2023 Audi Q4 e-tron SUV

　　

2023 Audi Q4 e-tron Review

byChristian WardlawCorrespondent

　　Christian Wardlaw has worked in the automotive industry since 1994. He has written nearly 10,000 car-related articles and tested and reviewed more than 2,000 vehicles over the course of his career. Chris is a correspondent at zzdcar and was the first editor-in-chief of zzdcar.com in the 1990s. He has also contributed to Autotrader, CarGurus, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, NADAguides, New York Daily News Autos and WardsAuto. His mom claims that his first word was “car,” and Chris believes that Miata is always the answer.

　　, rating written byChristian WardlawDirector, Vehicle Testing

　　Jonathan Elfalan has worked in the automotive industry since 2005. As a director of vehicle testing at zzdcar, Jonathan has tested and reviewed thousands of cars and written thousands of car-related articles over the course of his career. Jonathan got his start testing cars for Road & Track magazine as a newly minted mechanical engineer grad from University of California, Irvine, and has also contributed to Motor Trend and the Associated Press. He likes to say he learned to drive a manual transmission in a rear-wheel-drive mid-engine vehicle but often omits it was his family's 1991 Toyota Previa minivan.

　　Audi's most affordable electric vehicle is also the newest one to join the automaker's lineup. The Q4 e-tron arrived late in 2022 as a compact crossover SUV available in standard and Sportback body styles. For 2023, the Q4 e-tron returns with a few changes that may improve the electric SUV's appeal.

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below

　　

Audi Q4 e-tron EV Insights

Trim:Q4 e-tron Premium

　　Premium 4dr SUV w/40 (electric DD) - $49,800 MSRPPremium 4dr SUV AWD w/50 (electric DD) - $55,200 MSRPPremium Plus 4dr SUV w/40 (electric DD) - $56,000 MSRPPremium Plus 4dr SUV AWD w/50 (electric DD) (Most Popular) - $61,400 MSRPPrestige 4dr SUV AWD w/50 (electric DD) - $62,900 MSRP

　　

Range

　　265 miles

　　EPA Estimated Range

　　EV batteries lose 1-2% of range per year. Est. range for this car is 225 miles after 8 years.Electric cars typically experience 1-2% of range loss per year with slightly faster degradation over the first 50,000 miles as the car settles into its long term state, according to Recurrent's study of 15,000 EVs.

　　Estimated range mapThis map is a visual representation of the possible one-way and round-trips by this vehicle (on a full charge) from the geometric center of Rutland, North Dakota. The depicted ranges are based on the estimated new vehicle range value provided by the EPA, rounded down to miles for one-way and miles for round-trip. Actual range will vary depending on the condition of this vehicle’s battery pack, how you drive, driving conditions and other factors.Map display generated using: © openrouteservice.org by HeiGIT | Map data © Recurrent contributors | Recurrent

　　from 58067

　　

EV Battery Warranty

　　8 yrs or 100,000 milesThe federal government requires that EV batteries be warrantied for a minimum of eight years or 100,000 miles. The EV battery warranty includes replacement if your battery capacity drops below a certain percentage of the original capacity.

　　

Charging at Home

　　9 hours

　　Total Charging Time (240V outlet)

　　SAE ComboStandard port for most electric models. Supports Level 1, Level 2, and DC Fast charging.

　　Plug Type

　　

EV Tax Credits & Rebates

　　$400

　　Available Rebates. Restrictions apply.

　　Utility EV Charger Offer

　　$400

　　Restrictions: Otter Tail Power offers EV owners a rebate of up to $400 towards the installation of a Level 2 charging station. To qualify for this rebate, the customer and/or charging station must meet the following requirements: Receive electricity from Otter Tail Power.

　　To learn more, visit Recurrent

　　Complimentary Charging Offer

　　Restrictions: This program is a charging agreement between Audi of America and Electrify America. Customers who purchase a new Audi Q4 e-tron or Q4 e-tron Sportback model will receive 250 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of complimentary charging on the Electrify America network. Complimentary charging expires 2 years from date of sale. Offer is non-transferable. See your participating dealer for details.

