Audi Q4 55 e-tron quattro Review: Perfectly nice, but is that gonna cut it against a vast number of cheaper and more interesting rivals?
The problem with Audi’s curvaceous, attractive and non-threatening, Boomer-friendly new EV, the Audi Q4 55 e-tron quattro, is not the car itself, it’s the competition it faces.
I assumed that a modern German electric vehicle with two motors would be exciting, zesty and possibly even stupidly fast, but this Q4 – which Audi has been waiting for eagerly as its temptress for the EV market – entirely failed to set my world on fire.
Even worse, it compared quite poorly with the most recent notional competitor I’d driven, a Chinese, twin-motor EV that costs $40k less.
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2025 Audi Q4 55 e-tron quattro price and equipment
The Audi Q4 55 e-tron’s 82kWh battery combines its two motors to deliver just 250kW (plus 134Nm/545Nm from its front and rear motors).
Yes, there was a time when 250Kw seemed ample or even interesting, but today you could just as easily buy the Zeekr 7X Performance All-Wheel Drive, which also has two motors but gets a 100kWh battery and offers 475kW/710Nm, at a price of $72,900.
I’m not saying an Audi needs to match a Chinese challenger on price – and the Zeekr does not feel anywhere near as premium – but surely it should be within a bull’s roar of it in terms of outputs and grunt, and, theoretically, it’s not hard to give an electric vehicle electric performance.
The 55 e-tron SUV I drove was $105,900 (the Sportback with a sloping roof is $107,500), and you can have a Q4 with just one motor for as little as $84,900, and arguably that’s the version that’s going to attract buyers who want an EV but wouldn’t be seen dead in a Chinese car, or a Tesla.
The Q4 will surely become Audi’s best-selling EV in Australia, which might not be saying a lot.
But I really expected something more from the 55 e-tron version, as would anyone spending six figures on a mid-size SUV like this, I would think.
I’m not saying it was a slug, and on one occasion I did leave the lights rapidly in this car and cause my wife to swear and throw her coffee all over me in shock, so it can provide acceleration.
But 5.4 seconds to 100km/h (versus 3.8 for the Zeekr, or 4.8 seconds for the Model Y Tesla Long Range AWD) feels pedestrian in a modern context.
Now look, I’m willing to acknowledge that I sound like a whinger who drives too many fast cars here, and it’s also important to say that the buyer profile of someone interested in this car probably isn’t someone who wears baseball caps backwards and goes around drag racing, but I just don’t see the value in stepping up to the 55 e-tron.
The rear-drive only Q4 (210kW and 545Nm, 540km of claimed driving range vs 488km for the range-topper here) simply looks like the better value here.
Either option is lovely inside and well equipped, of course, but the 55 gets flashy matrix LED lights, even more shiny ambient lighting inside, the snazzy Virtual Cockpit plus, and advanced adaptive cruise control.
It also gets Apple CarPlay, but I can report that in a whole week of trying, I couldn’t get it to work wirelessly.
2025 Audi Q4 55 e-tron quattro: What we think
For such a seemingly important car, the Audi Q4 55 e-tron was simply underwhelming. I drove it every day for a week and was simply never blown away by anything about it. It was transport, quiet, smooth, classy transport, but nothing to stir the soul.
Part of the problem might have been that I had the more powerful and hugely more fun Audi SQ5 the week before, and then stepped out of this Q4 into the S5 Avant, which was also wonderful.
Sadly what this says is that if you want an Audi, you’re still very much better off buying one with an engine.
But if you are an EV fan you’ll be happy enough with a Q4, just not overly excited.
2025 Audi Q4 55 e-tron quattro: Verdict
Stick with the entry-level Q4 variant, which just looks like a much better value proposition.
SCORE: 3/5
2025 Audi Q4 55 e-tron quattro specifications
Price: $105,900 (plus on-road costs)
Basics: EV , 5 seats, 5 doors, mid-size SUV, AWD
Range: 543km (WLTP – good luck getting that if you put your foot down)
Battery capacity: 85kWh NCM
Battery warranty: 8 years/160,000km
Energy consumption: 18.1kWh/100km (ADR)
Motors: 1 front, 1 rear, 250kW and 134Nm/545Nm.
AC charging: 11kW, Type 2 plug
DC charging: 175kW, CCS combo plug
0-100km/h: 5.4 seconds
0-100km/h: 5.4 seconds
