Overview
THE Audi Q4 e-tron forms part of an important all-electric SUV range that will take the fight to the likes of the BMW iX1, Lexus UX300e, Mercedes-Benz EQA-Class, and Tesla Model Y Down Under
The battery electric range is now in local showrooms priced from $84,900 plus on-road costs in Q4 45 SUV e-tron form and $86,500 +ORC Sportback e-tron guise. The Q4 55 SUV e-tron quattro and Q4 55 Sportback e-tron quattro are priced from $105,900 and $107,500 respectively.
The 2025 Audi Q4 e-tron range is generously equipped from the get-go with an extensive inventory of connectivity, infotainment, mechanical, and safety kit.
The ‘45’ badged duo offer a 210kW/550Nm single motor driving the rear wheels to deliver a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 6.7 seconds, while the ‘55’ badged variants offer dual motors totalling 250kW/679Nm and all-wheel drive, a 5.4 second 0-100km/h time.
Top speed is electronically limited to 180km/h.
Both powertrains feature an 82kWh battery pack (77kWh net) with the ‘45’ offering DC fast charging at up to 135kW and the ‘55’ at up to 175kW.
A 10 to 80 per cent charge time of around 28 minutes is advised, while three on-board regenerative modes offer as much as 0.3g of braking recuperation.
Sitting in the ‘sweet spot’ for Aussie buyers – within the popular Medium SUV segment – the Audi Q4 e-tron measures 4600mm in length and rides upon a 2760mm wheelbase.
The numbers provide the SUV with 520 – 1490 litres of cargo space, depending on seating configuration and the Sportback a deceptive 535 – 1460 litres.
For Australian variants, Audi has made the Q4 e-tron available with its customisable matrix LED headlights and intelligent augmented reality head-up display.
Standard features on ‘45’ variants include LED headlights, metallic paint, a powered tailgate, Audi virtual cockpit with two display options, leather appointed upholstery, heated front seats, and tri-zone climate control.
The ‘55’ adds matrix LED headlights with digital light signatures, S line styling signature, sports front seats with S embossing, Audi virtual cockpit plus with three display options, and coloured LED ambient cabin lighting.
Standard equipment highlights for the Q4 45 e-tron includes metallic paint, 19-inch alloy wheels, heated and power folding door mirrors, tow bar preparation (wiring), electric tailgate, roof rails, and LED daytime running lights.
Inside, the variant adds leatherette upholstery, heated front seats, electric driver seat adjustment, convenience key, storage package, tri-zone climate control, MMI navigation plus, Audi smartphone interface and virtual cockpit, phone box light, and an Audi sound system.
Safety kit extends to high beam assist, rear view camera, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, Audi Pre Sense, and side assist.
The Sportback variant adds 20-inch wheels and Audi’s S line exterior styling package.
For the Q4 55 SUV e-tron we find 20-inch wheels and Audi’s S line exterior styling package, matrix LED headlights, LED taillights, Audi virtual cockpit plus, front sport seats with electric adjustment (driver and passenger), door mirror memory function, and a flat top and bottom steering wheel.
Additional safety equipment includes a 360-degree camera, park assist and active lane assist.
Finally, for the Q4 55 Sportback e-tron, we find 21-inch wheels as the only addition over the SUV variant.
Driving Impressions
There are disparate ambient sensations that the brain is having difficulty in bringing into focus, where the sometimes tortured sound of the tyres and wind are not syncing with the lack of any mechanical howl.
But the advent of the EV now means this is no longer a new sensation. Taking a brisk country drive in an EV changes the way our senses previously absorbed the feel and noise of the road and the car.
Though there are changes, accepting the more muted sound of the drive can be a great enticement to an electric vehicle. And if that comes with equivalent road holding and high level of driver engagement, then the EV has a lot to offer an enthusiastic owner.
Audi debuts its first small-segment electric vehicle, the Q4 e-tron, into a crowded market but is confident of success as it sees its sales strength in brand quality and clear-cut performance mandate.
On the road, this optimism appears well placed. The Q4, is priced to entice novated lease and fleet buyers, escaping tax penalties such as LCT and FBT to appeal to its target market’s budget and income.
Getting under the LCT (now $91,387) saves bucks but that may not be why customers consider the Q4. Even its spaciousness and packaging, while alluring, don’t cloud the fact that this thing is a very competent road car.
Like the sports performance on which Audi built its name, the Q4 carries it over into electrification with the new SUV displaying a similar penchant for winding roads as its ICE sibling, the Q3.
Audi Australia head of product Matthew Dale said it was very important that the latest e-tron model be adept at road handling and delivering an engaging driver experience.
“The 55 (all-wheel drive) version has two electric motors, but its handling has been moulded on the (ICE) quattro models of the Audi range,” he said.
“For the driver, the move to electric doesn’t impair the fun factor or the performance and safety benefits available in the ICE quattros.”
Audi offered the 45 version (rear-drive, single motor) for the test drive out of Adelaide and into the hills. The SUV variant (square back) has moderately less slippery aerodynamics than the Sportback (sloping rear) but the drive never showed any deficiency.
The 45 punches 210kW/545Nm through the rear axle, fed by an 82kWh battery that sits under the floor.
Much of the suspension design follows Audi’s ICE models, with MacPherson struts at the front and multi-links at the back. Unlike the ICE equivalents, the unladen weight of the Q4 45 SUV typifies EV baggage with a 2040kg penalty. Add a driver and it’s a 2200kg car.
But while some components are common, some that are bolted to the MEB platform differ to better relate to the electric drive.
The steering is electrically assisted but has a distinctive feel. The brakes are front discs, but the rear units are drums, not because they’re cheaper (although they are) but because unlike discs, they don’t rub against the rotor seeking to clean and align the pads to maximise braking strength.
The first corner shows the steering is different. Audi ICEs notably have a firm steering feel at speed and through corners, as its speed-dependent assistance balances parking lightness with highway firmness.
The Q4 is also speed dependent but always feels lighter than expected a judgement that would change with familiarisation.
The knowledge that the rear end is slowed by archaic drum brakes doesn’t surface. The regeneration provided by the motor is strong enough so that the SUV can be pushed hard into a corner before a trailing accelerator will prompt the regeneration to pull back the speed. This can be adjusted, in levels of ferocity, via the paddle shifters.
The 45 is a well-balanced machine through the corners – in this case the serpentine routes of the Adelaide hills – but it’s also very well sprung. Ride comfort rates very highly, as does the lack of harshness in the suspension or any mid-corner hiccups caused by irregular bitumen.
Move to the all-wheel drive 55 – in this case also moving from the square-back SUV to the Sportback – indicates the cornering stance will be flatter and the turn-in tighter, followed by lots more grip.
As expected, it came true. The 55 uses an on-demand system to engage the front axle, in much the same way the ICE quattros meter out torque to the front wheels when they sense a lack of traction.
The drive to the front wheels in the 55 certainly gives more bite and reduces any tyre washout (understeer) but only by small degrees. Arguably, better driving acumen could make the 45 corner as fluidly as the 55, but perhaps not as quick.
The difference would be the exit. The 55 has 250kW/545Nm – but weighs an extra 120kg – and that bonus 40kW gives it some more mumbo to more spiritedly pull out of the arc of the corner. Back-to-back, the 55 is a faster point-to-point wagon if the road is as winding as the Adelaide hills route.
Both the 45 and 55 completed the route and showed a range each of about 400km, not inconsiderable given the drives were rapid and the roads a bit demanding.
If anything, it showed that Audi’s new electric mid-size SUV is as competent as its Q3 sister. Just faster – and quieter.