　　

Cost to Drive

　　$69/mo

　　Q4 e-tron

　　vs

　　$183/mo

　　SUV Avg.

　　Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

　　

Am I Ready for an EV?

　　EV ownership works best if you can charge (240V) at home or at work This typically means a 240V home installation, but you could also have a similar setup at your office or other places your car is already parked for several hours each day. Don't expect a regular household outlet (120V) to suffice unless you've got a plug-in hybrid, in which case overnight charging at home is feasible.

　　If you can’t charge at home, charging at a charging station could take at least 10x longer than at a gas station With public charging infrastructure still in its infancy, the user experience can be maddeningly inconsistent. Tesla owners tend to rave about the reliability and speed of the company's proprietary Supercharger stations, but rival DC fast options have thus far been plagued by technical issues and overcrowding. It's an evolving landscape and our best advice is to do your research on the available options for the EV you want to buy.

　　Adding a 240V home charging system could cost up to $1,600 or more If your existing electrical service can handle the additional demands of EV charging, you may be able to add Level 2 charging at home for less than a grand, including installation. But your costs will multiply if you need to upgrade your electrical panel or add a dedicated circuit.

　　The most significant is the new Q4 40 e-tron version. It has a single electric motor that powers the EV's rear wheels. While it isn't as powerful or as quick to accelerate as the dual-motor all-wheel-drive Q4 50 e-tron, the more affordable Q4 40 e-tron offers 29 more miles of driving range, with a maximum EPA estimate of 265 miles on a full charge. According to Audi, the Q4 e-tron can recharge from 5% to 80% capacity in 36 minutes at a 150-kW DC fast-charging station.

　　Sizewise, the Q4 e-tron is smaller inside and out than Audi's popular Q5 model. But because it is electric, the Q4 e-tron costs more, which is typical of an EV. Primary rivals include the Lexus RZ, Mercedes-Benz EQB and Tesla Model Y. At its new, lower base price, some people may also consider it an alternative to the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Volkswagen ID.4, the latter of which it shares much of its EV hardware with. Check out our test team's Expert Rating below to learn more about how the 2023 Q4 e-tron stacks up.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Good

　　7.7

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

7.5/10

　　How does the Q4 e-tron drive? The Q4 50 e-tron, which is what we tested, feels quick and has tidy and responsive handling. It's also a champ in parking lots and at U-turns thanks to its incredibly tight turning radius. So why does it lag behind much of the pack here? Ultimately, the Q4 just doesn't offer the kind of power or strong regenerative braking to match its peers.

　　With the Q4 50 e-tron, you get an additional front electric motor for a sizable boost of speed and traction over the single-motor rear-wheel-drive 40 e-tron model. At our test track, the 50 e-tron accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.7 seconds. That's quick by most measures, but the Q4's current direct competition is over a second quicker.

　　Regenerative braking, the process by which a vehicle can use its motors to slow and recoup some of its spent energy, is lighter in the Q4 than we'd like. You can dial the strength up or down depending on your preferences using the steering wheel paddles, though we'd wish the strongest setting was more aggressive. There is also no full one-pedal driving, in that the Q4 will not come to a complete stop using regen braking alone. For some experienced EV drivers, this will be a disappointment. Our measured panic-stopping distances from 60 mph were also a bit longer than expected for a luxury electric vehicle.

　　

Comfort

7.5/10

　　How comfortable is the Q4 e-tron? The Q4 delivers an acceptable level of comfort across the board but won't likely wow you in any particular way. Its greatest quality is a quiet cabin. Our test vehicle had the optional sound-reducing windows, and noises entering the cabin were minimized exceptionally well.

　　Disappointingly, the ride quality and the seats do little to impress. The front seats lack lateral support and feel just a tad flat. Seat ventilation is not currently an option. We initially thought the Q4 did an admirable job of softening bumps in the road, but on some bumpier sections of highway, it didn't mask its movements all that well, resulting in a busy, choppy ride.

　　The climate control is easy to set and did a good job of maintaining our target temperature in testing. The air vents are simple and manually adjustable, though the position of the driver's side vents point directly at your hands when they're on the wheel.

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