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Audi Q4 e-tron reworked with more standard tech and EV spark
Electric sibling of the Q3 and Q3 Sportback boasts more range, but for now, remains a no-no for South Africa.
Exterior has not been changed since the Q4’s reveal in 2021. Image: Audi
Revealed just over two years ago as its smallest dedicated electric SUV after the e-tron and e-tron Sportback, models now brandishing the Q8 e-tron moniker, Audi has detailed the facelift Q4 e-tron and its Sportback offshoot markets across mainly Europe will be receiving before year-end.
Subtle tweaks
A key model for the Four Rings that has so far accounted for 51.2% of its total SUV sales in the first six months of 2023 alone, the exterior remains largely untouched sans the introduction of a new trim level called the Edition S line.
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Essentially a sportier take on the standard S line, the Edition receives blacked-out clusters for the Matrix LED head-and-taillights, bronze accented 21-inch 5 W-spoke alloy wheels, a bronze finish for the Audi logos and a choice of three new colours; Pebble Grey, Glacier White Metallic and Mythos Black Metallic.
More spec
Inside, Audi has kept the overall design and look unchanged, but added more specification items as standard, namely an electric tailgate, heated front seats and the 11.6-inch MMI Navigation Plus infotainment system.
On the safety side, an improved Lane Change Assist system can be specified in conjunction with the revised Adaptive Cruise Control, with the final nuance, again a cost option, being Side Assist that warns, via a series of cameras and radars, about a car in the driver’s blind spot when undertaking a lane change.
Power trip
Riding on parent company Volkswagen’s EV dedicated MEB platform, both the Q4 e-tron and Sportback retain the same dimensions and boot space as before, but with sharper steering plus improved dampers for both the standard and optional sport suspensions.
The biggest change is to be found on the model front, where the previous e-tron 35 and 40 variants both depart in favour of the new e-tron 45, while the previous range topping 50 quattro makes way for the new e-tron 55 quattro.
With the change in nomenclature, Audi has fitted all three models with a new synchronous electric motor on the rear axle, but retained the 77-kWh lithium-ion battery pack while upping the limited top speed from 160 km/h to 180 km/h across the board.
It, therefore, means that the 45, available on both the regular Q4 e-tron and Sportback, develops 210 kW in rear-wheel-drive and quattro forms, however, the inclusion of a secondary electric motor on the latter sees it get from 0-100 km/h in 6.6 seconds versus the former’s 6.7 seconds.
While Audi did not close the range of the quattro, it did confirm a distance of 562 km for the rear-wheel-drive between trips to the plug.
Worth noting is that quattro models support DC charging up to 175 kW, while the rear-wheel-drive can only be charged from a 135 kW fast charger.
Completing the range, the 55, as its name indicates, not only receives the dual-motor quattro system, but also more power for a total of 250 kW, 30 kW more than the 50 quattro it replaces.
This means a 0-100 km/h sprint of 5.4 seconds and range in the region of 500 km given the 50 Sportback had a claimed distance of 497 km.
Settle for the Q3 South Africa
Available for ordering from 26 September, priced from €52 950 (R1 066 065) in Germany, the Belgian-built Q4 e-tron and Q4 e-tron Sportback are both not destined for South Africa with their places, indirectly, being occupied by the combustion engine Q3 and Q3 Sportback.
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