Audi Q4 e-tron review

The interior of the Q4 e-tron is predictably high quality, and even base-spec Sport models get a decent kit list with three-zone aircon, heated front sport seats and a fancy multifunction steering wheel. 

On the latter, the Austin Allegro is sat weeping in its grave at the injustice of it all – the likes of Audi introduce a square steering wheel and suddenly it’s cool. In fact, Audi has managed a solid job of keeping the Q4 e-tron’s insides on brand while simultaneously giving them the sort of angular, glossy look we’ve come to hope for from these machines of the future. 

It’s a pared back interior, mind. The gear selector is a tiny button that you push forwards or backwards to make your choice, flanked by the start button, an iPod-style controller for the infotainment, Audi Drive selector at the back and a button to turn the ESP off. Otherwise that’s your lot. There’s a reasonable amount of storage, but covered cubbies are limited to the glovebox or a deep central bin under the armrest. If, say, you wanted somewhere to hide your swipe cards for four or five different charging networks you’d struggle.

The boot floor is set quite high, but there’s a decent sized compartment underneath the floor in which you can squirrel away your cables and detritus. Overall the boot is a good size, offering a chunk more space than electric rivals such as the Volvo XC40 and Mercedes EQA. 

We can’t avoid talking screens here, and the Audi offers a 10.1-inch touchscreen display in the middle and a 10.25-inch virtual instrument panel behind the steering wheel. The Volkswagen Group has gone a little astray with its electronics, and the Q4 e-tron does suffer here, but less so than in other cars we’ve driven. We criticise these things because the company clearly takes such pride in the details – the control stalks on the steering column are perfectly sculpted for a fingertip flick, and the carmaker long ago pioneered cheeky little details like holding down the unlock button on your fob to open all the windows. The imperfections here only serve to highlight how consistently high performing Volkswagen’s output has been for a long time.