Audi unveiled its Q4 E-Tron on Wednesday and looks like a very credible rival to Tesla’s Model Y. I got a preview of it in March but now the real thing is here.
Audi says the Q4 E-Tron has a range of 250 miles, which is less than the 300-plus of the Model Y, although it may not be as simple as that. But what stands out here is the price, which Audi said would start at less than $ 45,000 before tax incentives, or more than $ 5,000 less than a long-range model.
What you get is 150 kW (or just over 200 horsepower) of power in the base model Q4 40 E-Tron with rear-wheel drive., while the more expensive Q4 50 E-Tron it has a power of 220 kW, or almost 300 hp. The Q4 50 E-Tron also has all-wheel drive, along with the Q4 50 E-Tron Sportback.
And while the base Q4 40 E-Tron has only one rear engine, the Q4 50 E-Tron and Q4 50 E-Tron will have a second engine up front that will be activated to provide more traction as conditions dictate.
Audi spends a lot of time talking about the exterior and interior of the Q4 E-Tron at its launch, which I think will be more and more a thing with each new EV, as consumers show little appetite for thinking about electric transmissions , or at least less than in internal combustion engines.
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For this purpose, Audi says it had aerodynamics in mind, with a Q4 E-Tron drag coefficient of 0.28 and a Q24 E-Tron Sportback of 0.24. Audi is also trying to differentiate itself with outdoor lighting tricks.
Keeping innovation at the forefront, even at the brand’s most accessible EV entry point, the Q4 e-tron electric SUVs offer Matrix-designed LED headlights available with customizable daylight signatures – a global novelty. The controller can switch between four light signatures in operation on the touch MMI operating system. At the back, a light strip links the rear light units and is available with animated features back and forth from home.
Inside, says Audi there is more space because there is no central tunnel. An “enlarged” header screen is also optional.
The premium interior of the Audi Q4 e-tron is spacious and airy; the instrument panel intentionally turned toward the driver. A separate floating panel houses the shift lever under which there is a convenient crib for wireless storage and charging for compatible devices. Also new is the steering wheel with its perfect tactile surfaces, which the driver can use to control the digital instrument panel. Infotainment and navigation are mainly used through the 10.1-inch MMI center touch screen, combined with the 10.25-inch digital dashboard or optional virtual booth. The available built-in surround vision cameras are especially useful for driving around the city and parking in confined spaces. Natural voice control provides a third operating interface.
Finally, the Q4 E-Tron will have a whole host of semi-autonomous systems to compete with Tesla’s autopilot, though Audi didn’t say if these are standard or not (I guess not). The systems include an adaptive cruise aid that “offers help with longitudinal and lateral guidance across the entire range of speeds and safely traffic scenarios through a combined traffic jam assistance ”. This describes a level 2 semi-levelautonomous system, and a semi-stop-and-goautonomous system, the two things consumers have been waiting for.
Audi said the Q4 E-Tron and Q4 E-Tron Sportback will be available later this year, and its announcement on Wednesday contained a bit of bragging, with Say Audi which “would have on sale more fully electric models in the United States than any other luxury brand by the end of 2021.”
This is a one-time reference to Tesla, which sells four electric vehicles here. Including the E-Tron GT, E-Tron and E-Tron Sportback, Audi will now have five. And a brand like Audi is the kind of brand that could even turn the head of an aspiring Tesla buyer, or at least more so than Volkswagen with its version of the Q4 E-Tron, the ID.4 or Chevy with its Bolt EUV. If that’s enough, it’s an assumption of either.
