Audi unveiled its Q4 E-Tron on Wednesday and it looks like a very credible competitor to Tesla’s Model Y. We got a preview of this in March but now the real thing is here.
According to Audi, the Q4 E-Tron range is 250 miles, which is less than the Model Y’s 300 plus. though it may not be as simple as that. But what stands out here is the price that, according to Audi, would start at less than $ 45,000 before tax incentives, or more than $ 5,000 less than a Model Y Long Range.
For that, 150 kW – or just over 200 horsepower – is on the rear-wheel drive Q4 40 E-Tron base model, while the more expensive Q4 50 E-Tron has a output of 220 kW, or almost 300 hp. The Q4 50 E-Tron also gets a four-wheel drive, along with the Q4 50 E-Tron Sportback.
And although the base Q4 40 E-Tron will have only one car at the rear, the Q4 50 E-Tron and Q4 50 E-Tron will have a second car on it. front that will be activated to provide more traction as conditions dictate.
Audi spends a lot of time on the Q4 E-Tron’s exterior and interior in its release, which I think will be more and more something with each new EV, as consumers have little desire to think of electric drivetrains, or at least less than that they do with internal combustion engines.
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To that end, Audi says it had aerodynamics in mind, with Q4 E-Tron’s drag coefficient 0.28, and the Q4 E-Tron Sportback 0.24. Audi is also trying to distinguish itself with exterior lighting tricks.
The Q4 e-tron electric sports utility vehicles keep innovation at the forefront, even at the brand’s most accessible EV access point, and offer available Matrix design LED headlights with customizable daylight signatures – a global first. The driver can switch between four running light signatures in the MMI touch operating system. At the rear, a light strip connects the rear light units to each other and is available with animated homecoming and departure functions.
On the inside, says Audi there is more space because there is no middle tunnel. An “Elevated” head screen is also optional.
The premium interior of the Audi Q4 e-tron is spacious and airy; the instrument panel turns deliberately towards the driver. A separate floating panel houses the shifter which includes an easy storage and wireless charging tray for compatible devices. The steering wheel with its seamless touch surfaces, which the driver can use to control the digital instrument cluster, is also new. Infotainment and navigation are mainly used through the central 10.1-inch MMI touch screen, coupled to the 10.25-inch digital instrument panel or optional virtual cabin. The available integrated surround cameras are especially handy when driving in the city and parking in tight spaces. Natural voice control provides a third operating interface.
Finally, the Q4 E-Tron will have a number of semi-autonomous systems to compete with Tesla’s Autopilot, although Audi did not say whether it is standard or not (I guess.) The systems include a customizable cruise assist that “provides assistance with longitudinal and lateral guidance over the entire speed range and in certain respects traffic scenarios through a combined Traffic Jam help. It describes a level 2 semi-semiautonomous system, and a stop-and-go semi-autonomous system, both things that consumers expected.
Audi has said that the Q4 E-Tron and Q4 E-Tron Sportback will be available later this year, and its announcement on Wednesday includes a bit of a swing, with Audi says that by the end of 2021 “it will have more fully electric models for sale in the US than any other luxury brand.”
This is a clear reference to Tesla, which sells four vehicles here. Including the E-Tron GT, the E-Tron and the E-Tron Sportback, Audi will now have five. And a brand like Audi is the kind of brand that can even turn the head of a prospective Tesla buyer, or at least more than Volkswagen with its version of the Q4 E-Tron, the ID.4 or Chevy with its Bolt EUV. Whether that’s enough, anyone can guess.
