Audi Australia’s growing electric portfolio now includes the Q4 e-tron, bringing European quality and everyday usability to a thoughtfully packaged small electric SUV. The Q4 e-tron delivers a premium Audi experience in a range that gives customers a greater choice on their electric vehicle journey.
This starts with a rear-wheel-drive Q4 45 e-tron, and steps up to the all-wheel drive Q4 55 e-tron quattro. Both variants are available as SUV or Sportback body styles with the large enclosed Singleframe grille signifying it’s an electric Audi.
This Q4 55 e-tron quattro SUV boast S line exterior styling, Matrix LED headlights with four digital light signatures, Audi virtual cockpit plus with multiple displays, and colour ambient interior lighting, elevating the level of appointment for customers of the all-wheel drive variant. Fitted with an e-quattro drivetrain gives the Q4 55 e-tron a fully variable all-wheel drive system and it also has a variable ratio steering dependent on steering wheel angle and suspension with damper control. On the road it has a soft, comfortable ride that glides over bumps, but on the flipside it’s not all that dynamic through the corners. In a straight line though, the 2.3 tonne Q4 e-tron will accelerate from zero to 100km/h in a quite impressive 5.4 seconds.
The Q4 55 e-tron is driven by an electric motor on the front and rear axles via a two-stage planetary gearbox with single gear. Torque is split 134/545Nm front to rear and it has 250kW of power with the Audi drive select delivering Efficiency, Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, and Individual driving modes. Under the Individual you can adjust the Drive System and Steering and you also have the option to run on Range mode and can have recuperation set to automatic or off.
The battery energy recuperation has three modes switchable by the driver via the steering wheel paddles, but from what I could tell as soon as I touched the accelerator the regen turned off again? The recuperation can also not be engaged when the adaptive cruise control is operating. Most decelerations are performed by the electric motor in the rear, which converts kinetic energy to electrical energy in the process. This is one reason why Audi have fitted extra-low-wear, low-maintenance drum brakes on the rear wheels. The drums reduce the risk of corrosion and with a purely electric drive the wheel brakes are used only rarely in everyday driving. I’m not sure if this has something to do with the drum brakes. But the brake pedal on the Q4 e-tron felt soft and long so I really need to push it hard to slow down quickly.
Both Q4 e-tron models feature a 82 kWh (gross) Lithium-ion 400 Volt battery with up to 135 kW DC charging for the Q4 45 e-tron rear wheel drive, and up to 175 kW DC charging for the Q4 55 e-tron quattro for fast public charging. Optimised battery cell chemistry allows both drivetrains to charge from 10 to 80 percent in approximately 28 minutes. The Q4 e-tron also has an AC port for at home charging via a 11kW 3-Phase wall box or a standard household power outlet. A mode 3 public charging cable including a type 2 plug at either end comes standard with the Q4 e-tron range.
The official energy consumption of this Q4 55 e-tron SUV is 18.0 kWh/100km and I used 19.99 kWh/100km giving me a potential real-world range of 410km. The charging port is located on the driver’s side at the rear of the vehicle. I liked that the plug cap is built into the port door, so you don’t have to remove anything before plugging the cord in. A green light next to the plug illuminates when charging and the time is indicated on the driver’s dash.
Being this a European produced vehicle, means that finding information about the greenhouse gas emissions potential is straightforward. Audi publicly shares this information and for the Audi Q4 40 e-tron approx. 31.8 t CO₂-eq. greenhouse gas emissions are produced over its entire life cycle using the EU electricity mix and when using electricity from wind power, the greenhouse gas emissions are 17.5 t CO₂-eq.
This Q4 55 e-tron is finished Aurora violet ($2,255 option) also has the optional Premium plus package ($4,700) fitted that adds privacy glass, black exterior styling package, black exterior mirrors, and black roof rails (SUV only) on the exterior. A SONOS premium sound system with 10 loudspeakers including centre speaker and subwoofer, 6-channel amplifier with total output of 580 watts and fine Nappa leather upholstery are added to the interior with this package.
Keyless entry is available on all four doors and the push button keyless start means the key fob can remain in your handbag at all times. The cabin looks a bit like it’s a midway point between the previous Audi generation vehicles and those newer vehicles that are now available. The dash is deep and the centre console design is a bit of a mish mash of materials with the upper part of the console where the drive selector finished in gloss black trim and the lower part in matt grey. There’s a deep narrow cubby under the arm rest and each of the three storage cubbies under the floating centre console are all annoyingly just a bit too small for my phone. Here there is also a wireless phone charger with a clip to hold the phone in place, one 12V socket and two USB-C ports.
