On May 20th, FAW Audi officially launched its third pure electric vehicle, the Q4 e-tron. The Q4 e-tron is FAW Audi’s first compact SUV based on the MEB platform, which we all know as a true pure electric platform, following the Q2L e-tron and locally produced e-tron.
The length, width and height of the Audi Q4 e-tron were 4,590 x 1,864 x 1,608 mm with a wheelbase of 2,765 mm, positioned as a compact SUV, just like the ID.4 on the same platform. At this press conference, FAW Audi officially announced the pre-sale prices for various versions of the Q4 e-tron.
- Q4 40 e-tron Pioneer Edition pre-sale price is 300,000 yuan;
- Q4 40 e-tron Trail Edition pre-sale price is 330,000 yuan;
- Q4 50 e-tron quattro Trail Edition pre-sale price is 3,450,000 yuan;
- Q4 50 e-tron quattro Excellence Edition pre-sale price is 3,800,000 yuan;
- Q4 40 e-tron First Edition starting price is 3,370,000 yuan;
- Q4 50 e-tron quattro First Edition starting price is 3,820,000 yuan.
In fact, the Audi Q4 e-tron is not a completely new product that is unfamiliar to everyone. As early as last November at the Guangzhou Auto Show, I had already taken a static experience of this car at Audi’s booth.
The car displayed at the auto show was the top-equipped Q4 50 e-tron quattro version, with a maximum power of 225 kW, equipped with an 84 kWh NCM 811 battery, of which the available capacity is 79.7 kWh. The official CLTC maximum range is 543 km.The Q4 e-tron is equipped with CDC electromagnetic shock absorbers, the same 15-speed adjustable electromechanical shock absorption system as the Golf GTI. This system greatly improves handling and driving pleasure during intense driving, although the specific configuration table has yet to be announced, and it is expected that this configuration will only be available on top models.
In addition, the top-of-the-line models also come with a set of large, low-drag wheel designs, with front tire size up to 235/45 R21, and rear tire size further widened to 255/40 R21, a combination that is suitable for high-performance cars. Wide rear tires and low aspect ratios provide superior grip and stability for the rear wheels. So, in the 50 model, the acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is 6.8 seconds.
This acceleration time is not particularly fast compared to other self-branded electric vehicles in the same price range, and many other competitors can achieve terrifying acceleration of around 5 seconds, which would have been unthinkable in the era of fuel cars. However, the 6.8-second acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is not slow in everyday use. Moreover, Audi has a tradition of reversing virtual labels, and we look forward to the actual acceleration results of the Q4 50 e-tron.
The interior of the Audi Q4 e-tron continues the current generation Audi interior design style. The overall style is very similar to the new Audi A3, and the air conditioning control panel also shares the same interior components. Personally, I find the button-based air conditioning control components much easier to use than the touch screen panels of higher-end A6 and A7 or above models.
I believe that, like me, when you see this interior, in addition to feeling familiar at first, the steering wheel has become one of the most attention-grabbing points. The steering wheel on the Q4 e-tron has been replaced with a brand new four-spoke style design.The logic of the scroll wheel has been canceled and the operation logic of the new Volkswagen-style steering wheel is basically the same. However, the auxiliary driving buttons are still placed on the other lever under the turning signal instead of integrated into the steering wheel. This is more traditional and those who have used similar designs will surely appreciate it.
The car system is equipped with Audi’s new generation of MIB3 system, which has Audi’s intelligent networking system. In addition to supporting 4G networks, it also supports OTA and other feature extensions. Based on the experience of using MIB3 system-equipped Audi products at the Guangzhou Auto Show and elsewhere, the 11.6-inch display on the Q4 e-tron will also be very smooth.
The Q4 e-tron is paired with a set of 10-speaker SONOS sound system, which is not Audi’s first time using this brand of speaker. A set of speakers from SONOS was also used in the mid-term facelifted Audi Q2L. This shows that the Q4 is still more youth-oriented, rather than high-end.
ADAS
The Q4 e-tron is equipped with basic ADAS, through the cooperation of 3 millimeter wave radars, 12 ultrasonic radars, 4 surround cameras, 1 monocular vision camera and the Mobileye EyeQ4 driving assistance system chip, L2 level ADAS capabilities can be achieved.
For specific capabilities, you can refer to the same Mobileye EyeQ4 ADAS chip used in the Volkswagen ID.4 on our 42Mark ranking, which achieved a relatively good score.
Entitlement
For users who order cars from May 20, 2022 to July 20, 2022, they can still enjoy three different types of entitlements: Enjoyment Entitlements, Exclusive Entitlements, and Early Access Entitlements. The specific entitlements are as follows:
Conclusion
Some people may say that the Audi Q4 e-tron is just a rebranded Volkswagen ID.4. It is undeniable that the hardware we see with our naked eye is indeed the same as that of Volkswagen. However, the texture and tuning provided by Audi are not what Volkswagen ID can provide. Moreover, the MEB platform has already set a high standard for the Volkswagen ID series, with very good mechanical qualities. Therefore, as a traditional luxury brand in everyone’s eyes, Audi should be able to better demonstrate its own characteristics to meet consumers’ demands for pure electric, luxury, and technology.
Source: Official Audi website.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.