Audi Q4 e-tron: The Electric Bestseller Gets An Upgrade
German car maker Audi has revamped the brand’s premium fully-electric (EV) bestseller, the Q4 e-tron, making the car more versatile than ever with a range of new features. Inside, the refreshed model impresses with a reimagined digital stage, intuitive controls, and an abundance of space. Outside, this electric crossover now boasts a sharper design and new lighting features, all at the prestige quality standard we expect from this company.
Increased range, greater charging capacity, and more intuitive operation make the car more convenient for everyday use too. Additionally, and this, by the way, is a coming thing with all premium EV models, the Q4 e-tron can now power electrical devices or serve as an energy storage solution for the home, as the image with the electric bicycle demonstrates.
On The Outside
The exterior of the Q4 e-tron now looks more modern, with short front overhangs, large wheels, a broad stance, and strong side panels creating dynamic proportions. The EV is available in either SUV or ‘Sportback’ (see the ‘two car’ images) guise but otherwise the two models are identical.
The centrepiece of its high, upright front is the ‘Singleframe’ grille, now colour-matched to the body. The ‘S line’ variant adds vertical blades in Selenite silver matte to the corners of the front and rear bumpers. In conjunction with the black exterior package, the blades are finished in high-gloss ‘Mythos black’. In addition, functional air intakes reduce drag by channelling airflow around the front wheels while special wing elements in the bumper accentuate width and create a fully cohesive look overall.
The Drive
On the Audi Q4 SUV e-tron, a roof edge spoiler caps the D pillar. A black accent strip running the length of the roof visually separates the rear roof from the body, giving the impression it’s floating, a design detail that enhances the car’s dynamic presence. Horizontal lines at the rear further amplify its visual width, making it look higher and more upright. On the ‘Sportback’ a newly contoured rear spoiler makes the EV more aerodynamic and a redesigned, high-set diffuser adds a sporty finish. Three new exterior colours and five new wheel designs are available for customisation.
At night, the upgraded Q4 e-tron displays digital LED daytime running lights with segmented technology, creating digital light signatures for instant recognition, selectable through the MMI. At the rear, second-generation digital OLED rear lights raise the bar for light design, functionality and safety. A proximity detection system warns following vehicles if they come too close to your stationary vehicle.
On The Inside
At the heart of the cabin is the driver-oriented ‘digital stage’. Its centrepiece is the panoramic display, pairing an 11.9 inch instrument cluster and a 12.8 inch multi-media interface (MMI) touch display with large tiles for a quick overview of features and services. For the first time in this model segment, an optional 12 inch passenger display is also available, featuring a customisable standby design. Without the passenger display, premium decorative surfaces enhance the appearance of this area.
If required, for even more intuitive orientation, the Q4 e-tron can be equipped with an optional augmented reality head-up display. This projects information onto the windscreen in two layers: In the primary layer, turn arrows from the navigation system, starting points and destinations, and prompts from selected assist systems appear in the appropriate position on top of the real environment. These elements look like they’re floating around 10 metres ahead of the driver or further, depending on the situation. From the driver’s perspective, the field of view for content spans a diagonal of approximately 70 inches. Below this, the status layer shows speed, traffic signs and assistance and navigation icons, visually placed around three metres ahead of the driver.
The clearly structured dashboard amplifies the sense of space. Vertical air vents frame the dash and visually link to the low-profile, integrated door handles. There are no less than four easily accessible charging options for smartphones thanks to two cooled inductive charging trays and two USB-C ports under the centre armrest. Two additional USB-C ports are optionally available in the rear.
A Prestige Interior
When it comes to space, the Q4 e-tron delivers something that used to be reserved for full-size SUVs: Airy up front and plenty of legroom in the back, which is made possible by the technical basis designed as an electric platform. In total, the model offers around 25 litres of storage in various compartments. Everyday utility is underscored by the 520 litre boot (up to 1,490 litres with the rear seats folded down) and increased towing capacity of 1,800kg.
Details such as cushioned knee pads, premium stitching and scratch-resistant surfaces further enhance the interior. The rising centre console seamlessly connects the dashboard to the rear seats and creates a sporty character. The optional ‘plus and pro ambient lighting’ packages set the mood after dark. White ambient lighting comes as standard. A ‘Sonos’ premium sound system is also available and sport seats also come as standard. Third-party apps are accessible directly through the Audi ‘Application Store’ in the MMI.
The Q4 e-tron becomes safer and simpler thanks to new driver assist systems that make everyday driving noticeably easier and safer. Depending on the vehicle’s trim specification, ‘Technology’, ‘Comfort’, and ‘Dynamic’ packages are available. Standard features include: a parking system plus with distance display, cruise control (including speed limiter) with preparation for adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning with emergency assist and traffic sign recognition. Additionally, there’s attention and fatigue warning with driver monitoring, active front assist with evasion and turn assist, front cross traffic assist, and front emergency brake assist.
Charging And Drive
The Audi Q4 e-tron is the first prestige Audi with bidirectional charging. With ‘Vehicle-to-Load’ (V2L), the car directly powers other electric devices. It does so via a domestic power socket in the boot (trunk). During V2H bidirectional charging, energy from the high-voltage battery in the Q4 e-tron can be transferred to the home via a compatible DC wall box.
The DC charging capacity of the 82kWh battery in the Audi Q4 SUV and ‘Sportback’ e-tron quattro increases from 175 kW to up to 185 kW, charging from 10 to 80 per cent at a fast-charging station in just 27 minutes. Up to 111 miles of range can be added in 10 minutes. ‘Plug & Charge’ is also new as standard: at compatible charging stations, the car automatically authenticates itself with an Audi charging contract (where available) when the cable is plugged in, starts the charging process, and handles billing automatically at session end.
Whether rear-wheel drive or quattro (2 motor) all-wheel, all models feature a permanently excited synchronous motor (PSM) in one of two power variants on the rear axle, ensuring high efficiency. The new variant drive styled ‘APP350’ is an electric motor which incorporates a number of efficiency-enhancing measures, ensuring increased range and more torque in the Q4 e-tron and Q4 e-tron quattro.
The transmission is also more efficient. Newly engineered low-viscosity lubricant reduces friction losses while remaining highly resilient. Especially in cold weather, this new lubricant alone can extend range by up to 7 miles with a fully charged battery. Every little helps, as they say. These efficiency gains add up to a noticeably improved range. Both SUV and ‘Sportback’ models with rear-wheel drive, a 63 kWh (59 kWh net) high-voltage battery, and 150 kW (204PS / 201BHP equivalent), benefit by around 18 miles. For the all-wheel drive models, the gain is between 10 and 20 miles, depending on the variant. Up to 367 miles is the stated range.
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