Audi’s e-tron family has continued to grow, and back in April, the first-ever Ingolstadt-based interpretation of the Volkswagen MEB modular platform for electric vehicles came to life. It did it in the form of the Q4 e-tron and Q4 e-tron Sportback zero-emission siblings. Now they’re available to order for anyone in the UK planning some EV summer road trips. But beware, they don’t come cheap.
The Ingolstadt-based carmaker says the new fully electric Q4 e-tron SUV and its Sportback sibling “bring innovative design and technology, abundant space and 316-mile range potential to the compact class.” They do, for sure, but at a cost. Starting from £40,750 OTR (on the road) and £42,250, respectively, in the United Kingdom.
That would translate to around $56,420 and $58,510, respectively, at the current exchange rates. That's quite the markup compared with the U.S.-specification Volkswagen ID.4, which kicks off at $39,995. But such is the world of premium automotive rides, and one probably expected the Audi interpretations of the MEB architecture to cost a bit more than their VW counterparts.
Well, at least UK fans can start planning their zero-emissions summer road trips alongside the Q4 and Q4 Sportback in several configurations because there’s an abundance of trim and different powertrain options. For example, both are available in Sport, S line, Edition 1, and Vorsprung trims, and the most expensive version will go for no less than £66,750/$92,418 (Q4 Sportback 50 e-tron quattro Vorsprung).
Notice the fact that quattro all-wheel drive isn’t available from the get-go, and the German company also offers a couple of battery sizes: 52 kWh (55 kWh gross) and 77 kWh (82 kWh gross). The latter enables an effective range of up to 316 miles (509 km) in the most efficient setup. Additionally, there’s 125 kW fast charging for allegedly getting 80 miles (129 km) of range after just ten minutes of juicing up.
All in all, not a bad deal if one doesn’t mind the price tags, especially since owners can choose between getting the base Q4 35 e-tron (170 PS/168 hp) or the Q4 40 e-tron (204 PS/201 hp) if a single motor and rear-wheel drive is enough for the family needs. If not, there’s always the dual-motor, quattro-equipped Q4 50 e-tron that hits the 299-PS (295-hp) mark just like the brand-new VW ID.4 GTX.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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