Audi has whipped the covers off its most affordable electric cars yet, the Q4 E-Tron and Q4 E-Tron Sportback crossovers.
Both are based on the MEB architecture already employed by the Volkswagen ID.4.
Audi says it’s working on getting them to Australia, but nothing is locked in.
While some brands are giving their electric cars a distinctive design, the Q4 E-Tron twins carry familiar Audi hallmarks such as a single-frame grille, even though it serves no functional purpose.
At launch in Europe, the Q4 E-Tron and Q4 E-Tron Sportback will be available with three drivetrains.
There’s one motor across the rear axle in both the 35 and 40, while the 50 Quattro features a motor for each axle.
The base 35 charges supports fast charging up to 100kW, while the 40 and 50 Quattro max out at 125kW.
| 35 | 40 | 50 Quattro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 125kW | 150kW | 220kW |
| Torque | 310Nm | 310Nm | 460Nm |
| 0-100km/h | 9.0s | 8.5s | 6.2 |
| Top speed | 160km/h | 160km/h | 180km/h |
| Battery capacity (net) | 52kWh | 77kWh | 77kWh |
| Range (WLTP) | 341km | 520km | 488km |
Wheel diameters range from 19 to 21 inches depending on model, and the top-shelf 50 Quattro has 235mm tyres up front with wider 255mm rubber at the rear.
The diameter of the front brakes max out at 358mm. As with other MEB vehicles released so far, the Q4 E-Tron range uses drum brakes at the rear.
Thanks to a flat underbody and air intakes that automatically close, both Q4 models have low drag coefficients for crossovers — 0.28 for the Q4 E-Tron and 0.26 for the more rakish Sportback.
Options include a sport suspension setup that lowers the ride height by 15mm, matrix LED headlights, driver-selectable lighting signatures, and seat upholstery made from recycled PET bottles.
Both the Q4 E-Tron and the Sportback are 4.59 metres long and ride on a 2.76m wheelbase, meaning the Audi is essentially the same size as the closely related ID.4.
In the Q4 E-Tron boot space is rated at 520L with the seats up, and 1490L with the second row folded down.
The Sportback, meanwhile, can hold up to 535L with all seats in place, and 1460L with the rear seats down.
Audi unveiled the interior about a month ago, and it includes a 10.25-inch digital instrumentation screen is standard.
There’s an optional augmented reality head-up display that can project driving instructions and warnings in an area with a diagonal that measures around 70 inches (1.78m).
Items projected by this system will appear to be about 10 metres ahead of the driver.
In the centre of the dashboard buyers can choose between a 10.1-inch or 11.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
While the steering wheel features capacitive buttons on its spokes, there are at least real physical buttons for the climate control system and key features of the audio system.
The top-shelf audio system was developed with Sonos, and includes a 3D surround sound stage and a 580W amplifier.
The Q4 E-Tron and Q4 E-Tron Sportback become available in Europe from June this year.
