AUDI Q4 e-tron
By Maarten Hoffmann, Senior Motoring Editor
PLATIN UM
The Audi Q4 sits between the Q3 and Q5 (obviously) and the complexity of all these model names continues to bore me. With the identikit routine now in full swing, this model has the MEB electric platform. Therefore it is a VW ID.4 and a Skoda Enyaq but with a different party frock. There are three basic starting models to choose from – the 35, 40 and 50-badged models. The 35 e-tron comes with a 52kWh battery, 208-mile WLTP range and a 168bhp motor. The 40 e-tron gets a 77kWh battery, 316-mile WLTP range and a 201bhp motor, while the 50 e-tron quattro has the same battery set-up as the 40 but with an extra front motor to give the car four-wheel drive, boosting available power to 295bhp but reducing the official range to 298 miles. Those
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cars can then be chosen in four trims – Sport, S Line, Edition 1 and Vorsprung. Phew. I don’t know about you but l do not understand why, having spent billions on designing their oil burning cars, why so many manufacturers decide to start all over again with the design of their electric cars. Surely, just rip out the oil burner, pop in the electric motor and off we go. But no, we have a range of daft looking EV’s on the market. Except here.
❛❛ This is a very good EV. And then we come to the elephant in the room ❜❜
The Q4 is essentially the petrol Q4 and that is a very good car. Therefore, this is the perfect first EV as you will notice little difference – apart from the silence and the lack of need to visit a petrol station, taking out a mortgage for every fill. The Q4 has a smooth ride, sits well on the road, corners well regardless of the extra weight of those batteries and is very well put together. Often the issue with such silent cars is that you then hear all the squeaks and rattles from the rest of the interior but here you have the testament to German engineering – everything is silent. It is not the quickest EV out there but then you have little temptation to cane it and watch your electricity drain away. But it is quite quick enough, with a really
