SPORT- ELECTRIFIED (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_audiq4etronsportback_2022

By Jonathan Crouch

With the Q4 Sportback e-tron, Audi widens the appeal of its mid-sized all-electric EV. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 109

The Q4 e-tron is an important model for Audi, so important that Ingolstadt feels the need to create two distinct variants, this Q4 Sportback e-tron derivative being the more dynamic-looking one. Like its standard counterpart, it's built on the Volkswagen Group MEB chassis for volume all-electric cars, but pushes the boundaries of that platform in terms of the premium prices being charged here for the size of car delivered. Still, you certainly get a very up-market feel that'll help ease you into your new electrified phase of motoring ownership. Two years into its production life, it was usefully updated to create the car we're going to look at here.

Backgroundword count: 217

Audi's all-electric e-tron range continues to widen as more is revealed of the company's capabilities when it comes to EV technology. The e-tron sub-brand once designated PHEVs. Then it was set aside for all-electric models, the first three of those being the e-tron large SUV, the e-tron Sportback large five-door GT and the e-tron GT quattro sports saloon. But these were merely preludes to the BEV model that really matters to Ingolstadt, the Q4 e-tron, offered with a choice of body shapes, this Q4 Sportback e-tron obviously being the sportier one. It was launched back in 2021, then improved in Autumn 2023 in an update coinciding with the movement of part of production to Audi's dedicated EV factory in Brussels (which previously had only made the larger Q8 e-tron). Where the standard Q4 e-tron takes on the plushest versions of boxy compact EV crossovers like the Volkswagen ID.4 and the Skoda Enyaq iV, the Q4 Sportback e-tron takes aim more directly at sportier contenders in this class like the Volkswagen ID.5 and the Skoda Enyaq iV Coupe. Actually, all the engineering bits that matter are common between these five cars, namely the MEB platform and the battery tech. Yet Audi claims to have put its own stamp on the way this car drives and feels. Let's see.

Driving Experienceword count: 496

With its Q3 and Q5 Sportback models, Audi slightly differentiates the suspension feel compared to the standard SUV variants but there's none of that here, so the Q4 Sportback e-tron drives in the same way as the conventional Q4 e-tron model. For both rear-wheel drive and quattro all-wheel drive versions of this updated model, Audi has installed a permanently excited synchronous machine (PSM) on the rear axle. The update is supposed to release higher efficiency and greater power. And, sure enough, there's 286PS now on tap from the base rear-driven version now badged '45' (as opposed to the 204PS offered by the previous '40' model). Yet the driving range figure has risen over that previous variant, the Q4 e-tron 45 capable of up to 351 miles between charges (it was 316 miles with the previous '40' model). You can have the same powertrain set-up with quattro 4WD, but if you choose that, drive range falls to a best of 327 miles. Whatever Q4 e-tron 45 variant is selected, an owner of an earlier version of this car ought to find that performance is now noticeably perkier; rest to 62mph takes 6.7s (it was 8.5s before): and the top speed (as with all Q4 e-trons) is 112mph. As part of this update, Audi has decided that all Q4 e-trons should use the larger of the two previously available batteries; it's 77kWh in usable capacity and also features on the top Q4 variant we tried, another derivative that's been re-badged as part of this update. What's now the Q4 e-tron 55 quattro (it was called the 50 quattro before) in this updated form puts out 340PS (up from the 299PS figure of the previous 50 version). Which means that the 62mph sprint can be dispatched in just 5.4s (up from 6.2s before). Driving range for the top quattro model can be up to 327 miles. There are other Q4 e-tron changes we need to brief you on too. Audi says it has re-tuned the chassis across the range for greater driver involvement. As part of this, the steering's now sharper. The engineers have tinkered with the suspension, aiming for greater comfort and stability; as before it's a MacPherson strut front and five-link rear arrangement, with sports suspension available (which lowers ride height by 15mm) and adaptive damping offered further up the range. Audi's also created what it calls a new 'character sound', which is offered as an option and emitted via two exterior speakers at the rear and two interior speakers in the rear doors. This 'soundscape' varies according to load and speed. There's a new camera drive assist feature too, which allows assisted lane changes above 56mph. Otherwise, things are pretty much as before. The Q4's pretty straightforward to get to grips with behind the wheel. You select drive using a slider-type shifter situated on the centre console and once underway, there's the kind of instant throttle response you'd usually get from an EV of this sort.

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