2021 (71) Audi Q4 125kW 35 55kWh S Line 5dr Auto

By Jonathan Crouch

Introduction

Back in 2021, the first production Audi built on the Volkswagen Group MEB platform for volume all-electric cars was this model, the Q4 e-tron. This aspirational mid-sized crossover was a little pricier than other similarly-sized full-battery-powered SUVs from the Wolfsburg conglomerate, but it delivered a more up-market feel that aimed to help ease its customers into their new electrified phase of motoring ownership. Here, we look at the early 2021-2023-era versions of this car.

History

With Audi's first three all-electric e-tron models, we saw what the brand was capable of with EV technology. These three cars though - the e-tron, the e-tron Sportback and the e-tron GT quattro - were merely preludes to the EV model that really mattered to Ingolstadt, this car, the Q4 e-tron, launched in 2021. It's tempting to merely dismiss this model as Audi's version of other similarly-sized VW Group crossover EVs like the Volkswagen ID.4, the Skoda Enyaq iV and the CUPRA Tavascan. Certainly, all the engineering bits that matter are common between the four cars, namely the MEB platform and the battery tech. Yet Audi claimed to have put its own stamp on the way this car drove and felt. This model, as its name suggested, was sized between the marque's existing mainstream SUVs, the fossil fuelled Q3 and Q5 ranges. There were two Q4 body styles, the standard SUV and the sportier-looking Q4 Sportback e-tron. Both were produced in the same Zwickau German factory as Volkswagen's ID-series EVs, but this Audi also had to stretch bit further up-market. Its brief was to bridge the gap between relatively compact mid-sized EVs like the ID.4 and larger ones like Jaguar's I-PACE and the Mercedes EQC. The Q4 e-tron sold in its original form until late 2023 when the powertrains were significantly updated. It's the earlier-spec 2021-2023-era Q4 e-tron models we look at here.

What You Get

The Q4 e-tron offered what Audi called 'the next step' in its design language for electric models, an approach heralded by the Q4 concept car the brand unveiled back at the Geneva Motorshow in 2019. By 2021, a lot had changed in the world, but the look of the Q4 didn't, the shape characterised by short overhangs, large wheels and a surface treatment that was clear and pared-back, but also intersected by super-precise high-definition lines. You might struggle to call it pretty, but it's certainly striking, especially in the alternative Sportback e-tron form that offers a sportier-looking body style option for prospective Q4 folk. Inside up-front, it's certainly nothing like anything you'll have seen from any previous Audi. Everything on the upper level is angular, with none of the elements appearing to blend very harmoniously with each other, but it all kind of works in a contemporary, minimalistic sort of way. There's an unusual jutting lower console trimmed in smudge-worthy piano black for the neat little gear selector slider. And, just above, the silver trimmed central fascia section incorporates horizontal vents and the 11.6-inch MMI Navigation Plus central display, with a sweep across the cabin that gets interrupted by a beady-browed instrument binnacle. If you've a Q4 with brake recuperation paddles, that binnacle's 10.25-inch 'Virtual cockpit' screen has to be viewed through a rather weird quartic steering wheel with flattened top and bottom sections. Futuristic? You'd say so. Premium? Possibly, but only really if you spend some cash on a more up-market level of trim. The need to house the big battery under the rear bench brings with it the benefit of positioning back seat folk 70mm higher than those in the front, giving them an excellent view forward, though a little at the expense of headroom. Mind you, that's something taller occupants will only really more acutely notice if the panoramic glass roof has been fitted. It's also wider cabin than you'd expect a relatively compact mid-sized SUV to be able to provide and with no central transmission tunnel to obstruct things, three adults could actually fit reasonably easily into the back of this car. Let's finish with the boot. Unlike in volume versions of the ID.4, power assistance for the tailgate is standard across the range and it rises to reveal a 520-litre space in the SUV model - curiously, it's actually more in the Sportback version, 535-litres.

