Audi Q4 e-tron. It is the first Audi electric car to be based on the Volkswagen Group's MEB platform (the same as the Volkswagen ID.3, ID.4 or Skoda Enyaq iV) and that, in itself, is a great reason for interest.
And with a price starting at 44,801 euros (Q4 e-tron 35), it is also the cheapest four-ring brand tram in our country.
But at a time when there are already proposals on the market like the Mercedes-Benz EQA or the Volvo XC40 Recharge, what really sets this electric SUV apart from the competition? I spent five days with him and I'll tell you how it was.
Typical Audi image
The lines of the Audi Q4 e-tron are indisputably Audi and, unsurprisingly, are quite close to the prototypes that anticipated it.And if visually the Q4 e-tron stands out for displaying a strong presence on the road, the crafted lines hide a refined work in the aerodynamic chapter, resulting in a Cx of just 0.28.
Space to «give and sell»
Similar to what has happened with other models that start from the MEB base, this Audi Q4 e-tron also stands out for presenting very generous internal dimensions, practically at the level of some models in the above segment.
And this is explained, in part, by the positioning of the battery, placed on the floor of the platform between the two axles, and by the two motors that are directly mounted on the axles.
The steering wheel is almost a hexagon, with flat top and bottom segments. The grip is, interestingly, very comfortable.
In addition to this, and since this is a platform exclusively dedicated to electric models, there is no transmission tunnel stealing precious space from those traveling in the center of the rear seat, as happens, for example, in the Mercedes-Benz EQA.
The space trend remains further back in the trunk, with the Q4 e-tron offering an excellent 520 liters of capacity, a value in line with what the 'larger' Audi Q5 offers. With the rear seats folded down this number grows to 1490 litres.
You can see (or review) in more detail the interior of the Audi Q4 e-tron in the first video contact that Guilherme Costa made to the German tram:
And the electrical system, how does it work?
This version of the Q4 e-tron, the most powerful in the range for now, comes with two electric motors. The engine mounted on the front axle has 150 kW (204 hp) of power and 310 Nm of maximum torque. The second engine, mounted on the rear axle, is capable of generating 80 kW (109 hp) and 162 Nm.
These engines are "teamed" with a lithium-ion battery with 82 kWh capacity (77 kWh useful), for a combined maximum power of 220 kW (299 hp) and 460 Nm maximum torque, which are sent to all four wheels. The 35 e-tron and 40 e-tron versions, on the other hand, only have an electric motor and rear-wheel drive.
Thanks to these numbers, the Audi Q4 e-tron 50 quattro is able to complete the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in just 6.2s, while reaching a maximum speed of 180 km/h, an electronic limit that its main mission is to protect the battery.
Autonomy, consumption and loading
For the Audi Q4 50 e-tron quattro, the Ingolstadt brand claims average consumptions of 18.1 kWh/100 km and an electric range of 486 km (WLTP cycle). With regard to charging, Audi guarantees that at an 11 kW station it is possible to “fill” the entire battery in 7.5 hours.
However, as this is a model that supports charging at a maximum power of 125 kW in direct current (DC), 38 minutes are enough to restore 80% of the battery capacity.
As for consumption, they were curiously very close (not to say the same…) to those announced by Audi. I ended up covering 657 km during the test with the Q4 50 e-tron quattro, divided between highway (60%) and city (40%), and when I delivered it the total average was 18 kWh/100 km.
During use on the highway, respecting the limit of 120 km/h and without using air conditioning for most of the time, I managed to make averages between 20 kWh/100 km and 21 kWh/100 km. In cities, the registers were naturally lower, recording an average of 16.1 kWh.
But if we take into account the final average of 18 kWh/100 km and the useful capacity of the battery of 77 kWh, we quickly realize that at this «pace» we managed to «pull» 426 km from the battery, to which are added a few more kilometers from the battery. recovery of energy generated in decelerations and braking.
It's a satisfactory number and enough to say that this Q4 e-tron — in this engine — manages to take care of family responsibilities during the week and the weekend, which imply longer "takes".
And on the road?
In total, we have five driving modes at our disposal (Auto, Dynamic, Comfort, Efficiency and Individual), which change parameters such as suspension damping, throttle sensitivity and steering weight.
We immediately detected differences in throttle sensitivity and steering assistance when we selected Dynamic mode, which allows us to explore the full sporting potential of this model.
And speaking of direction, it's important to say that, despite not being as fast as I was expecting, it manages to be very precise and, above all, very easy to interpret. And we can extend this analysis to the brake pedal, whose operation is very easy to understand.
Lack of emotion?
In this engine, the Audi Q4 e-tron is always full of breath and invites you to pick up the pace. The grip is always impressive, as is the way the torque is placed on the asphalt and due to the low center of gravity (due to the positioning of the batteries), the bodywork's lateral movements are even well controlled.
The dynamics are always predictable and the behavior is always very safe and stable, but it is capable of not filling the measures for fans of the most fun proposals of the four rings brand.
This is because it is easy to notice some tendency to understeer, which could even be compensated in a way with a more «lively» rear end, which ends up never happening. The rear is always very “glued” to the road and only on a less adherent surface does it show any sign of life.
Still, none of this compromises the experience behind the wheel of this electric SUV, which, truth be told, is far from being designed to be a proposal for a more emotional driving.
And on the highway?
In town, the Audi Q4 e-tron shows itself as “fish in the water”. Even when we're in Efficiency mode, the “fire power” is evident and it's enough for us to always be the first out of traffic lights, even if the response is more progressive.
And here, it's important to work with the various modes of optimizing regeneration under braking, which even with the transmission in “B” mode, never slows us down enough so that we can dispense with the use of the brake.
But curiously, it was on the highway that I most enjoyed using this proposal, which has always stood out for its comfort, soundproofing quality and the ease with which it adds kilometers.
I am well aware that it is precisely in this “terrain” that trams make even less sense. But so far this Q4 e-tron has performed relatively well: on a round trip between Lisbon and Grândola, at a speed of 120 km/h, consumption has never exceeded 21 kWh/100 km.
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Is it the right car for you?
There are many points of interest around this electric SUV from the four-ring brand, starting from the exterior image, which is appealing. The good feeling continues in the cabin, which in addition to being very spacious is very well organized and always very welcoming.
On the road, it's got everything we're looking for in an electric SUV of this size: it has good autonomy in town, it's pleasant to use, has contained consumption and is accompanied by an impressive shooting ability that manages to stick to the seat.
Could this be all and still provide us with a more vivacious behavior? Yes, it could. But the truth is that this is not the purpose of an SUV like this, whose main mission is to be competent and efficient as a 100% electric model.
And if this had already been achieved by the Volkswagen ID.4 «cousins» and, above all, by the Skoda Enyaq iV, here it is accompanied by the quality of materials, bearing and construction that Audi has been accustoming us to. .