Audi reveals the new Q4 e-tron electric SUV

Audi has revealed the new Q4 e-tron and Q4 e-tron Sportback.

Both cars borrow heavily from the design of the Audi Q4 concept revealed in 2019. Short front overhangs, large wheels, and powerfully toned muscles define the design on the Q4 e-tron, while the Sportback model gets a coupe-style roofline that ends in an expressively designed rear where the spoiler sits deep on the two-part window.

At 4,590mm in length, both cars are said to offer a package that gives the passengers on board new spaces which goes beyond existing class boundaries. Generous leg room and a floor devoid of a transmission tunnel combine with a total of 25 litres if storage space in the cabin to guarantee the Audi Q4 e-tron and the Q4 Sportback e-tron are the perfect companions in every situation.

Depending on the positioning of the rear seat backs, the volume of the luggage compartment is 520 to 1,490 liters in the Q4 e-tron and 535 to 1,460 liters under a power trunk lid in the Sportback.

The Audi Q4 e-tron gets a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, operated from the multifunction steering wheel. A power meter, located next to the speedometer on the display, summarises all important information about the drive, from the output and the state of charge of the battery all the way to recuperation rates.

Passengers meanwhile, will get to utilise a 10.1-inch MMI touch display with acoustic feedback. It is used to control the infotainment system as well as a number of comfort functions. In addition, it allows text input in handwriting. An optional 11.6-inch version, the largest display in the Audi portfolio to date, is expected to be available for order later this year.

The Audi Q4 e-tron will be offered with two battery variants and three drive variants.

The compact battery for the Q4 35 e-tron and Q4 35 etron Sportback has a net energy content of 52kWh (55kWh gross), while the corresponding figures for the large battery in the Q4 40 e-tron and both Q4 50 e-tron quattro models are 77kWh net, (and 82kWh gross).

The Q4 35 e-tron and the Q4 40 e-tron have an electric motor that drives the rear wheels, with an output of 168bhp and 201bhp respectively.

The top-of-the-range version Q4 50 e-tron quattro models have two electric motors for electric all-wheel drive. They give it a maximum output of 295bhp, sufficient for a sprint from zero to 100 km/h in 6.2 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 180km/h. For efficiency, the motor on the front axle comes into action only when high power or a strong grip is needed.

Audi's two new electric SUVs can be charged with different outputs using Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC) depending on the battery. The compact battery can get up to 7.2kW with AC charging and up to 100kW when using high-power charging with direct current. As standard, the larger battery allows for up to 11kW with AC and up to 125kW with HPC.

The front axle of the compact electric SUVs utilise a McPherson suspension setup, while a compact five-link design featuring similarities with the rear axle of the large Audi models works at the rear.

On request, Audi can equip the two compact electric SUVs with the dynamic package or the dynamic package plus. In the dynamic package, the sport suspension (standard in the S line) lowers the body by 15mm, while the conventional steering is replaced by progressive steering (standard in the quattro models), which operates more directly the further the steering is turned.

The dynamic package plus adds another component on board the Audi Q4 e-tron and the Q4 Sportback e-tron the suspension with damper control. Its control unit manages the characteristics of the dampers in line with the driving situation at five-millisecond intervals by regulating the oil flow. So the suspension caters to a wide field - from smooth cruising to snappily sporty handling.