Review and images by Paul Gibson
Plug-in cars represented 28.1% of the new car market sold in November, with 21,726 battery electric vehicle registrations and 10,796 plug-in hybrids purchased. Paul Gibson discovers one of the latest offerings from Audi .
If you look back on the last twenty years of motoring development, there’s a certain car manufacturer which has always been ahead of the game as far as technological advancements are concerned.
Audi has always been one of the leading brands when it comes to performance and quality in its cars even back in the 80s with its stunning Quattro rally car.
Even before diesel was all the rage, Audi was changing how diesel was looked upon by developing powerful, yet extremely economical engines which ended up driving the company to what it is today.
The last few years has seen a new challenge for all car manufacturers in producing electric vehicles to meet the new, high demand for them globally. Audi certainly hasn’t sat on its laurels in this area and has produced a wide range of EVs catering for all markets.
, based in Eastbourne, offered us the chance to get behind the wheel of its latest offering, The Q4 40 e-tron Sportback – e-tron is the name given to all the company’s electric models.
The Q4 could be seen as the electric bigger brother of the popular A4 in terms of size, but with SUV styling and practicality and is priced from £40,750 and the Sportback version, which we tested, costs from £42,250.
The range offers two battery variants, labelled as the 35 and 40. The first housing a 170PS electric motor with a range of offering a range of around 208 miles on a full charge. The Q4 40 is equipped with a larger 77kWh battery and a 204PS motor taking the range to an impressive 316 miles. The range topping Q4 50 utilises the same 77kWh battery but has two electric motors giving all-wheel- drive and 299PS, while a reduced range of 295 miles is returned.
Quick and easy charging is another element that Audi was keen to integrate into the Q4 e-tron. The smaller battery has a charging capacity of 100kW, while the larger unit can accept 125kW. This allows a charge from 5-80% in 38 minutes.
From the exterior, the Sportback model is the far more desirable in my opinion with the low slung back end, rather than the tradition SUV look. It looks extremely modern with a fantastic full width animated light bar on the rear and extremely bright full adaptive LED metric headlights which allow to drive on full beam without dazzling other drivers.
On the inside, you’re faced with an extremely modern interior – the Audi virtual cockpit is years ahead of some of its closest competitors, with a clean, spacious feel for all passengers. A 11.6-inch infotainment screen – the biggest fitted to an Audi model to date is fitted and gives a clear, intuitive system with Google Maps and smartphone integration.
There is also a new augmented reality head-up display, which projects important information onto the wind- screen. Key information and symbols appear to be float- ing virtually at a physical distance of roughly ten metres from the driver, and depending on the situation can even appear further ahead in some cases. \
In the boot is a generous 510 litres of boot space with a convenient compartment under to store all the charging cables discreetly.
S line and Edition 1 versions of the Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron are equipped as standard with a sport suspension featuring particularly driver-focused spring and damper settings that also lower the body by 15 milli- metres.
Driving the Q4 e-tron is something to be marvelled, as there’s still tonnes of driving pleasure to be had. Many feel electric vehicles return a dull driving experience, but with plenty of power, excellent handling and the SUV driving position, all makes the Q4 e-tron a great all round experience.
You can see the range by visiting Caffyns Audi in Eastbourne, located near to Morrisons, or call 01323 344062.
Source: Motoring Today.
