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Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron

SPORT- ELECTRIFIED (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

With the Q4 Sportback e-tron, Audi widens the appeal of its mid-sized all-electric EV. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 109

The Q4 e-tron is an important model for Audi, so important that Ingolstadt feels the need to create two distinct variants, this Q4 Sportback e-tron derivative being the more dynamic-looking one. Like its standard counterpart, it's built on the Volkswagen Group MEB chassis for volume all-electric cars, but pushes the boundaries of that platform in terms of the premium prices being charged here for the size of car delivered. Still, you certainly get a very up-market feel that'll help ease you into your new electrified phase of motoring ownership. Two years into its production life, it was usefully updated to create the car we're going to look at here.

Backgroundword count: 217

Audi's all-electric e-tron range continues to widen as more is revealed of the company's capabilities when it comes to EV technology. The e-tron sub-brand once designated PHEVs. Then it was set aside for all-electric models, the first three of those being the e-tron large SUV, the e-tron Sportback large five-door GT and the e-tron GT quattro sports saloon. But these were merely preludes to the BEV model that really matters to Ingolstadt, the Q4 e-tron, offered with a choice of body shapes, this Q4 Sportback e-tron obviously being the sportier one. It was launched back in 2021, then improved in Autumn 2023 in an update coinciding with the movement of part of production to Audi's dedicated EV factory in Brussels (which previously had only made the larger Q8 e-tron). Where the standard Q4 e-tron takes on the plushest versions of boxy compact EV crossovers like the Volkswagen ID.4 and the Skoda Enyaq iV, the Q4 Sportback e-tron takes aim more directly at sportier contenders in this class like the Volkswagen ID.5 and the Skoda Enyaq iV Coupe. Actually, all the engineering bits that matter are common between these five cars, namely the MEB platform and the battery tech. Yet Audi claims to have put its own stamp on the way this car drives and feels. Let's see.

Driving Experienceword count: 460

With its Q3 and Q5 Sportback models, Audi slightly differentiates the suspension feel compared to the standard SUV variants but there's none of that here, so the Q4 Sportback e-tron drives in the same way as the conventional Q4 e-tron model. For both rear-wheel drive and quattro all-wheel drive versions of this updated model, Audi has installed a permanently excited synchronous machine (PSM) on the rear axle. The update is supposed to release higher efficiency and greater power. And, sure enough, there's 286PS now on tap from the base rear-driven version now badged '45' (as opposed to the 204PS offered by the previous '40' model). Yet the driving range figure has risen over that previous variant, the Q4 Sportback e-tron 45 capable of up to 339 miles between charges (it was 316 miles with the previous '40' model). Rest to 62mph takes 6.7s (it was 8.5s before): and the top speed (as with all Q4 e-trons) is 112mph. The battery is the same as that fitted previously, 77kWh in usable capacity and also used by the top AWD Q4 variant, also now re-badged and now known as the Q4 e-tron 55 quattro. This flagship derivative now puts out 340PS (up from the 299PS figure of the previous e-tron 50 quattro). Which means that the 62mph sprint can be dispatched in just 5.4s (up from 6.2s before). Expect driving range for this quattro model to be just over the 300 mile mark. There are other changes too. Audi says it has re-tuned the chassis across the range for greater driver involvement. As part of this, the steering's now sharper. The engineers have tinkered with the suspension, aiming for greater comfort and stability; as before it's a MacPherson strut front and five-link rear arrangement, with sports suspension available (which lowers ride height by 15mm) and adaptive damping offered further up the range. Audi's also created what it calls a new 'character sound', which is offered as an option and emitted via two exterior speakers at the rear and two interior speakers in the rear doors. This 'soundscape' varies according to load and speed. There's a new camera drive assist feature too, which allows assisted lane changes above 56mph. Otherwise, things are pretty much as before. This Q4's pretty straightforward to get to grips with behind the wheel. You select drive using a slider-type shifter situated on the centre console and once underway, there's the kind of instant throttle response you'd usually get from an EV of this sort. Across the range, there's the same kind of suspension set-up you'd find in other mid-sized Audi SUVs - a MacPherson strut front and five-link rear arrangement, with sports suspension available (which lowers ride height by 15mm) and adaptive damping offered further up the range.

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Pictures (high res disabled)

Statistics (subset of data only)

Min

Max

Price:

£42,500.00 (At 21 May 2021)

£68,000.00 (At 21 May 2021)

Max Speed (mph):

99 (Q4 Sportback 35 e-tron)

0-62 mph (s):

9 (Q4 Sportback 35 e-tron)

Electric WLTP-Rated Driving Range (miles):

215

Length (mm):

4588

Width (mm):

1865

Height (mm):

1614

Boot Capacity (l):

535

Scoring (subset of scores)

Category: Hybrid, Plug-in, Electric & Hydrogen

Performance
70%
Handling
70%
Comfort
80%
Space
70%
Styling, Build, Value, Equipment, Depreciation, Handling, Insurance and Total scores are available with our full data feed.

This is an excerpt from our full review.
To access the full content library please contact us on 0330 0020 227 or click here

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