Audi’s smallest all-electric SUV, the Q4 e-tron, trades fireworks for feel-good calm
Slip into the Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron, and the first impression is not a specifications sheet but a mood. A friend who drove it before me described it as a “creamy drive”. Odd phrasing, perhaps, but accurate. Over three days, Audi’s coupe-roofed compact electric vehicle felt like a comforting embrace on wheels: unfussy, unhurried, and exactly the sort of companion you want as the kilometres glide past.
The seats hold you properly, and, once the door shuts, the cabin becomes a cocoon. There is no combustion soundtrack, only the soft whirr of progress. Should you want some theatre, the standard Sonos premium sound system delivers crisp, cabin-filling audio.
Audi also deserves credit for restraint. Common sense has not been sacrificed to a touchscreen. Physical climate-control buttons remain—tactile proof that ergonomics still matter. Elsewhere, the technology is familiar Audi fare: the virtual cockpit and an augmented-reality head-up display that projects navigation and assistance graphics into your eyeline so you need not glance down.
On paper, the Q4 Sportback e-tron is brisk enough for Singapore life. The figures: 210kW and 545Nm to the rear wheels, 0–100km/h in 6.7 seconds, and a top speed of 180km/h. It makes no pretence of being a performance hero, nor does it need to. Power delivery is measured and linear, with a chassis tuned for comfort, aided by a low centre of gravity and balanced weight distribution. Selectable drive modes are available, but the default setting feels the most natural fit for us.
Range is equally reassuring. The Sportback claims up to 482km, translating into nearly a week’s commuting. Recharging is straightforward: up to 135kW DC or 11kW AC, making short coffee-stop top-ups entirely feasible. Practicality is no afterthought either, with 535 litres of boot space under the powered tailgate and an impressively tight 10.2m turning radius for car park manoeuvres.
Launched locally last June as Audi’s first compact electric SUV line, the Q4 range plays the everyday card with quiet confidence. Verdict? The Q4 Sportback e-tron majors on what matters daily—comfort, refinement, range, and intuitive controls—while adding just enough Audi cleverness to feel contemporary without being fussy. Not a track toy and wisely so; instead, a straightforward, reassuring drive that makes the journey feel, quite simply, good.
