Audi Q4 e-tron Review

Audi Q4 e-tron practicality and space

Don’t let the name fool you. Where the Q5 is Audi’s family-sized SUV and the Q3 is a diddy urban crossover, the Q4 doesn't sit equidistant between them. 

It’s actually much closer to the latter, which is good news if you want space. The Q4 can act the role of do-all family car and comes with plenty of space for people in the back – three adults should be doable, especially if you’ve swerved the slightly impinged headroom of the Sportback – while the boot, at 520 litres, ought to take all you’ll reasonably throw at it. 

Seats up, the Sportback actually has another 15 litres of capacity, but seats down it loses out by 30 litres.And a quick line on the boldest bit of the Q4’s interior – its squircle steering wheel (or ‘quartic’ for those who remember the Austin Allegro). While not as brash as Tesla’s yoke wheel, it certainly adds a talking point to an interior that otherwise plays things with a straight, albeit minimalist bat. 

Everything feels very well made, needless to say. 

Audi Q4 e-tron technology 

Another eye-opening highlight: Audi’s Augmented Reality Head-Up display comes if you’ve optioned the Virtual Cockpit plus with its bigger display. We’re suckers for a gadget - even if we frequently need our kids to explain how they work – and this system projects stuff like sat-nav directions so they look like they’re on the road in front of you. It keeps your eyes up and ahead, and actually works really well. If you’re to choose the pricier e-tron over the Volkswagen ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq it’s so closely related to, little touches like this matter. 

Even if you don’t option it, there’s a pair of large displays and a decent amount of user-friendliness built into them. It shouldn’t take too long to get your head around the Q4’s tech, not least because it diverges from the VW Group parts cupboard by offering physical climate control buttons. We salute whoever at Audi fought to keep those. 

Audi Q4 e-tron Safety

Good news: the Q4 e-tron achieved a full five stars in NCAP testing. It achieved a 93 per cent score for adult occupants and 89 per cent for children. 

As standard are almost a dozen airbags while all Q4s are lane departure warning, rear parking sensors, Audi Pre-sense front with pedestrian and cyclist detection, camera-based traffic sign recognition and swerve and turn assist. 

Edition 1 trim adds Matrix LED headlights, for better visibility up ahead. Optional Safety (£650) and Technology (£1200) packs are desirable and can be to any other model in the range.