Audi Q4 e-tron: London to Land's End on one charge

Planning our exact route is equally effortless. Using the MyAudi smartphone app and our Audi’s always-online connectivity, we can plan our optimal route from the comfort of our desk before syncing it with the onboard satellite-navigation system in the car.[3] 

As Audi’s e-tron navigation system is electric focused with live public charging data[3], it means we can also plot the location for any suitable public charging points we can use along the way. Not that we’re planning to stop for a charge until we reach Land’s End, mind. But it’s nice to know where we can graze for an emergency top-up if needed, or where we can find a destination charger for a longer overnight refill at Land’s End once we’re done for the day.

Equally, the MyAudi app lets us remotely check the charging status of our Audi Q4 e-tron and pre-condition the interior air-conditioning while the car is still plugged in[3] – so we can set off with the right comfortable temperature and maximum range. So, with our course charted, our battery 100% full – and our confidence equally brimming – we’re ready to hit the road.

Effortless motorway and A-road cruising

Within moments of leaving the Autocar office, we’re heading west on the A316. With our pre-planned route plumbed into the Audi Q4 e-tron’s high-definition 11.6in MMI Navigation Plus display, it’s time to sit back and get acquainted with the car’s interior.

The ultra-modern asymmetrical dashboard, gloss-black finishes and geometric shapes make us feel as though we’re behind the controls of an intergalactic starship, while the interstellar theme continues in the form of the seamlessly integrated virtual cockpit and smartphone-style haptic controls on the steering wheel.

With a few intuitive swipes, shuffling between navigation, driving efficiency data and music on the digital instrument binnacle quickly becomes second nature. We can even use intuitive voice control to ask the Audi Q4 e-tron to change the track, increase the volume, warm us up, cool us down, or read out our texts. Smart, eh?

Ahead of us, a car slows to a halt unexpectedly, giving us our first real taste of the Audi Q4 e-tron’s regenerative braking. Without touching the brake pedal, we glide effortlessly to a halt, while a snazzy display on the digital dash tells me that we’re pumping energy back into the battery to boost our range. The traffic eases back into life, and we’re off again.

Before long we break free of the A316 and merge onto the M3. With no more than a flex of our big toe, we use the Audi Q4 e-tron’s powerful dual motors to accelerate up to a suitable motorway speed with no more than a whisper. It’s so quiet, in fact, that I can hear my passenger rustling around the central console to retrieve a bag of sweets. I would voice my concerns about us running out well before Cornwall, but with all 25 litres of interior cubby space overflowing with road-trip-friendly goodies, I keep my thoughts to myself.

In fact, the interior of the Audi Q4 e-tron is simply enormous. Thanks to its all-electric underpinnings, low-slung batteries and lack of a conventional drivetrain, the Audi Q4 e-tron delivers similar levels of space to that of a mid-size petrol-powered SUV from the next class up. The result is plenty of up-front comfort and rear legroom, and between 520 and 1490 litres of luggage space, depending on how we flex the rear seats. That’s more than enough for our overnight bags, which looked comically small in the vast boot.

As we’ve got a long stretch of the M3 before us, we relax into the Audi Q4 e-tron’s sumptuously supportive twin-leather front seats and activate the adaptive cruise control. Unlike standard cruise control, which keeps you at a constant speed, adaptive cruise uses the Audi Q4 e-tron’s wealth of sensors and radars to constantly monitor your surroundings and adjust your speed accordingly. 

If the car ahead of you slows, you slow. If it speeds back up, you follow suit up to your desired speed. It can even lend a hand changing lanes or keeping us between the white lines with a reassuring nudge of the steering wheel – if we want to stay on the straight and narrow. Blended with the Audi Q4 e-tron’s supple, pillowy ride and cocoon-like interior, the hours soon turn to minutes, and before we know it we’ve peeled off the M3, disposed of the A303 with its obligatory Stonehenge traffic, and we’re on the A30 fast approaching Exeter.

Impressive long-range efficiency 

At this point – four hours and 160 miles into our journey – the Audi Q4 e-tron’s MMI Navigation touchscreen tells us there’s an ultra-rapid charger located at Exeter services[4]. Now, usually on a big journey like this, you’d take this opportunity to peel off the motorway and grab some charge while you get a bite to eat.

In fact, recent updates to the entire Audi Q4 e-tron range mean that charging capability has been increased from 135kW to 175kW. That means with the right charger and the right conditions, we could expect to top up from up to 10% to 80% in as little as 28 minutes.[5]

However, on the Audi Q4 e-tron’s crisp digital driver display I can see that we’ve been averaging a hugely commendable 3.8 miles per kWh – impressive when you consider that most of our driving up until this point has been range-sapping straight-line motorway-style 65mph, which offers little opportunity for regenerative braking. So, with around 140 miles of range left, and Land’s End in sight, we plough on.

Amping up the fun; tackling busy urban roads

As we effortlessly glide through the Cornish countryside, a favourite tune of ours comes over the airwaves. We use Audi Q4 e-tron’s voice control to bump up the volume and enjoy the premium 10-speaker Sonos sound system.[6] In an ultra-quiet electric car like this, you feel truly enveloped in the sound, as if you’re sitting in the middle of the band itself.