The 10.1-inch touchscreen seamlessly connects with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the latter working well for me. I noted a larger font size than normal on the Android Auto making it easier to read for the driver. The voice control worked well for me completing each command I gave it the first time when I asked for it to make a phone call, change the radio station or set a destination on the sat nav. Below the screen the Q4 e-tron retains physical buttons for the climate controls, among other functions. The twin-spoke sport leather heated steering wheel has “S” embossing and is flattened at the top and bottom for a sporty look and has manual steering column adjustment. While the Audi virtual cockpit plus, a fully digital configurable instrument cluster with 10.25-inch high resolution colour display, can be changed to one of the three display modes: “e-tron”, “Sport” and “Classic”.
Both front seats are heated and have power adjustment for recline, forward/back, seat height/tilt front and rear, four-way lumbar support and manual under thigh support, with the driver’s seat also having two memory positions. The black cloth headlining offers a premium feel, as does the optional large sunroof ($2,925), which opens at the front and has an opaque blind to cover it. The arm rest on each front door has a drink holder suitable for a 600ml bottle in with a cubby below for a larger drink bottle, but it would need to be laid flat.
The rear seats had a good amount of head and leg room and under thigh support for me, but taller individuals may find the headroom to be tight. They also have two ISOFix/three rear tether child seat restraint points. The centre seat can be folded down as an arm rest with two shallow broad cup holders that would easily allow a drink bottle fall over. You can fit two 600ml bottles in the rear doors though, one in the door cubby and a second in the arm rest drinks holder. Rear passengers get digital temperature control and two central air vents with basic direction and closing controls. Below these are two USB-C ports and one 12V socket and there is no mat over the entire rear floor even though it is almost completely flat.
All variants in the Q4 e-tron range have a powered tailgate with programmable opening height and gesture control for hands free opening and closing. You can also use the button on the tailgate to open and close or open only from the key fob and button in the cabin. The boot space fits a weekly grocery shop and has four substantial tie down points with a cargo net, two hooks, one 12V socket and two lights. Under the boot floor is the tyre repair kit and extra storage and if more space is needed the 40:60 split fold rear seats lie almost completely flat and have a release on seat shoulders or the centre seat folds down separately for long items.
All variants Audi Q4 e-tron have a 5-star ANCAP (2021) safety rating with an Adult Occupant Protection score of 93% and a Child Occupant Protection score of 89%. Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags are standard. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard.
The Audi Q4 e-tron is fitted with an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system capable of functioning at highway speeds, a lane support system with lane keep assist and emergency lane keeping functionality, and blind spot monitoring. ANCAP tests of the AEB (Car-to-Car) system showed GOOD performance with collisions avoided or mitigated in all car-to-car (rear) test scenarios. The AEB system standard on Australian vehicles and New Zealand vehicles built from April 2024 reacts when turning across the path of an oncoming vehicle, however this was not standard on the tested vehicle and hence AEB Junction Assist tests were not conducted. ANCAP tests of lane support system functionality showed an overall level of GOOD performance, with collisions avoided in several of the more critical emergency lane keeping test scenarios.
The Audi Q4 e-tron is also equipped with adaptive cruise control that is still operated by the stalk behind the steering wheel. A standard rear-view camera is combined with a 360-degree camera and 360-degree parking sensors are also standard. Plus, you also get auto lights and auto high beam and auto rain sensing wipers.
The Audi Q4 e-tron range comes with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and High Voltage batteries for e-tron vehicles receive an 8 year/160,000-kilometre warranty. Audi owners also receive a complementary membership during their warranty period to Audi Experience, Audi Australia’s bespoke loyalty program that offers access to exclusive national events, intimate Audi Ambassador experiences and premium partner offers. A six-year service plan is available for the Q4 e-tron and can be purchased upfront for $1,900.
The Audi Q4 e-tron is a move towards an all-electric future for those who still want to retain some semblance of the familiar. Pricing for the Audi Q4 55 e-tron quattro starts at $105,900 plus dealer delivery and on-road costs and as tested this Q4 e-tron was $115,780 plus dealer delivery and on-road costs. You can build your Audi Q4 e-tron online or visit your preferred Audi dealer for more information.
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| Pros | Cons |
| The comfortable ride | The operation of the energy recuperation |
| Retains physical buttons for climate controls | The braking feel |
| European build and finish | No mat covering the entire rear floor |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.