Audi has announced the details and price of their next electric vehicle, the Audi Q4 e-tron, coming to Australia in the first half of 2024.
The compact SUV is a really exciting entry into the Australian market, not only because the Q4 e-tron, has impressive features, but it will be offered at a really aggressive price point for the premium luxury brand.
The Q4 e-tron will be offered in 4 variations:
- Q4 45 e-tron
- Q4 Sportback 45 e-tron
- Q4 55 e-tron quattro
- Q4 Sportback 55 e-tron quattro
I had a chance to get hands-on with the Q4 early this week and having seen the car in person, I’m happy to confirm it looks even better than photos in real-life. The Q4 is well designed, in that it offers a really generous amount of cabin space, feeling larger inside than the outside would suggest.
Interior
As a driver, your office is complimented by screens angled towards you (sorry passenger), which allows you to easily access the touchscreen. As is the case with most EVs, a majority of the controls are done through the display, however, Audi does offer a more traditional approach to buttons for often adjusted items like climate control.
If you choose the quattro models, you’ll get Matrix LED headlights which you can change the design of through the touchscreen. These add a real sense of personalisation, as does the colour ambient LED interior lighting.
Naturally, the screen offers a base OS by Audi, but also offers Apple CarPlaya and Android Auto, answering one of the must-have questions for many buyers.
Audi’s virtual cockpit is incredibly configurable to the driver’s preferences. There’s also a new generation of Audi’s heads-up display which displays improved navigation indications when routing to your destination.
The steering wheel is brand new for Audi, with a new flat top and bottom design which I absolutely love. Not only does this look great, but the flat sections allow for great clearance for knees, creating better entry and exit to the vehicle.
When you are in the front, you’ll be sitting in comfortable, diamond-pattern seats that feel very comfortable (although I haven’t been for a drive yet).
The centre console has also been redesigned, with a floating design on the gear selection section. Underneath you have space for a phone, purse wallet and more. You’ll also get access to dual USB-c chargers, as will your rear-seat passengers.
Space and Storage
When I first sat in the rear seats, I immediately noticed just how much legroom I had and had thought this was a result of the front seat being moved forward. Having then got in the front row, I realised that’s where I would have the front seat as someone who is fairly tall, at 6 foot 2, which made me realise just how much space there is in the back seat.
With an interior length of 183 cm, the space available was no accident, this was carefully considered by Audi engineers and designers to maximise the space in the cabin, while also offering great space in the boot.
The car is 4.6m long with a 2.76m wheelbase, which should make it nimble and relatively easy to park. The SUV version offers 520-1,490 L of storage compared to the Sportback with between 535 and 1,460 if you have the rear seats folded down. There is another 25 L in the front, and while the hood does open, there is, unfortunately, no frunk storage in the Q4.
Performance
The Q4 45 e-tron is offered with 210 kW of Power and 454 Nm of Torque which accelerate you from 0 to 100 km/h in a swift 6.7 seconds. The rear-wheel drive powertrain is powered by an 82kWh (gross), 77kWh (net) battery pack which can be charged at a rate of up to 135 kW on DC charging.
If you step up to the Q4 55 e-tron quattro you’ll get 250 kW of Power, 679 Nm of Torque for a much sportier 0-100km/h time of 5.4 seconds. This version also supports the quattro all-wheel drive system and while it comes with the same sized battery pack, it is capable of charging at up to 175 kW DC charging rate.
Audi has not shared the expected range for the Q4 at this time.
Price and Availability
Now for perhaps the most impressive part of this car, the price. These prices are before on-road costs, which vary between states, but despite that, these prices being sub A$100k for an EV by Audi, is an impressive price that will certainly get the attention of many.
- Q4 45 e-tron
The entry spec starts the range at an impressive A$88,300. - Q4 Sportback 45 e-tron
Also offered at the same price point, this provides a choice for potential buyers to match the vehicle design with their design preference. Having a different profile on the rear also changes the storage available. - Q4 55 e-tron quattro
This version steps up the performance and for that boost, you’ll pay A$108,500. - Q4 Sportback 55 e-tron quattro
The top-spec model of the Audi Q4 is the 55 e-tron quattro which sells for A$109,500.
Overall
Audi’s aggressive price point here means the car is around $10k, more than a Model Y Long range, but some would pay that for an Audi over a Tesla and while the 0-100km/h times are 0.4s slower, this is not a car that is likely to sell based on performance.
While Tesla is the EV market leader here, the Q4 e-tron will compete with other EVs in the market like the Ford Mustang Mach-E starting at A$79,990 before on-road costs.
Technically Audi refers to the Q4 as a Compact SUV, but I think that’s not being generous of enough, really plays in the mid-sized SUVs segment, one of Australia’s most popular, just behind utes.
The Audi Q4 is a very welcome addition to the Aussie EV landscape and I hope Audi Australia is working hard to secure enough stock, as they are likely to sell quite well at this price point.
