Tested: 2022 Audi Q4 50 e-tron Quattro Is the Brand’s Accessible EV

From the January 2023 issue of Car and Driver.

When Audi’s e-tron electrified subbrand first appeared, it was on the unremarkable A3 Sportback plug-in hybrid. The first EV to bear the moniker came three years later, when a larger, far more expensive SUV called the Audi e-tron hit the market. That ute’s lack of an alphanumeric model name was confusing, and things didn’t become any clearer with the arrival of the e-tron GT performance sedan. Now comes the Q4 e-tron, and its designation at least helps place it within the greater Audi lineup.

Larger than a Q3 and tidier in size than a Q5, the Q4 50 e-tron Quattro is a platform-mate of the Volkswagen ID.4. Audi’s design language works well when draped over the shared 108.7-inch wheelbase and 62.3-inch front and 61.5-inch rear track widths, resulting in chunky bulldog styling that looks fetching in SUV form. The result isn’t nearly as handsome on the $2800-pricier Sportback model, but that’s often how it goes with slope-backed SUV derivatives.

As in the all-wheel-drive ID.4, a pair of AC motors that team up to produce 295 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque propel the Audi. Likewise, the same 77.0-kWh lithium-ion battery feeds both SUVs, giving the slightly heavier Q4 Quattro 241 miles of EPA range versus the ID.4’s 251 miles. The Q4 line’s marquee range of 265 miles comes from the 201-hp single-motor rear-wheel-drive version.

Underway, the Q4 e-tron is no canyon carver, but it feels utterly composed and balanced because of its low center of gravity and near-equal front-to-rear weight distribution. It confidently cruises straight highways with segment-appropriate steering effort, though on-center feel is more authentic with lane centering switched off. The Q4’s 60-mph time of 5.6 seconds feels sprightly in suburbia even if it trails the results from some dual-motor competitors. The 0.2 second it gives away to the Volkswagen stems from the extra 80 pounds our top-drawer Prestige trim was packing.

Inside, the Q4 Prestige feels far more upscale than the most expensive ID.4, as it should, considering the Audi’s $7990 price premium. The Q4 does retain some questionable touch-sensitive tomfoolery, but at least it avoids the grossest mistakes of the ID.4. The Audi’s climate controls are standalone physical toggles instead of capacitive-touch panels, and the driver’s window controls consist of four distinct switches instead of the Volkswagen’s irksome single pair that operate both the front and rear windows. Best of all might be the available head-up display, which uses hovering augmented-reality animations to underline vehicles within adaptive-cruise range and point you to the next navigation turn.

Bottom line: If you like the idea of the Volkswagen ID.4 but are willing to pay for a more upscale and sumptuous experience, the Audi Q4 e-tron is just the ticket.