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Impressive efficiency equals less time at the chargers
Could Audi have eradicated range anxiety with the latest Q4 E-Tron?
Audi Q4 E-Tron Sportback 45 Black Edition
P11D £58,235 Price as tested £61,240 Official range 330 miles Average consumption 3.6 miles/kWh Mileage 1,520
drops 40 miles immediately. Although, if it’s only used for short bursts – it quickly returns to what it was before the fan was on.
Martyn Collins
I touched on our Q4 E-Tron’s impressive efficiency in its first report, in fact, it was such an improvement over the old car, I must admit that I thought it wouldn’t last. However, after three months and almost 1,500 miles in this Audi, I can confirm it is consistently returning 3.6miles/kWh efficiency when fully charged. This is much better than I ever saw in seven months of admiration for my former long-termer, the BMW i5.
As a result, I’ve found that at least a 280-mile range is achievable between charges – meaning that unless I’m doing long trips, I’m only home-charging once or twice a week. In fact, the warm start to September has seen me achieve the best figures for this Audi, with one charge equalling 316 miles – not far off the official 330 figure.
Audi would rather you charge to 80% for shorter journeys, which would probably equal a 260-mile range, but because I’m having to charge less to 100%, I feel less guilty. On the move, I’ve seen the figure rise
Why we’re running it
To see how the updated Audi Q4 E-Tron works for fleet.
46 | September/October 2024 |
www.businesscar.co.uk
to 4.2miles/kWh, with careful driving, but I wonder if the Black Edition’s standard 21in wheels will stop the range rising by much?
It will be interesting to see how this changes as we head into winter, but I hope with the optionally fitted heat
pump, this Audi’s impressive EV range won’t be dented too much. I have noticed, that in ECO mode, the air- conditioning doesn’t appear to affect the range, and the same for the heated front seats. Oddly though, if I put the fan on ‘Max’ to clear the windscreen, the range
I’ve been making the most of the Q4 E-Tron’s extra range during the recent school summer holidays, running my children around and for family days out. Most recently with a trip to Woburn Safari Park, the last before they went back to school. The trip to and from Woburn, plus running around the park at walking speed (and no we didn’t go through the monkey enclosure in case of possible damage!), was no sweat for the Audi, and I got home with just under 200 miles or 80% of its battery. In fact, I wonder whether the animals are more receptive to the fact that EVs make no noise. I ask, as I was able to get very close to a group of giraffes – and they certainly weren’t bothered by us being there.
Elsewhere, we’ve managed to get the very useful Audi App working, allowing me to see the state of charge from my phone. There’s a satisfying feeling of quality in the spacious and comfortable interior – although the Sportback’s split rear window and lack of wash wipe does compromise vision a bit – making me reliant on the rear camera. Interior niggles are mostly focused on the odd-shaped, almost quartic wheel and its haptic controls, which sometimes seem to have a mind of their own.
There are niggles on the drive too, most serious is the inconsistent feel to the brakes. Sometimes they pull up fine, other times I’ve been more worried about stopping due to the pressure needed – due to their sometimes-spongy feel – although you do get used to this. As expected, the ride on the 21in wheels is inconsistent, but generally hard.
Safe and fast best sum up the Q4 E-Tron’s driving experience, although I think I would trade some of the Audi’s efficiency for a keener drive.
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