Audi Q4 e-tron pricing unveiled

AUDI has debuted its Goldilocks EV car, driving in under the luxury car tax (LCT) priced from $84,990 plus on-road costs; with bonus FBT advantages for attractive lease packaging and on top of that, simply a great EV to drive to boot.

The Q4 e-tron fits the bill in so many ways that it will turn a lot of prestige ICE buyers into seriously considering Audi’s latest upmarket and value-rich car.

The new Audi is the first volume model in the brand’s BEV range for Australia and is part of a clear strategy of Audi to offer customers a choice of electrified models and internal combustion engined models (ICEs).

“ICE vehicles a very important part of the range but in our product offering, we’ll also be increasing the models of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and battery-electric vehicles (BEVs),” said Audi Australia director Jeff Mannering

“This also is in line with the NVES and meets the mandates to reduce the emission averages of our fleet while appealing to a broader customer base.”

Seemingly a luxury family car, the Q4 packs so much into a medium-size package that it has the features for a top-end executive fleet car, a wealth of cabin space for a premium chauffeur drive, and even just a very versatile machine for leisure seekers.

The Q4 e-tron is also relatively affordable.

It launches itself at the niche EV SUV sector occupied by rivals including the BMW iX3 (from $91,000 +ORC), Lexus RZ450e (from $121,059 +ORC), Polestar 4 ($78,500 +ORC), and the Tesla Model Y (from $63,400 +ORC).

The Q4 comes in two body shapes – a rakish coupe-styled Sportback and more conventional SUV – with two drivetrains, the ‘45’ with a single rear-mounted electric motor and the more dynamic (and expensive) two-motor ‘55’.

Although differing in performance, both are long-legged with a 540km claimed range for the slippery Sportback 45, through to the SUV 55 at 488km.

All models plug into power sources up to 175kW and with that, a sub-30 minute recharge (10-80 per cent).

Audi is providing customer support for home charging with its partnership with JetCharge, offering a 7.4kW system for $799 (plus powerline if needed) or $1730 for a three-phase, 22kW system. Prices are conditional.

Quotes for the home charging system are done as quickly as possible with Audi using digital quotations. This fast method is one of the reasons why Audi Australia’s head of product Matthew Dale said, “about 80 per cent of our BEV and PHEV buyers have opted for home charging facilities”.

The Q4 e-tron is the first of Audi’s small EV SUVs built on the MEB platform that incorporates the ‘premium platform electric’ (PPE) drivetrain design shared with Porsche.

It is the first PPE platform model to come to Australia, but the global first is the Q6 e-tron that will be launched in Australia next month.

PPE offers a lightweight, modular construction design with efficiencies in production to share with siblings and for future models.

Built around this is a very spacious four-door body featuring a flat floor, lift-up hatch (squared or sloping depending on the body style), and filled with a host of technology – some cutting edge, one surprisingly appearing as a retrograde move – packaging infotainment with cutting-edge safety features.

The Q4 sits on a 2764mm wheelbase, has a length of 4588mm, width of 1865mm and height of 1632mm. It is only slightly bigger than the Q3 (4484mm long, 1856mm wide and 1616mm high) but has superior cabin and cargo room with interior storage length at 1830mm compared with the Q3 at 1760mm.

The design is intentionally slippery to minimise air drag, with the Sportback claiming a sleek Cd of 0.26 and the SUV at 0.28.

In minimising dray as much as possible to extend the EV’s range, Audi also pulled a surprise in the form of rear drum brakes.

Mr Dale admitted it was a design that harked back a few decades, or more, and is more commonly seen today on commercial vehicles such as utes.

“Unlike disc brakes, drum brakes don’t squeeze the pads onto the brake surface,” he said.

“Discs do this to wipe the rotor drag of debris and water, and to set the pads accurately against the rotor to maximise braking performance. This is done frequently, and so produces some drag.

“But drums don’t need to be wiped and don’t need to be set.

“So, this type of brake is more effective at reducing drag, and hence not affecting range. I’ll add that the brakes in the Q4 are helped substantially by the braking of the regenerative system, so they’re not used anywhere near that of an ICE car.”

Further extending range is the radiator blind which improves the car’s aerodynamics and therefore the range. The blind is automatically employed to allow air to reach the motor(s) radiator and keep the operating temperature at an ideal 30 degrees Celsius.

The battery has its own dedicated cooling system.

Typifying EV cabin design, the Q4 has an open dash area with broad instrument and infotainment panels, diminutive gearshifter surrounded by (manual) button controls for ancillaries including ‘Drive Select’, and spacious personal storage areas including bottle holders mounted in the tops of the doors, close to the driver (and passenger) hands.

Cabin tech includes augmented-reality heads-up display (in the 55 and the first for Audi), which superimposes ADAS and navigation ahead of the driver, appearing to ‘float’ at 10m ahead of the car.

Audi said the AR system allows the driver to easily view and understand displays, especially in conditions of poor visibility. 

The Q4’s features also include Sonos premium audio with surround sound; an 11.6-inch display plus the driver’s 10.25-inch screen; matrix LED lighting; and a steering wheel flattened top and bottom (55).

Audi has a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty for the car and an eight-year/160,000km warranty on the high voltage battery. Roadside assist is included for six years.

Buyers will get 12 months of free charging at Chargefox outlets as part of their ownership.

The car also comes with a six-year service deal which will cost $2050.

2025 Audi Q4 e-tron pricing*:

*Pricing excludes on-road costs.