Audi Q4 e-tron review

The Q4 e-tron range starts at £46,260 for the entry-level 63kWh battery model, £50,960 for the 82kWh rear drive version (the rangiest of the lot) and £55,960 in all-wheel drive guise. Yeah, not cheap.

Especially when a base-spec VW ID.4 is some £10k cheaper and a Skoda Enyaq close to £6k. The gap closes with the bigger battery, but the Q4 e-tron is still £3k ish extra over its relatives.

Meanwhile a Mercedes GLA is similar money to the Audi while the BMW iX1 undercuts it. As does the Volvo EX40. Food for thought.

On lease it's £425 a month over four years for the smallest battery, £475 for the bigger battery and £555 if you want AWD, on the basis of a £10k deposit. Those are Audi finance figures, so shop around.

What trims are available? 

Your entry point is Sport (£46,260), which includes 19-inch alloy wheels, LED head and tail-lights, front and rear parking sensors, and a rearview camera. Inside you get heated front sports seats, that new-fangled digital dash including 11.9-inch driver and 12.8-inch infotainment displays, wireless smartphone pairing and twin inductive charging trays. Oh, and keyless entry.

S line (£49,300) is noticeable for its 20-inch alloy wheels, more aggressive styling and privacy glass, but not immediately obvious is the progressive variable steering and 15mm lower sports suspension. In the cabin you get a flat-bottom steering wheel, leather sports seats, black headlining, illuminated door sills, and stainless steel pedals.

Black Edition (£52,210) does, well, what it says on the trim, with black Audi rings and model badging, black alloy wheels, black wing mirrors, black roof rails and... you get the picture. To our minds it looks terrible. But each to their own. Inside there’s electrically adjustable front seats, plus heated front and outer rear seats.

Top of the range Vorsprung (£58,960) brings 21-inch alloy wheels, Matrix LED headlights and OLED rear lights, a panoramic glass sunroof, front passenger display, augmented reality head-up display, SONOS premium audio and dynamic ambient lighting. Oh, plus fancier driver assistance systems, including adaptive cruise assist plus and park assist pro. Again, you don’t need any of it.

Each powertrain can be specced in each trim and vice versa.

What's the best spec? 

Easy one this – we wouldn’t look beyond the middling 82kWh version, the rangiest of the lot. It has more than enough power and you don’t need four-wheel drive; you’d need to be looking at torrential conditions for the entry car to be flummoxed in day to day driving.

The Sport spec is on balance the best one to pick – anything higher up the price list is essentially just adding pretty things rather than anything particularly useful.