Audi Q4 Sportback E-Tron
The new Audi Q4 Sportback E-Tron 2022 is characterised by technological innovation, sportiness, and functionality. Not only that, it’s fully electric. The design of the car offers a progressive glance into the future of electric mobility. It’s strong and precise lines give an assured and sophisticated presence. Whilst at the same time, the Q4 Sportback incorporates the traditional look of a Coupé. Through its sloping roofline and the rear spoiler is at a high position. The spoiler allows for the rear window to be split, which leads to optimal flow directly off the rear and reduces vortex drag; it does however reduce visibility as the driver can’t see a lot out of the rear window. Its powerful body, with a high front, wide stance, and large wheels demonstrate the strength of the SUV. Audi believes that from 2022 the Q4 will be its second best-selling model, following shortly behind the A3 hatchback. The sportback model accounting for 16% of the Q4 sales.
Tailored Dynamics
With the Sportback E-tron, Audi has introduced tailored dynamics. Audi Drive Select has 5 different driving modes. Starting with 1. Efficiency. This setting maximises the range of the car. 2. Comfort. This maximises the comfort with a relaxed driving experience. 3. Auto. This mode lets the car decide which setting is best for the driving conditions. 4. Dynamic. You would choose this setting for a more engaging and sporty feel to your driving experience. 5. Individual. For the final driving mode, this setting fine-tunes individual aspects of the car for your liking.
Another feature that Audi has included that supports the tailored dynamics of the car is the Progressive Steering. This enables a variable ratio dependent on the steering angle as well as speed-sensitive steering assistance. This feature supports both handling and ride comfort. The second element I believe is worth mentioning is the Audi Q4 Sportback E-Tron’s S Line Sport Suspension. This helps you to experience a more direct contact with the road. With a stiffer and damper system, the vehicle is lowered by 15mm in comparison to the standard suspension.
Spacious and Variable
Battery and Range
There are two separate models for the Sportback range. The first being the 40 e-tron. This vehicle has the longest range of the Q4s and is estimated to be the best seller. It has a 201bph e-motor and a 77kWh battery. It is meant to be fractionally better than the SUVs that have claimed to travel up to 316 miles on a full charge.
The 50 e-tron model also has a 77kWh battery. The difference here is that it is an all-wheel-drive via a second e-motor on the front axle. The combined output of this vehicle is 295bhp. With claims of being able to drive up to 309 miles on a full charge. However, like with all EVs, to get a more accurate result we should subtract around 25% from the claimed ranges.
Electric Charging
The 40 and 50 models charge at 125kW. On a rapid charger, they can take up to 80 miles of charge in just 10 minutes. Audi has stated that charging on the go can be straightforward through their charging service. It is easy for the Audi Q4 Sportback plug-in hybrid and fully-electric Audi users to access and pay for their public charging. Audi has introduced the ‘charge card’ and/or the ‘MyAudi’ app, enabling users to access thousands of charging points across the UK and the rest of Europe. BMW has also done something very similar with their EVs and Hybrids. Although, with Audi’s app they offer you a little bit more than any other brand that I have researched about. On the MyAudi app you can track, view, and breakdown your journeys. You can also compare the running costs of your vehicle. The app also provides up-to-date information about the benefits of going electric and much more.
For charging at home, Audi recommends a wall box. With this standard extension, you will be able to charge your vehicle and wake up with a full battery.
Driving
The driving experience in the Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron was set to impress. However, we here at AutoExport believe that this vehicle is very underwhelming to drive. Even though this car is a sport the driving style doesn’t feel that sporty. It’s more aerodynamically efficient than the Q4 SUV. With the car being able to complete 0-62mph in six seconds. What we did notice, however, was that it actually felt a lot faster when doing this. Which is probably down to the new design and shape of the car.
Interior
Now it’s time for my favourite part of any of the reviews here at AutoExport. The interior. The Audi Q4 Sportback E-tron’s interior is packed with cutting-edge technology and the latest of Audi innovations. There is a futuristic dashboard and steering wheel that is multifunctional and a mixture of physical buttons and sensors. The use of physical climate buttons is efficient, useful and safe. There isn’t any messing about in the car trying to find the controls through all of the different apps on the infotainment screen. This is one feature we found that could cause a potential hazard on the BMW EV. On the steering wheel the physical buttons have little ridges on them, enabling you to know which button you’re pressing without having to even look. The volume button is a sensor. Meaning you only have to swipe up or down, and is different from the rest of the buttons on the steering wheel. The smallest difference goes a long way when it comes to features in the interior.
