The all-new, all-electric, all-wheel drive Audi Q4 E-tron is everything we’ve come to expect from Audi’s electric platforms. Much like the E-Tron GT we tested last year, the Q4 is so subtle in its approach that if you owned one most of your friends wouldn’t even know it’s electric unless you told them. It looks and drives well, like an Audi. Great acceleration for its class, comfortable ride while still feeling pleasantly sporty, quiet and a well-appointed refined interior.
On the road the Q4 is superb. The regenerative braking is adjustable to your liking but at full strength, the regen was so abrupt it had me wondering if the brake lights were coming on when I let off the gas. Acceleration is punchy like all electric cars but it’s not going to win any drag races. The all-time all-wheel drive gives you great handling and the confidence to attack any road. With a 265-mile range and a 9 Hour charge time (Charging 0-100% on AC 9.6 kW) the Q4 E-tron is perfectly adequate for just about any daily commute.
The main user interface is perfectly satisfactory, nothing stands out there but the driver's gauge display is gorgeous. Lots of configurations provide all the information you could want. The top-of-the-line model even has augmented reality heads-up displays that will cast information and GPS directions directly onto the road in front of you. If you have no idea what I’m talking about or have never seen this feature in person I’d highly recommend stopping by Audi Nashville for a demonstration. It feels like driving in the future.
As a full-time car photographer, I’m in and out of new and interesting cars almost every day so it’s rare for a car to do something completely unique, but the Q4 E-tron did just that. When the driver gets out of the Q4 E-tron the car shuts off. Everything. You can’t leave anything running (as much as I tried). After a week or so you get used to it but in the short time I spent with it I found it frustrating. For photos, you want the daytime running lights on but as soon as the Q4 notices the driver is gone, it slips into snooze mode. I was forced to lock and unlock the car from the key fob for each photo.
Aside from the snooze mode oddity, I found the Q4 E-tron to be an exceptional car. The range isn’t quite there with its primary completion but neither is the price. The Q4 starts at $48,800 placing it well below the Tesla Model Y but what it lacks in breakthrough tech, speed and range it makes up for with a familiar Audi feel. Anyone who has owned an Audi in the past will feel right at home in the new Q4 E-tron.