What to Look For

You're going to need to be aware of a number of issues if you commit to any Audi Q4 e-tron, these mainly centring around charging, software and brakes. But these don't need necessarily to be an issue if the car you're looking at has had regular checks at an Audi franchise. Some customers found the physical brakes hard to modulate. Others had problems with the infotainment software, with issues like navigation addresses being wiped randomly, random 'phone calls being made when handsets are Bluetooth-connected and being unable to log in. We've also heard reports that charging capability isn't very good and that the car doesn't always reach its top charging speed; getting it to charge to 100% can be problematic - check this before you buy. Some owners also reported that the car would randomly switch from its D to B gear setting; check this on your test drive. Look out for dashboard error messages. And there were problems in some cases getting the automatic parking system (if fitted) to properly work. The www.e-tronforum.com website is a good place to survey potential problems. And www.q4forums.co.uk. Check that the car you're looking at doesn't have difficulties when starting a charge session, usually because of connector issues. In some cars, the connector can't make a proper contact, which affects the connection between the car and the charger. You have to make sure the connector is pushed firmly into the charge port, a movement that will create the required connection, which will enable you to start the charging session. Otherwise, it's just the usual things; alloy wheels scuffs, interior child damage and the need for a fully stamped-up service history.

Replacement Parts

(approx based on a 40 e-tron SUV 2021) - Ex Vat) A cabin filter costs in the £7-£25 bracket. Front brake pads sit in the £35-£98 bracket for a set. Front brake discs sit in the £57-£145 bracket. A wiper blade is in the £5-£16 bracket. A shock absorber is in the £106-£152 bracket.

On the Road

By 2021, apart from a few track tamed versions of the R8 supercar, no Audi of the modern era had been rear-driven, but almost all Q4's were. Had to be because that was the drive format chosen for the MEB chassis and EV powertrain that this e-tron model borrowed from the VW Group parts bin. Two flavours of this confection were offered in the mainstream Q4 range. Starting with the '35 e-tron' package that gives you a 170PS electric motor mated to a 52kWh battery. Ideally though, you'd want to stretch at least to the '40 e-tron' model most original customers chose, which has a gutsier 204PS motor powered by a bigger 76.7kWh battery, which boosts driving range up from the rather sub-par 208 mile figure of the base version to more acceptable 316 mile reading. There's also a third option, a '50 e-tron quattro' variant which also uses a 76.7kWh battery and, as the badging suggests, offers 4WD and more power. But you won't feel either of those things in day to day driving with it because the additional 109PS motor that's added to the front axle of the '50' variant is never engaged unless maximum traction is needed or you really stamp the throttle down. Should you do that in a '50' model, a 299PS total output will be released, enough to get you to 62mph in just 6.2s. That's quite a bit quicker than the two rear-driven versions - the '35' derivative manages 62mph in 9.0s, while the '40' version takes 8.5s, both being limited to a top speed of just 99mph, which seems rather '70s-like. The '50 e-tron quattro' raises that only marginally to 111mph - still not enough to go autobahn-burning - and the extra motor weight that top model has to carry about drops its driving range figure to 295 miles. As for battery replenishment, well with the '40 e-tron' variant charging at 125kW in ideal conditions, the battery can achieve an 80% state of charge from a 5% starting point in 38 minutes. If you're using a conventional 7kW garage wallbox, a Q4 40 e-tron can charge 255 miles of range in eight and a quarter hours.

Overall

The Q4 e-tron has the size of a smaller mid-sized EV, but the finish, luxury and (to some extent) the driving dynamics of an electric crossover from next class up - that for larger EV models like the Jaguar I-PACE and the Mercedes EQC. In that respect, it's far more like a BMW iX3 than a Volkswagen ID.4. If you're looking at those Jaguar, Mercedes or BMW models, we think you should be looking at a Q4 e-tron too because it'll satisfy you in much the same way. Depreciation was quite steep in this earlier version of this model, so if you shop around a bit, you should find a car priced at a level that could seem reasonable, but check carefully before you buy. You might question just why a car which shares pretty much every significant aspect of its engineering with comparable Volkswagen, Skoda and CUPRA EVs can be worth so much more. But that's a matter of perspective. With Audi, it was ever thus.