mReview: Audi Q4 e-tron 45 – Leading The Charge

Audi’s new Q4 e-tron is the brand’s first compact electric SUV, does it hold up to the strong standards set by its bigger brothers? 

To suss out the new Audi Q4 e-tron as best I could, I decided to take it on a road trip up north to give it a proper shakedown in the toughest conditions for an EV, long-distance driving. My trip would cover over 820 kilometres, the majority of which would take place on the autobahn of the east, Malaysia’s North-South Highway (NSH). 

My chariot for this journey would be the Q4 e-tron in 45 trim with a single electric motor sending 210kW (282bhp) and 545Nm of torque to the rear wheels - a healthy amount of oomph and crucial ingredients for an enjoyable drive on the NSH. 

Q4 e-tron 45 is a single-motor, rear-drive Audi SUV with 210kW and 545Nm.

For my first day of the trip, I needed to head to Subang Jaya, just outside of Kuala Lumpur, to collect some items before continuing onwards to Sepang International Circuit. Though I crossed the border at Tuas in good time, it wasn’t long before I hit traffic and progress slowed right down. 

Thankfully, the Q4 e-tron’s adaptive cruise control was a godsend in the rain-soaked jam I was stuck in. It took all the stress and tedium out of driving in a jam, and I stayed calm and comfortable while waiting to clear the congestion. The regenerative braking also helped to keep energy consumption low, with the stop-start traffic playing into an EV’s strengths. 

Once the traffic eased up, however, I needed no second invitation to put my foot down and I whooshed onwards towards KL. The combination of ample power and torque and incredible cabin insulation makes it super easy to suddenly find yourself at much higher speeds than you expected.

Driving around town in the Q4 e-tron is as easy as driving at high speeds on highways.

Hailing from the land of unrestricted highways, the Q4 e-tron is built to handle high-speed cruising, so driving at high triple-digit speeds was as easy as driving around town. The chassis is rock-solid and there was never a moment where it felt like the car was out of its comfort zone dynamically.

There was one nagging issue though. Range. At the speeds I was travelling, I was making good time but also properly burning through my supply of electricity. In two hours and 200 kilometres, I had used up 50% of my battery, with the car displaying a range estimate of 94 kilometres. I still had more than 150 km to go before I wrapped up for the day, so I pulled into a petrol station that had a DC fast charger and plugged the Q4 in to recharge at up to 135kW. 

Before I set off for this trip, I knew that finding a charger would be a constant challenge, especially when having to account for additional power usage from cruising at high speeds. I mapped out several potential charging stops before setting off, but still found myself constantly checking and re-checking the distance from my planned charging stops to ensure I would have enough juice to make it there.

Perfect layout, premium materials and user-friendly interface.

My mid-trip charge gave me enough juice to make it to my overnight halt with 40% battery and 172 km of range remaining. At least after a long day of driving, I didn’t need to do any extra thinking about how best to unload my luggage. 

I had with me a suitcase, duffel bag, helmet bag and backpack, and I could just throw them willy-nilly into the boot without any Tetris-ing needed. If I needed more space though, I could fold the rear seats flat and get more through-loading into the expansive second row. 

Excellent, expandable cargo space for the road tripper.

The Q4 e-tron is definitive Audi inside and out, all business and extremely well thought out. The exterior appearance might not be the most flamboyant or exciting to look at, but it makes up for it in practicality and functionality. 

The 0.29 drag coefficient (0.28 for the Sportback) helps to increase the Q4 e-tron’s range, something I was very thankful for on this trip. The Matrix LED headlights were also vital in keeping me safe along the unlit sections of the NSH without blinding oncoming drivers.

The interior is perfectly laid out and wrapped in premium materials. While it still has screens galore, I prefer Audi’s execution and UI much more than that of its competitors. The 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster is still one of the best in the business, as is the 10.1-inch centre infotainment display through which the bulk of the Q4 e-tron’s functions are accessed. The climate controls and media controls are thankfully physical affairs, and therefore much nicer and easier to use than in-screen buttons. 

Backseat is spacious despite Q4 e-tron's compact body.

On my second and last day, I had to charge three separate times in order to make it back to Singapore. Though the 82kWh battery is large compared to other vehicles in its class, an electric vehicle’s nature is simply inefficient for high-speed cruising. 

In normal driving in Singapore, I was able to get my average consumption down to just 13kWh per 100km, an impressively low figure which would give me over 500km of range on a single charge. The average during my road trip though was 22.5kWh per 100km, equating to a range of around just 342 kilometres from a full charge. 

In the Q4 e-tron’s defence, I was far from hypermiling or thinking efficiently, I simply drove it the same way I would drive any other car up the NSH. The issues with efficiency at high speed are also not exclusive to the Q4 e-tron.

What was exclusive to the Q4 e-tron though, was how confidently and capably it handled itself during my drive. With the way I was driving it, it had every right to feel uncomfortable and out-of-its-depth, but not once did it even have a hint of a falter, stoically taking the punishment while keeping me safe and supremely comfortable. 

This might be Audi’s first electric compact vehicle, but if this is how they’re all going to be like, I’d be more than happy for them to keep making more.

Read More: mReview: Audi Q8 e-tron 55 & Q8 Sportback e-tron 55 – All Business

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