Audi Q4 review: A groovy kind of SUV

The all-electric SUV field is getting very, very tasty. There’s Ford’s superb Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai’s brilliant new Ioniq 5, Skoda’s Enyaq iV and Kia’s EV6… and that’s before you get to the Tesla Model Y or the Jaguar I-Pace. So the Audi Q4 E-tron enters a crowded market – but it does so with a compelling package.

This Audi is available in four different trim levels – Sport, S Line, Edition 1 and the top-end Vorsprung – and the sub-£45K price bracket compares well with its rivals. Our review model is the Sportback edition with an optional Sonos sound system, wireless phone charging and a head-up display (£51,160 on the road).

All that’s in addition to Audi’s superb virtual cockpit and a 10in entertainment touchscreen.

There’s no room to swing a mouse inside an Audi Q3, but this isn’t the case with the Q4. No powertrain bump in the floor means there’s plenty of rear legroom, and we were amazed at the luggage space: 520L. The base model has a 52kWh battery and a 170ps power unit, delivering just over 200 miles of range. But the powertrain in our review vehicle has a larger 77kWh battery and superb 204ps unit for over 300 miles of range. It’s pretty rapid, going from 0-60 in 8.5secs, though there are quicker options out there (such as that Mustang). Oh, and there’s a faster 50 Quattro version as a 4WD option.

The Q4 is a very comfortable ride, although it can lean around a little with quick manoeuvring. It’s also surprisingly quiet for the size. Braking takes a little time to get used to – we didn’t find it all that smooth. Yes, charging is still the issue with any electric vehicle. It’ll take around 12hrs to fuel up the Q4 on a standard 7.5kW home charger… but connected to a 150kW rapid charger it can get up to 80% in under 40 minutes.

Stuff says…

As an all-round premium electric SUV, there’s little to dislike about the Q4 E-tron. There are better performers, but range is decent and it’s surprisingly well priced considering its design and features. Audi’s tech – especially the virtual cockpit – works so well, and of course you get that hallmark quality of fit and finish. But this is also a highly practical car, and will make sense for a lot of families and compulsive boot-fillers.

Tech specs

Dan Grabham Editor-in-Chief

About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website.  Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.

Areas of expertise

Computing, mobile, audio, smart home