BUY, LEASE OR FINANCE AN AUDI Q4 E-TRON SPORTBACK FROM OSV - https://bit.ly/3xzBexI

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.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00​​​​ Introduction
00:50 Background
02:12 Driving Experience
07:09 Design & Build
11:36 Market & Model Range
15:09 Cost of Ownership
17:34 Summary

Background

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.

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 CUPRA Born. Actually, all the engineering bits that matter are common between these four 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 Experience

With its Q3 and Q5 Sportback models, Audi slightly differentiates the suspension feel with base variants but there's none of that here, so the Q4 Sportback e-tron drives in the same way as the conventional Q4 model. 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. In terms of powertrains, there's nothing we haven't seen before in Volkswagen Group EVs. Most of these tend to be chosen with the 52kWh battery that's used by the base Q4 35 e-tron, which uses a 170PS rear-driven electric motor, makes 62mph in 9.0s and has a range of 215 miles. Next up is the Q4 40 e-tron, which has a bigger 76.6kWh net capacity battery and a more powerful 204PS rear-driven motor, making 62mph in 8.5s and offering a 323 mile driving range.

The flagship Q4 50 e-tron also uses the 76.6kWh battery, but has both front and rear-mounted electric motors developing a combined 299PS. Which means 62mph in just 6.2s and a range of 302 miles. Plus, with this top performance variant, the top speed is lifted from the usual Q4 maximum of 99mph to 111mph. Across the range, there's the same kind of suspension set-up you'd find in other mid-sized Audi SUVs - 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.

Design and Build

The Q4 Sportback e-tron is definitely a sleeker thing than its standard-shape counterpart - and not just visually - the drag coefficient drops from 0.28 to o.26Cd. This sportier variant's more sharply swept back silhouette culminates in a roof spoiler that sits much lower on the split and steeply raked rear window, and as the area in which the air swirls as it comes off the vehicle is restricted to the zone beneath the spoiler, that area is significantly smaller than in the ordinary Q4 e-tron. This not only highlights the more unique design of this SUV coupe, but also enhances its range by around 7 miles, while also reducing the lift on the rear.

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