you more. To make the Audi feel more fluid on the road, we tended to leave the car in coast mode, or the lowest level of regen, unless driving in heavy stop-and-go traffic.

"Beyond that, you'll also want to select Dynamic mode. This doesn't just make the Audi feel sharper and more responsive. It puts the driver in charge, reducing the interventions from the electronic nannies."

— Angus MacKenzie, Motor Trend