Audi Q4 Sportback Car Review

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…the Audi Q4 Sportback, the more slender looking version of the Q4 mid-size SUV. Offering a more sporty looking version of the all-electric Q4 gives buyers more choice over just having a regular SUV style.

Audi offers the Q4 in four trim levels:

Sport
S-line
Edition 1

Standard equipment on the Sport includes 19-inch alloys, drive modes, LED front and rear lights, powered boot lid, powered folding door mirrors, heated front sports seats with powered lumbar support, three-zone climate control, 11.6-inch infotainment screen, satnav, 10.25-inch driver’s display, 2x USB sockets, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, cruise control, lane departure warning, rear parking sensors, keyless go and traffic sign recognition.

S-line adds 20-inch alloys, sport suspension, S-line styling kit, uprated front sports seats and an ambient lighting pack.

Edition 1 adds uprated headlights, headlight washers, styling pack, leather upholstery, powered front seats with memory function and a sports steering wheel.

Is The Audi Q4 Sportback Suitable For My Fleet

With an official range of more than 300 miles from the Q4 Sportback with the 76.6kWh battery, a practical interior and a premium badge, initial impressions are very good.

Opt for the top spec version and you gain 40:20:40 split folding rear seats rather than the standard 60:40 items. The boot is good 535 litres in volume and the sloping rear hatch doesn’t have much impact on day-to-day activities. You can still get a dog in the boot without squashing them. Audi also doesn’t provide any under bonnet storage.

The real-world range, however, is somewhat off that of the official figure. We achieved 3.0 miles per kWh which for the 76.6kWh usable battery capacity would give a range of 229 miles. Plenty for daily commuting, but not a great efficiency.

On the plus-side, the Audi Q4 Sportback will charge at a maximum of 135kW, which if you’re on a longer journey will be very useful.

Leasing An Audi Q4 Sportback

Running costs are competitively low in the Audi Q4 with Gensen predicting a monthly maintenance figure of £56 for a 20,000 mile a year contract. Similarly, the Class 1A NIC monthly cost is low at £10.86. However, the lease rate is £842 a month on a 3+36 contract for 60,000 miles from Intelligent Car Leasing.

Driving An Audi Q4 Sportback

One of the Audi Q4’s strongest traits is the way it drives. Despite having sports suspension and large 20-inch alloys wheels, the car is impressively comfortable. The suspension is quiet when the wheels go over potholes or steeper speed bumps. Yet the suspension is also firm enough to give a fairly flat cornering attitude.

Audi doesn’t offer one-pedal driving where the brake energy regeneration would bring the car to a complete stop. However, in the higher regeneration mode it does a good job of transitioning between regen and physical brakes.

The car also feels quicker than the 0-62mph time of 8.5 seconds.

Sitting inside the Q4 Sportback shows why Audi is a premium brand. All materials used in the construction feel expensive and the fit and finish is near faultless.

What’s not so good is the complexity of the infotainment system which like the rest of the Volkswagen Group has ditched as many physical buttons as possible in favour of a large touchscreen and menu system.

You do get used to it, but it’s far from perfect.

The system allows multiple configurations, but one thing you can’t change is the humming noise the car plays through the speakers at speeds around 10-30mph depending on your level of braking and acceleration. In reality it simply clashes with whatever you’re playing on the otherwise excellent stereo, or ruin the silence of electric motoring. If you spend a lot of time at town speeds it is very annoying. At higher speeds the noise isn’t piped into the cabin.

FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Audi Q4 Sportback

A premium experience in all aspect with the exception of low-speed noise.