The slight variations of the buttons will help to enhance the driving experience in the long run as they will develop and understand the car without having to put themselves in danger by flicking through the noise of apps on the infotainment screen. Audi has introduced an optional hexagonal steering wheel option. With a flat top and flat bottom. I know I have mentioned the BMW iX a few times throughout this review but this design is almost identical to their steering wheel. But I’m not unhappy with it. I love the redesign that companies are going for. I think it adds a lot more to the interior of the car, aesthetically speaking. For the future, I am in hopes that other brands take notice and also provide this optional extra.
Another impressive feature for the Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron is the built-in navigation system. There is a new optional head-up display that uses augmented reality to relay information to the driver by projecting it onto the road. An example of this is arrows and adaptive cruise info can be beamed into your eyeline. This information that is being projected can also be things like the distance between you and the car in front, digitalised arrows in the corresponding place on the outside making it really obvious which road to go down. Alongside this, the Q4 Sportback E-Tron has camera-based and predictive traffic recognition. The system uses a software that also uses artificial intelligence to predict traffic events in front based on kinetics. Traffic driving in front and your own driving behaviour are registered and evaluated on the basis of sensor data. This sensor data is carried over into the pedestrian and cyclist detection. When buying the car you have access to a three-year subscription to online services including Google Maps, Weather and Travel Alerts. Finishing off Audi’s virtual cockpit to a T.
Of course, Audi has included some standard interior features too. Such as Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone mirroring, two USB-C ports, electrically adjustable seats with memory functions for the driver’s seat and exterior windows, heated seats, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror. As an optional extra, and I would suggest splashing out that little bit more and get this, you can get a glass panoramic roof. This feature brings a lot of light into the car and brings everything together design-wise. One element regarding the inside of the vehicle that took me by surprise was the inclusion of recycled materials for the carpet. The whole carpet is created from 88% recycled bottles and granules. I think this is innovative and that other brands in this industry should take after Audi on this to reduce waste.
Exterior Headlights
After doing some research, I found that Audi, for the first time ever, has introduced the option to choose which headlight pattern you would like. There are 4 different options to choose from.
- Black Pupil
- With the centre of the headlight being black just like a human eye
- Chequered
- This is my own personal favourite. With black and white squares next to each other in a chequered pattern.
- Standard Audi L
- This is the standard headlight feature on any Audi
- White Pupil
- The same but different. The opposite/inverted look compared to option 1.
Exterior Colours
This section is where you will find a lot of the price increase in regards to paid optional extras. Any colour other than the solid paint of ‘Stone Grey’ you will have to pay an additional £575.00. As the Audi Q4 Sportback E-Tron’s price is from £42,196-£66,515 anyway, you might as well treat yourself that little bit more to get your desired colour.
The additional colours are:
- Floret Silver
- Glacier White
- Geyser Blue
- Mythos Black
- Navarra Blue
- Typhoon Grey
- Aurora Violet
Overview
As an overall analysis of this car, we at AutoExport are thoroughly impressed and we WOULD drive this as our own personal car. For all of the interior and exterior features, we believe that this Q4 Sportback E-tron is great value for money. If we had to choose between getting the 40 or 50 model then we’d definitely go for the 50, due to this one being an all-wheel-drive and having a second e-motor. We do believe that electric cars are going to be the future as brands are pushing to be more green within the industry. Therefore, we believe that this Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron is one of the best places to start if you’re looking for an electric vehicle that isn’t too expensive but also has a lot of innovative technology yet isn’t too complicated to run or understand.
If you’re looking to own this car then don’t hesitate to head to our ‘contact us’ page. Or if you’re not sure what car you would like and want to browse our stock be sure to click on ‘new exports’. Similarly, if you enjoyed this blog post and want to read more about our thoughts and get to know the cars then head over to our ‘news’ page; where there are blogs about The New Range Rover 2022, The BMW iX, and The Mercedes-Benz AMG SL.
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