A revealing look at the Audi Q4 e-tron electric SUV showcases its new interior with the brand’s largest ever touchscreen
Audi has released a series of low-camouflage images of its upcoming Tesla Model Y fighter – the Q4 e-tron – detailing its exterior styling while also revealing the interior of its upcoming small electric SUV.
The official images build on numerous spy shots of the vehicle, which will be the first Audi production model to use the VW Group’s MEB platform for electric cars when it goes on sale this summer.
New Audi Q4 e-tron prototype review
New Audi Q4 e-tron prototype reviewIt’s clear that Audi’s promise of 2019’s Q4 e-tron concept being very close to production when it comes to design has been kept. Plenty of the production vehicle’s surfacing and lines are taken directly from the concept, with the only obvious revisions being some more conventional side skirts, smaller vents at the front, a toned-down rear diffuser and smaller wheels.
The Q4 e-tron is 4,590mm long, 1,865mm wide and 1,613mm tall. That means it slots perfectly between the brands Q3 and Q5 SUVs in terms of size, but the wheelbase measures up at 2,760mm.
Combined with clever interior packaging made possible by the platform, Audi claims that space inside rivals that of an SUV the size of the Q5. Plenty of new storage spaces have been incorporated too, including new bottle holders in the front doors.
The interior features a shelf-style centre console floating out from the bottom part of the dashboard, making the most of the Q4 e-tron’s lack of a transmission tunnel.
The geometric dashboard design is complemented with a hexagonal steering wheel with touch-sensitive multifunction controls that deliver haptic feedback. Sitting behind it is a 10.25-inch digital dash, while as standard the Q4 e-tron features a 10.1-inch central MMI touchscreen, with a new, larger 11.6-inch display available as an option – the largest display available in any Audi.
Another key technological development is the fitment of an augmented reality head-up display.
This uses projection technology to make prompts, such as directions from the sat nav, appear to float in space around 10 metres in front of the car, contextualised within the driver’s point of view.
A directional arrow will point to where the correct exit is on a roundabout, for instance, while the lane keep assist function gains a visual element by showcasing the position of the Q4’s wheel tracks on the road ahead.
As for trim and upholstery, buyers will get a choice of more traditional materials, including leather, Nappa leather and man-made leather with Dinimica fibre made from recycled plastic bottles.
Practicality should be strong thanks to the MEB platform’s packaging, with the Q4 e-tron’s boot measuring 520 litres with all seats in place, which is comparable with the Q5. A 40:20:20 split rear bench opens up 1,490 litres with the rear seats folded down.
Drivetrain specifications have not been revealed, but it will share the same range of electric motors and battery packs as the Volkswagen ID.4, with a range topping quattro variant sporting a 302bhp twin-motor, four-wheel-drive powertrain and a 77kWh (usable) battery.
This should be enough for a 0-62mph time of around six seconds, a top speed of 112mph and a maximum WLTP range of 311 miles.
Further variants of the Q4 e-tron will launch with less powerful motor set-ups, including rear-wheel drive versions with 201bhp and 168bhp – the less powerful motor more than likely to be made available with a 58kWh (usable) battery for a range of around 260 miles and a smaller price tag.
Like other MEB vehicles, the Q4 e-tron will have a maximum DC charging rate of 125kW, meaning in the case of the 77kWh car, a 0-80 per cent recharge will take just over half an hour from a rapid charger. At home 7kW AC charging will enable a wallbox to replenish the battery overnight easily.
The Q4 e-tron will be revealed in the coming weeks, before going on sale in the UK in late summer. Prices will likely be higher than VW’s ID.4 and the Skoda Enyaq iV to reflect the Audi’s more upmarket positioning.
However, with each VW Group brand choosing to launch different versions of their MEB compact SUVs at different times, it’s unlikely that we’ll get to see a direct comparison between the three line-ups from launch.
Entry-level 58kWh versions with the 168bhp will be priced from roughly £40,000. The 302bhp quattro variant could be priced from around £50,000. However, it’s worth remembering that only cars costing less than £50,000 qualify for the £3,000 UK plug-in car grant.
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