As we cruise along, the MMI Navigation indicates there’s a build-up of traffic a few miles ahead, and that we should probably detour through a small local town. It quickly becomes clear that we’re not the only ones trying to avoid the dual carriageway. But this gives us an opportunity to see a different side of the Audi Q4 e-tron.

Despite its vast interior dimensions, the compact wheel-on-corner design of the Audi Q4 e-tron – along with its quick steering rack, its tight turning circle of just 10.2 metres and great all-round visibility – means it feels right at home in the hustle and bustle of this small Cornish village, and we’re able to carve through the chaos with ease.

The Audi Q4 e-tron’s Pre-Sense Front safety system comes to the fore in this environment, too. Using advanced radars and sensors, it lends a second, third and fourth set of helpful eyes to spot other traffic and hazards – throwing up a warning if it thinks you’re about to have an accident. If you’re too slow to react, it will step on the brakes for you. Reassuring.

After about 15 minutes, we slip back onto the A30. A quick glance at the high-def Google Earth images on the MMI Navigation tells me that we’ve got just 50 miles left to Land’s End, and around 75 miles of range remaining. Perfect.

Land’s End: our final destination charge

Just over an hour later, and with the mini metropolis of Penzance in our rear-view mirror, the A30 is no longer a dual carriageway, and things starts to get twisty. This gives us a final opportunity to experience another side of the Audi Q4 e-tron. Its driving character.

As the corners come thick and fast, the Audi Q4 e-tron Black Edition’s sports suspension, near 50:50 weight distribution, and its progressive steering rack come into their own as we effortlessly carve our way towards the Penwith peninsula. Using the paddles behind the wheel to turn the regenerative braking to maximum, it means we don’t have to keep hopping between pedals – all while pumping more energy back into the battery.

After several smile-inducing miles of country roads, the Land’s End sign says it all. We’ve reached our destination. We literally run out of asphalt and hear the crunch of car park gravel under our tyres. Here, the Audi Q4 e-tron’s all-wheel-drive quattro capability shines bright. It’s impossible to ignore the seamless transition from on-road to off-road driving. No sudden loss of traction, no unwanted hops and skips. Just the same effortless, cloud-like ride comfort we’ve experienced all the way here.

Using the Audi Q4 e-tron’s navigation, we find the destination charger that sits at the far end of the car park. We come to a gentle stop, and I glance for one final time at the digital driver’s display: 280 miles covered; 25 miles of range remaining; 4 miles per kWh averaged. Almost exactly the 300 miles it predicted from the office.

After plugging our Audi Q4 e-tron into the charger; we walk to Land’s End itself. Below us the Atlantic Ocean crashes against the rugged granite cliffs, throwing up a thin mist of cooling salty spray. As we look out over the 270-million-year-old peninsula, the Audi Q4 e-tron gently replenishes its 82kWh battery behind us. We turn and admire its muscular haunches, and its pin-sharp bodywork creases. And, as the sun’s golden glow bathes it in light, the sparkly metallic black paint winks at us.

After six hours and 45 minutes on the road and 280 miles of traversing the south of England, you might think we’d be a little stiff from the journey; but that couldn’t be further from the truth. We feel as fresh as the moment we left. And the Audi Q4 e-tron? Well, it had taken the entire journey in its stride. Like we said at the beginning: no hypermiling and no stressing – just effortless all-electric driving.

Learn more about the Audi Q4 e-tron

[1] Research by RAC Foundation https://www.racfoundation.org/motoring-faqs/mobility

[2] Official test (WLTP) range for Audi Q4 SUV Black Edition 55 e-tron quattro is 312 miles based on a full charge (to 100%). For comparison purposes, may not reflect real life driving.  Whether other drivers can achieve journey shown will depend on individual circumstances (weather, traffic, driving style, route, age and condition of vehicle and battery, etc.).

[3] MyAudi account and app, Audi connect and Wi-fi or mobile data connection required, data charges may apply. 

[4] 68,273EV charging points across the UK (as at 04/24, ZapMap.com).  Availability of ultra-rapid 150kW+ chargers is limited, mostly to major arterial routes, not available in Northern Ireland.

[5] Estimated charging times for the standard specification 2024 model year Audi Q4 SUV Black Edition 55 e-tron quattro. Test data obtained under standardised conditions for comparison purposes. Actual charging times will vary depending on various factors, including the selected trimline (and battery option, if available), the options you choose, the type of charger used, the level of charge in the battery, the age, type, condition and temperature of the charger and the battery, the power supply to and usage of the charger, ambient temperature at the point of use and other environmental factors.  Charging time will be longer in cold weather.  Charging times will also be affected by the charging curve (for example, once charging passes 80%, charging will slow to protect the battery's longevity) and will be longer if battery temperature activates safeguarding technology. Please consult your retailer for further information. Data correct as at 5/07/24.